Demonstrating Significance of Rhythm in Gregorian Chant: An analysis of Solesmes transcriptions of the Christmas Masses

Gregorian chant has been simplified over the years to conform to an idea of plainchant and originally had both complex melody and rhythm. Unfortunately, this complexity has led to controversy and confusion. Even in the Graduale Triplex, which presents the original neumes of medieval manuscripts beside the widely used transcriptions from Solemnes, “in order to avoid any confusion between neums [sic] or significative letters and rhythmic signs some of the latter had to be left out.”1 The clivis with an episema, a symbol signifying two lengthened notes, avoids this problem because it is almost always drawn connected. It is also distinctive, looking in some scribes’ hands like a Greek π. Finally, it occurs often, so a statistical analysis of its use produces meaningful results. An analysis of this symbol in the original neumes of St. Gall shows that rhythm in Gregorian chant is richly notated. Focusing on the clivis written with an episema, the four Christmas Masses of the Gradual show that the rhythm of Solesmes transcriptions is not just incomplete and inaccurate but misleading and must be improved if we hope to achieve authentic performances today.