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.