PSALMODY. - I. DEFINITION. - The singing of the psalms and canticles of the Church is called p. Liturgical tradition indicates three ways of singing the psalms, whence three psalmodic systems: direct or continuous, responsorial, and antiphonal. The psalm is formed of verses, each of which in turn consists of two members, separated, in our books, by an asterisk and corresponding according to the parallelism proper to Hebrew poetry. The first member is sometimes divided into two clauses because of its length. Each verse is clothed in a musical formula as in strophic song, composed of two parts corresponding to those of the verse. Their structure consists of three elements: intonation, tenor, cadence.
The intonation is a brief melodic design that serves to join the tenor with the antiphon that preceded it, or, in the absence of the antiphon, to give it a more or less solemn intonation. Sometimes it is omitted; in the simple p. of the Office, for example, there is no introduction except to the first member of the first verse. The tenor is formed by all the notes of the unison comprised between the introduction and the cadence. It is also called the dominant. Sometimes it is adorned by a podatus of accent. The cadence consists of the melody with which the verse ends. It begins at the precise moment when the voice detaches itself from the tenor. The cadence with which the first part of the verse ends is called the mediant, and has only a suspensive property; that with which the verse ends is called the final, has generally a conclusive character and is almost always more developed. In the case of the subdivision of the first member, the new cadence thus introduced is called the flexa. These three elements are found in all psalmodic formulas, whatever their melodic development, simple, neumatic, or ornate.
1. Direct system
All the verses of the psalm are sung in succession without interruption and by the same singers. The psalm is then called directus, indirectus, tractus. This is the simplest manner of all and the most convenient: St. Benedict proposes it for the minor hours and when the community is small in number; but he does not specify the manner of execution. Is the psalm sung by a soloist or by the choir? The system varies. Among the Egyptian monks one alone sings the psalm or the series of psalms, while the others listen in silence.
In the Ambrosian liturgy the inner choir sings with a common voice, whereas at Rome the Ordo Romanus I indicates only a single cantor, as does Amalarius at Metz. Proper to the direct p. is therefore the absence of alternation and of the antiphon: sine antiphona in directum, says St. Benedict. In current use the simple direct p. is reduced to a recitation recto tono with a slight inflection at the cadence. The ornate form is found in the Tractus of the Mass. There exist only two melodic types of the Tractus: in sol and in re; the first, perhaps the more ancient, is the simplest and the most used, since it offers the soloist a simple melody, easy to sing and to retain by memory. These common characteristics are found in the tractus: a special intonation formula for the first verse; a much ampler cadence formula on the last syllables of the last verse, a double tenor, and, finally, the presence of several mediant cadences in each verse.
2. Responsorial system
The other two systems belong to alternated p., where the voices respond to one another. Here the alternation is realized between a soloist and the choir: the soloist sings the verses and the choir interposes a response, generally brief, of simple melody. This system was common in the first centuries and allowed the faithful to participate in the liturgical chant even without a perfect knowledge of the psalter. The responsories are distinguished by the richness of their melody. With the exception of simple melodies such as the brief responsories, or the Invitatory, most are ornate: such as our Graduals, the Alleluias, and this is explained because these melodies were reserved to the soloist.
3. Antiphonal system
This system, perhaps less ancient, soon took on a rapid development, especially in monastic communities. In the West it was introduced principally by St. Damasus and St. Ambrose. In the time of St. Benedict it was already definitively established. It consists in the alternation of the two parts of the choir in the singing of the verses of the psalm and in their uniting for the singing of the antiphon at the beginning and at the end, sometimes also during the singing of the verses. The formulas are simpler than in the preceding system, and it is this system that properly bears the name of p.
The Gregorian repertory comprises eight psalmodic formulas classified in eight Gregorian modes (v. CANTO) (with the addition of the « tonus peregrinus » and the « tonus irregularis », both outside the series, extraneous). These tones are determined above all by their recitation tone.
In p. the antiphon determines the mode and the psalm is sung in the corresponding tone. The elements are identical to those of the other systems, though simpler. They are subject to rigorous laws. a) In the intonation as in the cadences the neumatic groups are indivisible: one group per syllable. b) The tenor is single, with the exception of the « tonus peregrinus » which has two tenors. c) Only the cadences present some difficulty in the adaptation of the words to the melodic formula. The mechanism of it is nevertheless simple.
The same psalmodic tone has several final cadences, except the second and the sixth, which have only one. The varied finals are called « differentiae » and are destined to facilitate the resumption of the antiphon after the verse of the psalm; and since the antiphons do not all begin in the same way, it was necessary to modify the final of the cadences to adapt them to the different intonations of the antiphons. The number of these « differentiae » is very restricted in the current use of Gregorian chant; the richest tone counts only ten. In Ambrosian chant, on the other hand, they are more numerous; yet each of them can be common to several tones. Note that in this chant every tone has several possible tenors, but not mediants.
II. USE IN THE LITURGY
Direct psalmody is used in its simple form at the Little Hours of the Office of the Sacred Triduum, of Easter and its octave, of Nov. 2, and in particular circumstances: at the litany of the saints, at the Rogations, etc. St. Benedict prescribes it in the psalms of waiting of Matins and of Lauds and at Compline every day. All these psalms are sung, as has been said, without an antiphon.
At Mass it is used in the singing of the Tractus in an ornate form. The Tractus follows a reading or the singing of the Gradual (following the suppression of the intermediate reading). It is sung between Septuagesima and Easter on all Sundays, on the feasts of the Saints and on the ferias of Lent; during the year it is found on the Saturday of the Ember Days and in Masses for the dead. Today the Tractus is no longer sung by a soloist, but alternately, as in the other systems. It is not lawful to suppress it or to abbreviate it, nor is it even permitted to recite it simply, unless the organ accompanies it during that time.
III. RESPONSORIAL PSALMODY
Its simplest form is found in the Little Hours of the Office, after the Chapter: it is the brief responsory, very short, almost syllabic. The cantor sings the responsory, the choir repeats it after him; then the cantor says the verse and the choir repeats the second part of the responsory, the cantor says the verse and the choir repeats the whole responsory.
The Roman Antiphonary has preserved different melodies for the various seasons of the year. St. Benedict established the brief responsory not at the Little Hours, but at the Major Hours: Lauds and Vespers. The same system, a little more ornate, is found again in the invitatory and in the hymn Benedictus es of the Saturday of the Ember Days.
The ornate form is found in the great responsories of Matins, composed like the brief responsories, but with a longer text and a much more ornate melody. These responsories are sung after each lesson. Some monastic liturgies also have a great responsory of this kind at Vespers of solemn feasts, at the Gradual, at the Offertory and at the Alleluia of solemn Masses. Such pieces have today lost almost all their responsorial form. The Gradual is intoned by the soloist and continued by the choir; then the soloist sings the verse and the choir joins him to sing the end of the verse in the manner of a refrain. The Alleluia follows the singing of the Gradual except in penitential seasons. The soloist intones the Alleluia, which is taken up by the choir and prolonged by a long melisma or jubilus, expressing joy; the versicle is then sung by the soloist and ends with a jubilus sung by all: then again the soloist sings Alleluia and the choir continues the jubilus. The singing of the Offertory in ancient times accompanied the offering of bread and wine by the faithful; today of this psalm nothing remains but an antiphon. Only the Offertory of the Mass of the dead has preserved the responsorial form.
IV. ANTIPHONAL PSALMODY
It constitutes the most important part of the Divine Office. The simplest form is used for the psalms of the different Hours. Once the antiphon has been sung or simply announced, the cantor intones the first verse of the psalm, which is then continued by the first choir; then the second choir sings the second verse, and so on alternately to the end. Only the first verse has an intonation; the others begin with the tenor. In the Gospel canticles, however, the intonation is made at every verse. In the eight tones there exists a more ornate modulation for the first part of the verse, which may be used in the canticles of solemn feasts.
This system is also found at the Introit and at the Communion in the Mass. Of the Introit there remains today only the antiphon, the first verse of the psalm and the Gloria. The tones are more ornate than those of the simple psalmody of the Office: they are also the best preserved in the manuscripts. In them one finds an intonation for all the verses and also for each part of the verse; the cadences have a more complex melodic design, and the final cadence of the Gloria Patri is still more ornate in order to prepare for the repetition of the antiphon.
The final cadences also have the peculiarity of not being tonic but syllabic, and they adapt to the number of syllables and not to the accents, as in the verses of the responsories. The psalm of the Communion, sung on the same tone as the Introitus, has today completely disappeared, except in the Mass of the dead.
V. PSALMODY IN POLYPHONY
The singing of the psalms also inspired the polyphonists. We are not speaking of the great compositions in the form of cantatas or oratorios, which are not part of the liturgical Office. "Psalmi igitur symphoniaci (di concerto) excluduntur prorsus ac vetantur" (motu proprio of Pius X of 22 Nov. 1903). Responsorial psalmody gave rise to the magnificent responsories of Palestrina, Ingegneri, Victoria, to cite only a few among the ancients. Antiphonal psalmody likewise inspired the musicians who harmonized the psalmodic formulas in falso bordone. Polyphonic singing is permitted on solemn feasts: the Roman basilicas provide a fine example of it. Pius X in his motu proprio permits alternating the Gregorian chant of the choir with falsi bordoni, of which numerous formulas adapted to the different tones of the psalms exist. The same Pope also permits the entire psalmody to be sung in music, on condition that the alternation of the choirs be preserved.
Bibliography5 works
Carlo Desportes