Church modes
There is a common misconception that the church modes of medieval European music were directly descended from the
Greek notion of modality mentioned above. In fact, the church modes originated in the
9th century. Authors from that
period misinterpreted a text by Boethius, a scholar from the 6th
century who had translated the Greek musical theory
into Latin. In the 16th century, the Swiss theorist Henricus Glareanus published Dodekachordon, in which he
solidified the concept of the church modes, and added four additional modes: the Aeolian, Hypoaeolian, Ionian, and
Hypoionian. Thus, the names of the modes used today do not actually reflect those used by the Greeks.
The eight church modes, or Gregorian
modes, can be divided into four pairs, where each pair shares the " final" note.
The pair also shares the central five notes of the scale. If the "scale" is completed by adding the three upper notes, the
mode is termed authentic, while if the scale is completed by adding the three lower notes, the mode is called
plagal
(serious).
The pairs are organized so that the modes sharing a final note are numbered together, with the odd numbers used for the
authentic modes and the even numbers for the plagal modes.
In addition, each mode has a "dominant" or "reciting
tone", which is the tenor of the psalm tone. The reciting tones of
all authentic modes began a fifth above the final, with those of the plagal modes a third above. However, the reciting
tones of modes 3, 4, and 8 rose one step during the tenth and eleventh centuries with 3 and 8 moving from b to c' ( half
step) and that of 4 moving from g to a (whole step) (Hoppin 1978, p.67).
Only one accidental is used commonly in Gregorian
chant—si (B) may be lowered by a half-step. This usually (but
not always) occurs in modes V and VI, and is optional in other modes.
Mode
Name
I
II
III
IV
V
VI
VII
VIII
Doria Hypodori Phrygia Hypophrygi Lydia Hypolydia Mixolydia Hypomixolydi
n
an
n
an
n
n
n
an
Final (note)
D
D
E
E
F
F
G
G
Final (solfege)
re
re
mi
mi
fa
fa
sol
sol
Dominant (note)
A
F
B-C
A
C
A
D
C
Dominant (solfege) la
fa
si-do
la
do
la
re
do
Given the confusion between ancient, Early, and modern terminology, "today it is more consistent and practical to use the
traditional designation of the modes with numbers one to eight," (Curtis 1998) using Roman
than using the pseudo-Greek naming system.
numeral (I-VIII), rather
The eight musical modes. f indicates "final" (Curtis, 1998).
[edit] Use of the modes
Early music made heavy use of the Church modes. A mode indicated a primary pitch (a final); the organization of
pitches in relation to the final; suggested range; melodic formulas associated with different modes; location and
importance of cadences; and affect (ie, emotional effect). As Liane Curtis (1998) explains, "Modes should not be equated
with scales: principles of melodic organization, placement of cadences, and emotional affect are essential parts of modal
content," in Medieval and Renaissance music.
Carl Dahlhaus (1990, p.192) lists "three factors that form the respective starting points for the modal theories of
Aurelian of Réôme, Hermannus Contractus, and Guido of Arezzo:
1.
the relation of modal formulas to the comprehensive system of tonal relationships embodied in the
diatonic scale;
2.
the partitioning of the octave into a modal framework; and
3.
the function of the modal final as a relational center."
The oldest medieval treatise regarding modes is Musica disciplina by Aurelian of Réôme while Hermannus Contractus
was the first to define modes as partitionings of the octave (ibid, p.192-191).
Various interpretations of the "character" imparted by the different modes have been suggested. Three such
interpretations, from Guido D'Arezzo (995-1050), Adam of Fulda (1445-1505), and Juan de Espinoza Medrano (16321688), follow:
Name
Mode D'Arezzo
Dorian
I
serious
any feeling
happy, taming the passions
Veni sancte spiritus (listen)
Hypodorian
II
sad
sad
serious and tearful
Iesu dulcis amor meus
(listen)
Phrygian
III
mystic
vehement
inciting anger
Kyrie, fons bonitatis (listen)
harmonious tender
inciting delights, tempering fierceness
Conditor alme siderum
(listen)
Hypophrygian IV
Fulda
Espinoza
Example chant
Lydian
V
happy
happy
happy
Salve Regina (listen)
Hypolydian
VI
devout
pious
tearful and pious
Ubi caritas (listen)
Mixolydian
VII
Hypomixolydian VIII
angelical
of youth
uniting pleasure and sadness
perfect
of knowledge very happy
Introibo (listen)
Ad cenam agni providi (listen)
Most of the theoretical writings on Gregorian chant modes postdate the composition of the early Gregorian chant
repertoire, which was not composed with the intention of conforming to particular modes. As a result, for these chants, the
application of a mode number can be only approximate. Later chants, however, were written with a conscious eye on the
eight modes.