In comparing the Ambrosian chant with that of Gregory, it
may be said that we have touched upon the vital principle of
modern music. The novelty in the Gregorian chant consisted in
its absolute emancipation from the tyranny of actual words
and declamation; while the idea, the poetic principle, or
religious ecstasy still remained the ideal to be expressed in
the music. Before this, as already explained, music was either
a mathematical problem, a rhythm to mark the time in dancing,
or a vehicle serving for the display of clever _tours de force_,
the music of the tragedies being merely a kind of melodious
declamation. To quote Goethe, "having recognized the fact,
it still remains for us to see how it developed." Let us now
consider this point.
Three things were necessary before these Gregorian chants
could develop at all: (1) A simple, clean-cut musical scale
or systematized table of musical sounds. (2) Some definite
manner of symbolizing sounds, so that they could be accurately
expressed in writing. (3) A cultivation of the sense of
hearing, in order that mankind might learn to distinguish
between sounds that are discordant and those that sound well
together; in other words, harmony.
We will begin with the scale, and review what we know of the
Greek modes in order to show how they were amalgamated into
our present octave system of scales.
[Tetrachords /------|-----\ /-------|--------\ ]
[ F: b, c d e f g a G: b c' d' e' f' g' a']
[Mixolydian \--+-+-+-+-+-+----/ | | | | | | ]
[Lydian \-+-+-+-+-+------/ | | | | | ]
[Phrygian \-+-+-+-+---------/ | | | | ]
[Dorian \-+-+-+------------/ | | | ]
[Hypolydian \-+-+---------------/ | | ]
[Hypophrygian \-+------------------/ | ]
[Aeolian or Locrian or Hypodorian \---------------------/ ]
[Notes labelled from highest to lowest: Nete, Paranete, Trite,
Nete, Paranete, Trite, Paramese, Mese, Lichanos, Parhypate,
Hypate, Lichanos, Parhypate, Hypate, [F: a,] Proslambanomenos.]
Under Ambrose and Pope Gregory, these modes had taken a
different form. The chromatic and enharmonic styles had been
abandoned in theory, the portamento which the singers introduced
into their chants being the only principle retained. The new
system was as follows:
[F8: g, a, b, G8: c d e f g a b c' d' e' f' g' a']
[First nine notes labelled:
Hypoion., Hypodor., Hypophryg., Hypolyd./Ionian,
Hypo-mixolyd./Dorian, Hypoaeol./Phryg., Lyd., Mixolyd., Aeol.]
In order to complete the story of the evolution of scales and
clefs, we must add that the Flemish monk, Hucbald (900 A.D.),
divided this scale into regular tetrachords, beginning at
G, with the succession, tone, semitone, tone, forming four
disjunct tetrachords,
[F: (g, a, b-, c) (d e f g) (a b c' d') G: (e' f+' g' a')]
This division remained without influence on the development
of the scale.
The first change in the _tetrachord_ system of reckoning
tones and dividing the scale was made by Guido d'Arezzo (first
half of eleventh century), who divided it into hexachords or
groups of six notes each. Up to that time, each note of the
scale had had a letter of the alphabet for its symbol. It was
Guido who conceived the idea of using syllables for these
notes. The story of how it occurred to him is well known:
On one occasion, hearing his brethren in the monastery choir
of Arezzo, in Tuscany, sing a hymn to St. John the Baptist, he
noticed that the first syllable of each line came on regularly
ascending notes of the scale, the first syllable coming on C,
the first of the next line on D, the first of the third on E,
etc., up to A on the sixth line. As all these syllables happened
to differ one from the other, and, moreover, were very easy
to sing, he hit upon the idea of using them to distinguish
the notes on which they fell in the hymn.
[F: c d f (d e) d | d d c d e e ]
[W: _Ut_ queant laxis | _Re_sonare fibris ]
[F: (e f g) e (d e) c d | f g a (g f) d d]
[W: _Mi_ra gestorum | _Fa_muli tuorum ]
[F: (g a g) e f g d | a g a f (g a) a | (g f) d c e d ]
[W: _Sol_ve polluti | _La_bii reatum | Sancte Joannes]
Furthermore, as there were six of these syllables, he arranged
the musical scale in groups of six notes instead of four,
hexachords instead of tetrachords. Commencing with G, which
was the lowest note of the system in Hucbald's time, the first
hexachord was formed of G A B C D E; the second, following the
example of the Greeks, he made to overlap the first, namely,
C D E F G A; the third, likewise overlapping the second,
commenced on F. In order to make this hexachord identical
in structure with, the first and second, he flatted the B,
thus making the succession of notes, F G A B[flat] C D. The
next three hexachords were repetitions of the first three,
namely, G A B C D E, C D E F G A, F G A B[flat] C D; the last
was again a repetition of the first, G A B C D E.