For a while now I’ve been fascinated by the style of chant known as “organum”. For those of you not familiar with the form, it takes the melodic line of chant, and by adding one or two, or more voices contextualises the chant with basic underpinning harmony. In Medieval times this practice began to take hold and the cantus firmus would be sung by a tenor with (usually) a bass/bourdon singing a sort of continuo in parallel fourths and perfect fifths underneath the chant.
It wasn’t ever really intended as “polyphony” as such, but was used in the tropes and chants of the masses of the greater feasts as a way of enhancing and highlighting the importance of the liturgy. Early treatise exist on the method and practice of Organum, the earliest I can find reference to being the Musica enchiriadis, believed to have been written around 895AD and covering topics such as njotation, modes, and monophonic plainchant. That the treatise was wrongly ascribed to Hucald, and then later Odo of Cluny suggests that the use of Organum had at least the tacit approval of the church authorities at the time.
Over the years the styles of Organum developed from simple idiaphonia to melismic writing from Notre Dame and Limoges in the 12th Century that would be almost indistinguishable from early polyphony.
As a style it is being used still in liturgical settings, with ensemble Exsurge Domine singing it regularly at the traditional masses in the Basilica Magistrale di S. Croce a Cagliari. I, for one, find it absorbing.
Kyrie IV Cunctipotens
Salve Regina
Stabat Mater
We do that at our LifeTeen Mass fairly frequently, but it takes a light touch, and it can really quickly become grating if it's not done well. It doesn't really fit with every chant perfectly.
Now on a technical point: What is the difference between organum, faux bourdon (sp?) and just a steady held tone on the fundamental? What's it called when you have a fourth below and a fifth above tracking perfectly with the main note?
Also, does anyone know how this relates to the held-tone in Eastern Christian chant. I think it's call the "ison".
The first time I heard this was on Good Friday at the Tridentine Liturgy of the Presanctified (EF, and yes, this was after 1955!), when, for the Improperia, a cantor intoned the Greek Agios o Theos as per normal, then the Sanctus Deus appeared out of nowhere in organum, and as they went on, the organum got richer and more varied. And then they continued in the simple plainchant a la Solesmes, for some time, later on poco a poco integrating the ison at times and full organum afterwards. I think my heart actually stopped for a moment. It was then that I realized that the Improperia: that was Jesus speaking to me!
bgeorge: faux bourdon means "false bass" and the style of writing often involves a sequence of chord inversions or the tenor being written below the bass. A steady held tone on the fundamental could be a continuo where the bass sings a held pedal note.
Absolutely beautiful. Thank you for posting them.
And have you noticed how cunnningly the Mus. Ench. "scale" accomodates organum, eh?
In one of my several student incarnations, a few of us used to sing compline in a tiny Gothic chapel – all chanted, and I used to do organum for the Nunc, but going into thirds for the Gloria just to have a change.
Also at Mass I taught the choir to sing the "quia tuum est regnum" in organum, for a litle extra oomph. If people are singing well and in tune, it is easy to get the feel for that fifth above/fourth below. Things that begin like the seventh psalm tone are comfortable – first two notes in unison, and then back to your starting point.
And the Byzantines who sang for some of our more chanted Masses used to improvise drones, especially for the Kyries.
Can you tell you've made me all nostalgic? sniff. It's as absorbing to sing as it is to listen to! Perhaps we could organise an organum camp?
J+M+J
Might someone be able to point me toward a source of Organum pieces with sheet music? I am wanting to incorporate some of this into our choir repertoire at our parish and I'm at a loss as to where to go about finding them …
Thank you!
I loved Kyrie, especially. I believe most of the people who sing organum or drone do almost instinctively and by ear. But for the beginners who are not used to it, would like to see the music. So one can actually learn from it?