all of which we have mentioned as being responses of a less important kind, (1) Since the Reformation but two forms of Amen have been used in our church, the monotone, and the approach by a semitone, generally harmonised thus—
The former of these 'Amens' in early times was used when the choir responded to the priest; the latter, when both priest and choir sang together (as after the Confession, Lord's Prayer, Creed, etc.). Tallis, however, always uses the monotonic form, varying the harmonies thrice. In more modern uses, however, the ancient system has been actually reversed, and (as at St. Paul's Cathedral) the former is only used when priest and choir join; the latter when the choir responds. In many cathedrals no guiding principle is adopted; this is undesirable.
(2) The Doxology to the Gospel is always monotone, the monotone being in the Tenor, thus—
There are, however, almost innumerable original settings of these words used throughout the country.
(3) The Responses to the Commandments are an expansion of the ancient—
Kyrie eleison,
Christe eleison,
Kyrie eleison,
made to serve as ten responses instead of being used as one responsive prayer. The ancient form actually appears in Marbecke (1550), and the so-called Marbecke's 'Kyrie' now used is an editorial manipulation. Being thrown on their own resources for the music to these ten responses, our composers of the reformed church always composed original settings, sometimes containing complete contrapuntal devices. At one period of vicious taste, arrangements of various sentences of music, sacred or secular, were pressed into the service. The 'Jomelli Kyrie' is a good—or rather, a bad—example. It is said to have been adapted by Attwood from a chaconne by Jomelli, which had already been much used on the stage as a soft and slow accompaniment of weird and ghostly scenes. The adaptation of 'Open the heavens' from 'Elijah' is still very popular, and may be considered a favourable specimen of an unfavourable class.
The re-introduction of choral celebrations of Holy Communion has necessitated the use of various inflections, versicles, and responses, of which the music or method of chanting has, almost without exception, been obtained from pre-Reformation sources.
[ J. S. ]
RESPONSORIUM. A species of Antiphon, sung in many parts of the Roman Office, and particularly after each of the nine Lessons at Matins, in which Service it forms a very important feature, more especially during Holy Week, when the Lessons are taken from the Lamentations of Jeremiah, and the Responsoria are so arranged as to explain their connection with the sad History of the Passion. [See Lamentations.]
The number of Responsoria used throughout the Ecclesiastical Year is very great. The Plain Chaunt Melodies adapted to them will be found in the Antiphonarium, the Directorium Chori, the Officium Hebdomadæ Sanctæ, and other similar Office Books. They have also been frequently treated in the Polyphonic Style, with very great effect, not only by the Great Masters of the 16th century, but even as late as the time of Colonna, whose Responsoria of the Office for the Dead, for 8 Voices, are written with intense appreciation of the solemn import of the text.
A large collection of very fine examples—including an exquisitely beautiful set for Holy Week, by Vittoria—will be found in vol. iv. of Proske's 'Musica Divina.'
[ W. S. R. ]
REST (Fr. Silence, Pause; Ger. Pause; Ital. Pausa). The sign of silence in music, the duration of the silence depending upon the form of the character employed to denote it. The employment of the rest dates from the invention of 'measured music,' that is, music composed of notes of definite and proportionate values. [See Musica Mensurata; Notation, p. 470.] In earlier times the cantus was sung without pauses, or with only such slight breaks as were necessary for the due separation of the sentences of the text, but so soon as the relative duration of the notes was established, the employment of rests of like proportionate values became a necessity. Franchinus Gafurius, in his 'Practica Musicæ' (1496), says that the Rest 'was invented to give a necessary relief to the voice, and a sweetness to the melody; for as a preacher of the divine word, or an orator in his discourse, finds it necessary oftentimes to relieve his auditors by the recital of some pleasantry, thereby to make them more favourable and attentive, so a singer, intermixing certain pauses with his notes, engages the attention of his hearers to the remaining parts of his song.' (Hawkins, 'Hist. of Music,' chap. 63.) Accordingly we find rests corresponding in value to each of the notes then in use, as shown in the following table.
A musical score should appear at this position in the text. See Help:Sheet music for formatting instructions |
Maxima. Longa. Brevis. Semibrevis.
Maxima. Longa perfecta. Longa imperfecta. Pausa. Semipausa.
Minima. Semiminima. Fusa. Semifusa.
Suspirium. Semisuspirium. Pausa Fusæ. Pausa Semifusæ.
