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Mass for Christmas Day. Mass for Christmas Day Music’s earliest and most
basic for can be traced back to chant. Roman plainchant ...
... From Old English, Cristes maesse “Christ’s mass,” was the origin of today’s word
Christmas. It was the day, December 25, that Christians held mass to ...
... Christmas History The word Christmas comes from the old English "Cristes maesse"
meaning Christ's Mass. ... Fathers in the 4th century fixed the day around the ...
... or after was considered bad luck. Families began their Christmas Day by
celebrating mass. (Christmas Eve services did not become ...
... ordered it to be celebrated forever on the day of the ... Britain." Encyclopedia Britannica
has this to say about Christmas: "Christmas (ie, the Mass of Christ ...
Submitted by CLJ0729 on March 29, 2006
Category: Music and Movies
Words: 868 | Pages: 4
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Mass for Christmas Day
Music’s earliest and most basic for can be traced back to chant. Roman plainchant is considered one of the greatest treasures of Western civilization. One of the main uses of chant is in church music. The most recognizable, and most important, service of the Catholic church is the Mass. The Mass contains two principal text settings, the Ordinary and the Proper. The Ordinary contains fixed texts which include the Kyrie, Gloria, Credo, Sanctus, Benedictus, and Agnus Dei. The Proper contains text that changes according to the time of year. It includes the Introit, Gradual, Alleluia, Tract, Offertory, and Communion.
Hiley describes chant as “music to be performed during the celebration of a divine service.” These chants are primarily text driven, which influences the functionality of the music. The varying melodies, which are melismatic, solemn, or monotone, were considered a more worthy way to worship God than plain spoken words. The music for each text was “… determined by the sense of what was proper, that is appropriate, for the liturgical occasion.” Many of the same texts are used over but sung different ways, according to the point in the liturgy. Each song is restricted to the context of the liturgy, as well as the text itself.
There are several distinct characteristics to chant music. One such characteristic is a neum. A neum is a combination of two or more notes to one syllable. Another distinct trait is the notation of breath marks. A short vertical line allows for a quick breath. A line crossing the second and third lines indicates a pause of about one beat. A long vertical line, from the top of the staff to the bottom, allows for a slightly longer pause. A double bar indicates the end of a phrase. Chant can also be categorized into three styles; syllabic, neumatic, and melismatic. Syllabic refers to only one note per syllable, or very few neums. Neumatic is a chant in...
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