DECHEVRENS, Antoine. - Jesuit, musician, b. at Chêne (Geneva) 30 Nov. 1840, d. at Geneva 17 Jan. 1912. He was master of the chapel in churches of the Society, then professor of philosophy and theology at the Catholic University of Angers.
Returning to Switzerland, he was able to continue his studies on neumatic notation and Gregorian chant, and was among the first to attempt a systematic treatment of Gregorian rhythm in a mensural sense. The a priori nature of the attempt is evident in the scarcity of paleographic documentation and, above all, in the arbitrary complication of the “progressive transcriptions” and in the lack of rigor in the rhythmic translation of the neumes. More than an oratorical rhythm D. considered Gregorian rhythm to be musical, but based on metric accentuation. His theories were never applied in practice.
Didactic works: Du rythme dans l'hymnographie latine, Paris 1895; Composition musicale et composition littéraire (VII 1910); but his most important work is Études de science musicale (3 vols., ibid. 1898; an appendix to the study is De la musique arabe, ibid. 1890).