A Practical Guide to Beneventan Notation This guide provides the basic tools for reading the notation in this edition. Music notation is best learned in practice and each of the examples in this guide are designed to be sung. The editions are notated on a four-line staff with F- and c-clefs, illustrated in Figure 1. The staff shows the location of tones and semitones in the diatonic scale, but does not represent absolute pitch; any convenient pitch may be used. Letter names are included here to clarify the relative pitches. Figure 1: Staff-lines, custodes, and editorial breath marks clefs (F and c) c F g f e c b a d e phrase endings (breaths) custos: indicates first note on next system (d) The basic neumes are illustrated in Figure 2. The graphic differences between the two forms of the punctum and the virga reflect their relative position in the melodic line (respectively lower, equal to, or higher than the preceding note); similar principles of directionality inform the graphic alternatives of the clivis, porrectus, torculus, and climacus. The basic neumes can be heightened to show any combination of intervals. The basic neumes at larger intervals are illustrated below in the second system. Figure 2: Basic neumes --- Single notes --Punctum --- Two notes --- Virga Pes b ga -------------- Three notes -------------- Clivis Porrectus Torculus bab cdc Scandicus Climacus c F a a Pes ag cb cbc Porrectus Clivis aba abc Torculus cba cba cba Scandicus c F gb gc gd ca ca cg agd cac dbc bca bcg gba abd acd 181 A Practical Guide to Beneventan Notation Figure 3 illustrates neumes that appear to represent nuances of performance. The acuasta indicates a light note. The pes inflatilis indicates a broadening or lengthening. The virga ‘musa’ denotes a moment of significant emphasis. The clivis with an undulating uppermost stroke indicates a light or unweighted figure. The quilisma, translated here as three pitches, represents a performance practice not fully understood; in the Beneventan repertory the quilisma is often used near the beginning of phrases and may indicate a nuance of forward motion. The salicus, which has an oriscus as its second note, may indicate movement toward the pitch following the oriscus. The gradata and disaggregated scandicus are alternative ways of writing a neume of three ascending notes; they appear to represent rhythmic weight or emphasis. (It is not known whether this emphasis is a matter of duration, intensity or a combination thereof; singers are encouraged to experiment with this matter of performance practice.) Oriscus 1 appears to represent an important note; oriscus 2 represents a weak or unnaccented note. Both figures are also used as the uppermost note of the climacus. The first two graphic variants of the climacus illustrated in Figure 3 represent weighted and unweighted forms, respectively; the third climacus, which has an oblique virga as its upper note, is used primarily in unaccented contexts; the uppermost note of the fourth climacus is composed of two notes ligated at the unison. Episemas (additional marks) appear underneath oblique and horizontal puncta; they indicate a lengthening or emphasis [ ]. Figure 3: Special neumes Pes Acuasta inflatilis Virga ‘musa’ Clivis (light) Quilisma Salicus, Gradata & Scandicus Oriscus 1 2 abc d Climacus c F a ab cb c abc gab cde d cba cba cba ccba Beneventan scribes make frequent use of compound neumes, which are generally formed through the combination, in ligature, of the signs outlined above. A selection of compound neumes is illustrated in Figure 4. A common feature of compound neumes is the ligation of two notes at the unison. The ligation of two neumes at the unison presumably results in a doubling of the prevailing rhythm, but it is not clear whether the second note is rearticulated. Singers are encouraged to experiment with the ligations in the exercise below, and in the repertory. The groupings in the letter notation are intended to clarify the constituent elements of each neume, but are not intended to be a definitive guide to their realization in performance. Figure 4: Compound neumes (notes ligated at the unison are indicated in the alphabetic notation) c F dc cb aba ag b cba ba bag ccb ced dbc abc cbag dc cba aba a abc ba dc cb cd dc cb cded da ag cd cba bcb c 182 F bca bca ca bca cded dcbcba c A Practical Guide to Beneventan Notation F dc cb aba ag b cba ba bag ccb ced dbc abc cbag dc cba aba a abc ba dc cb cd dc cb cded da ag cd cba bcb c F bca bca ca bca cded dcbcba Liquescence denotes a change in the shape of the mouth and the resultant sound of the music at the end of certain consonants and dipthongs; it is notated by the addition of cross-strokes, hooks and loops. The crossstrokes and loops shown in Figure 5 indicate liquescence, but do not modify the pitch of the neumes to which they are added. The loops and cross-strokes shown in Figure 6 have tails that end in a diastematic space above or below the final element of the neume; the end of the tail indicates the pitch of the liquescent note. Figure 5: Liquescence Cross-strokes Loops Hooks c F a c ab gb a cb abca b cbca a ccba c cb cdc Figure 6: Liquescence (2). The ascending or descending tails represent the liquescent note c F cb ca cba cag cdca cdc dcdc ab gc bac bcab bcac Figures 7-10 provide examples of the most common neumes in context. For practical purposes, these examples have been stitched together; the units between double bars can be sung as a single phrase. Figure 7: Basic neumes in context 17. Isti sunt 73. Ad honorem c F ga ga ga abc cba ccba ac cb cdc cba bcd ccba cb aba g g 183 A Practical Guide to Beneventan Notation Figure 7: Basic neumes in context (continued) 19. Prima 83. Cum recubuisset 7. Factus est [c] [F] g aba b g a ba bc a gbc bca dc bac 8. Lumen quod 63. Adhesit cb 43. Hodie xpistus [c] [F] bd bcb ab gba ag a gd cdc abc cba acb g b Figure 8: Special neumes in context Acuasta 3. Postquam Pes Inflatilis and Oriscus 1 9. Petrus dormiebat 46. Quis te [c] [F] e ga ga e d Quilisma 17. Isti sunt ga a gaga cbca ccba fg c bcba c dcbca a Virga ‘musa’ Quilisma and Oriscus 1 6. Ecce sedet 78. Salve crux [c] [F] 184 ga abc cba ccba c bcd ccbabcb c bba ddcbcba abc cd abc c A Practical Guide to Beneventan Notation Figure 9: Compound neumes in context (including ligations at the unison) 16. Gaudeamus 17. Isti sunt [c] [F] g abc dc cb ca ag abc cba ga acag aba ag 4. Maria vidit ac cb cdc cba abc cbag 8. Lumen quod [c] [F] bcd de deb efe ed de ddc ac abc cbag dcdcb ac cb ced db ccba Figure 10: Compound neume groups in context 3. Postquam 4. Maria vidit 7. Factus est [c] [F] ga abag bca bc cbg ca bca aba ag 13. Michi.. absit abca aba ag g 3. Postquam abc bbag aba aba ag 51. Milia [c] [F] cba cdc dc bcabc cbag d ccba cbag c bcba c dcb ca a bcba cde ddcb 185 A Practical Guide to Beneventan Notation Figure 10: Compound neume groups (continued) 53. Multos 50. Qui manducaverit [c] [F] bd dcb ca agba a bd dcbcd abc dc ded dcb ca a c cb d c dc cb cded cdcb Figure 11: Liquescent neumes in context 7. Factus est 4. Maria vidit 13. Michi... absit [c] [F] Fac - tus g gd est re - pen - te d d d 13. Michi... absit g in - ter - ro - bcd bcd de 13. Michi... absit prin - ci deb bd bcd 47. Omnes [c] [F] - le - cba cdc lu - ia dc bcabc cbag 11. Surge au bcd - cdbc tem cb ba 3. Postquam [c] [F] hi - emps tran - si dc cb cag 186 abc cba ga al bg ter al - te - ag bcdc dc - tum in - du - dcb ccba gafa g
