THE AMBROSIAN AND GREGORIAN CHANT.
St Ambrose, the first real reformer in the music of the Christian
Church, was born A. D. 333, probably at Treves, where his father who was
prefect of Gaul, often resided. He is said to have received an
auspicious omen even in his cradle; a swarm of bees alighted upon him
during his slumber, and the astonished nurse saw that they did not sting
him, but clustered around his lips; his father, remembering a similar
wonder related of Plato, predicted a high destiny for his son. He was
therefore, thoroughly educated in his youth, and soon was sent with
Satyrus, his brother, to Milan to study law.
He soon became so eminent in this profession, that he was appointed (A.
D. 369) prefect of upper Italy and Milan. In A. D. 374 he was
unanimously, and against his will, chosen bishop of Milan.
Once in the chair, however, he ruled with vigor and great sagacity,
making numerous and necessary reforms in church regulations and
discipline.[248]
We shall only follow his musical career. Unfortunately, although there
are some remains in the Milanese church-chant of to-day, we have but
little proof of the nature of his reforms. That it was deeply impressive
we have the testimony of St. Augustine who eulogises, without accurately
describing it,[249] but it is certain that his reforms were founded in
part upon the Greek music, and that in the Gregorian and Ambrosian
chants of the church, we have a legitimate descendant of the ancient
Greek music. The reader must remove one impression from his mind; the
music of the early Christians, though certainly crude, was by no means
simple; on the contrary, it contained many flourishes and rapid
embellishments, most of which were of oriental origin. The reform was in
the nature of simplicity, and added dignity to a service, which already,
in its words, possessed beauty and poetry.
He cast aside much of the cumbrous nomenclature of the Greek modes, and
retained of them only what was beautiful and easily comprehended. He did
not aim at any sweeping reform, as is evident from his letter to his
sister St. Marcellina, wherein he says that he is endeavoring to
regulate the mode of singing the hymns, canticles and anthems in his own
church,[250] and St. Augustine[251] says that it was done after the
manner of the churches of the Orient.
The modes which he chose for his compositions were the following:—
First mode:— D, E, F, G, A, B, C, D,
re mi fa sol la si do re
Second do. E, F, G, A, B, C, D, E,
mi fa sol la si do re mi
Third do. F, G, A, B, C, D, E, F,
fa sol la si do re mi fa
Fourth do. G, A, B, C, D, E, F, G,
sol la si do re mi fa sol
It will be seen that the semi-tones are immovable, and therefore occur
in different positions in each mode, by the change of the key-note;
being respectively,—
First mode, semitones 2-3, 6-7
Second ” ” 1-2, 5-6
Third ” ” 4-5, 7-8
Fourth ” ” 3-4, 6-7
It was this distinction which gave to each mode its peculiar character.
Not only did St. Ambrose reinstate these modes, but he composed many
beautiful compositions in them. Many of the so-called Ambrosian chants
and hymns, were not written by him, but after his manner; but some ten
of the ancient hymns, including “_Veni Redemptor Gentium_,” “_Eterna
Christi munera_,” etc., are from his own pen.
The Cathedral of Milan still uses _Aeterne rerum conditor_; _Deus
Creator omnium_; _Veni Redemptor omnium_; _Splendor Paternæ gloriæ_;
_Consors paterni luminis_; and _O Lux Beata Trinitas_.[252]
Some of these are of rare beauty, and remain as monuments of the
cultivated taste of this pioneer in church music. The composition of the
“_Te Deum Laudamus_,” has been ascribed to St. Ambrose, and St.
Augustine; but it was composed nearly a century after their death. Among
other persons to whom this beautiful production has been assigned, may
be mentioned St. Hilary, St. Abundius, St. Sisebut, and St. Nicat; but
it may be safely affirmed that its real author has never been
discovered.
The greatest boon bestowed on the church by St. Ambrose was the
rhythmical hymn, mentioned above, all of which, and many others he wrote
for the Cathedral which he built at Milan.
“The entire accent, and style of chanting as regulated by him, was
undoubtedly an artistic and cultivated improvement on that of preceding
church services, such as would naturally result from the rare
combination of piety, zeal, intellect, and poetical and musical power by
which he was distinguished.” The Ambrosian chant was eventually merged,
but certainly not lost in that vast repertory of plain song, (whether
then ancient or modern,) which we now call Gregorian, from the name of
the next great reformer of church music, St. Gregory the Great.[253] St.
Ambrose died A. D. 397; it was but a short time afterwards that the
great invasion of the northern barbarians took place. The history of the
vicissitudes of the ecclesiastical music, during the general disruption
of Europe and the western civilization, which followed, can only be
imagined; but scarcely had a calm been re-established, when, at a period
when the reforms and inventions of St. Ambrose had not been vitiated or
lost, the great reformer of church music arose, and re-instated the art
upon a firmer pedestal than ever.
Gregory, the Great, born about A. D. 540, and pope from September 3,
590, to March 12, 604, was of an illustrious Roman family. His father
Gordianus, was a senator, and Felix III., one of the early pontiffs, was
among his ancestors. He was one of the most remarkable, zealous, and
intelligent of the fathers of the church.
We have here only to follow his musical work, but in every branch of
work connected with his church, he was most eminent. He founded six
monasteries in Sicily alone. He voluntarily resigned an honorable
office, to leave the world, and seek retirement in the monastery of St.
Andrew, which he himself had founded at Rome. On this occasion he gave
to the poor all his wealth, and declining the abbacy of his own convent,
began with the ordinary monastic life, about 575.
He wished to attempt the conversion of the Britains, (moved thereto by
the well known incident of seeing some beautiful Anglo-Saxon youths
exposed for sale in the Roman market place), but was prevented by the
clamor of the populace who refused to lose him. Like St. Ambrose, he was
called to office entirely against his will, and, on being made pontiff,
he seems to have excelled in every department of his administration;
thus much, to show that music was but one of the fields in which this
wonderful man exercised his talents.
He collected the available church music, he added to it by composing new
hymns and anthems, he arranged them for the various special days of the
year, he invented or amplified the system of ecclesiastical composition,
and took care that the reforms should be permanent, by having most
things relative to his musical labors, written out in a lasting
manner.[254]
These reforms he began about A. D. 599. He did not discard the four
modes of St. Ambrose, but rather extended them; and yet (through the
great personal popularity of St. Ambrose), the Milan Cathedral kept the
Ambrosian chant unadulterated, for centuries after the establishment of
the Gregorian.
As late as the latter half of the fifteenth century, Franchinus Gafor
speaks of the Gregorians and Ambrosians as partizans. Of course, in
order to secure uniformity, the rulers of Europe, sought to dwarf the
workings of the Ambrosian system, and Charlemagne even ordered the
Ambrosian books to be burnt. Although, as above stated, there was
nothing antagonistic in the two systems, yet their musical results seem
to have had a material difference, for Radulf of Tongern an
unimpeachable witness of the fourteenth century, who heard both methods
in their purity, says that he found the Ambrosian chanting, widely
different from the Roman (Gregorian); the former being strong and
majestic, while the latter was sweet-toned, and well arranged.[255] This
distinction is utterly meaningless to us, for the Gregorian chant is
certainly majestic and strong, at least to our ears.
Gregory also founded a singing school in Rome, which was large enough to
occupy two good-sized edifices. In this he probably taught personally.
There have been shown as relics of his instruction, the couch on which
he sat while teaching, and the rod with which the boys were corrected,
or awed into giving proper attention to their studies.
The amplification which he made in the Ambrosian scale was the addition
of four tones or plagal modes, and also that he totally abolished the
difficult Greek nomenclature, such as _para-mese_ and
_proslambanomenos_, and gave the names of the first seven letters of the
Roman alphabet, to the seven notes, A, B, C, D, E, F, G, in the same
manner as used to-day. There is no question but that the scale founded
by Gregory, had a diatonic character, but as to the number of systems of
tones employed, authorities differ, and even the books of music of
Gregory’s own compilation (one of which was chained to the altar at St.
Peters, to fix the standard of tone for ever and ever) do not clear up
the difficulty, for the number differs.
But the system gradually settled itself, and eight tones only (our
ordinary diatonic scale tones) were found practicable for composition
and singing.
Gregory’s system was founded on the division of the octave into two
intervals; a perfect fifth and perfect fourth. The fifth was, next to
the octave, the most important interval.
The added modes (called plagal, signifying “oblique, sideways”), were so
called to distinguish them from the authentic tones or keys (D, E, F, G,
A), a synopsis of the entire set of tones would be as follows,—
A, B, C, D, E, F, G, A, B, C, D,
plagal 4,
authentic 5,
plagal 4.
There were four authentic modes, viz.,—D, E, F and G, and four plagal,
as follows,—A, B, C and D.
To give a description that would be at all adequate, of the system of
Gregory, would require much space, and many plates and engravings. We
shall therefore touch but lightly on the tone systems and notations of
the early and middle ages. The founding of the scale from a fifth and
fourth, led to one grave mistake; these intervals were supposed to be of
prime importance, and more perfect than others, and finally were
employed in harmonies which were decidedly harsh. But to such an extent
did the evil spread that no composition (in the dark ages) was thought
to be pure or classic, without containing a series of fourths, fifths,
and octaves, and an invariable close upon an empty fifth. Thirds were
rejected as totally impure. But these faults are not of Gregory’s
origination, and he must ever stand as the man who made the connecting
link between the old Greek music and our own.