The Role of Chrodegang of Metz (712-766) in the Formation of Western Plainchant

Recent chant scholarship suggests that early Western plainchant consisted of a blend of Frankish and Roman chant features, and that the Roman cantilena which was transmitted in the time of Pepin III (r. 742-68) and Charlemagne (r. 771-814) was more a "way of singing" than a collection of fixed melodies. The goal of this paper is to expand upon this view of the earliest era of Western chant through an examination of the activities of Bishop Chrodegang of Metz (712-766).Historical evidence records Chrodegang's direct involvement in the trip of Pope Stephen II to Francia (753-54), noted by early writers as pivotal to the initial introduction of the eighth-century Roman chant to Francia. Comparison of a text-critical analysis of Chrodegang's Regula canonicorum (Rule for the Canons) with the timing of the pope's trip, plus other documents and artifacts from the late eighth to early ninth century, indicates that Chrodegang's interest in the Roman liturgy and chant was noticeably higher after 754. Liturgical books with a blend of Roman and Frankish traditions came into wide use at the same time that Chrodegang rose to regional prominence. Chrodegang, a popular church leader, was also apparently skilled at seeking compromise in situations dealing with "old traditions" in the face of change. A summary of these strands of evidence postulates the earliest importation and establishment of elements of Roman-style chanting to Metz, under Bishop Chrodegang, and its subsequent development as a "blended" tradition in the decade after Pope Stephen's stay in Francia in 754

EXPRESSIVE PROSODY IN FRENCH SOLO SONG: GABRIEL FAURÉ'S MÉLODIES, AND THEIR HISTORICAL ANTECEDENTS

The mélodies of Gabriel Fauré (1845-1924) are regularly faulted for “poor prosody,” for frequent mismatches of musical accent and the French text. This study presents evidence that calls for a significantly different approach to accentuation in this popular body of art songs. Close examination of virtually all of Fauré's mélodies reveals a unique prosodic practice grounded in the rhythmic nuances of spoken French, in a way not found in the works of his peers. Frequently, performance of a Fauréan song with correct accentuation calls for a substantially greater awareness of the French text as spoken, along with a studied disregard of the musically notated meter. Tracing the evolution of Fauré's prosodic style ultimately leads to settings that are less problematic for its interpreters. In addition, on a number of occasions the composer manipulates the notated rhythms in a way that adds greater expressive meaning; specific examples are given. The argument for reassessment of Fauré's text-setting is preceded by the author's discussion of the role played by French prosody at the point of its connection with solo song over the previous three centuries. Beginning with the application of rhetorical principles to an early seventeenth-century air de cour by Antoine Boësset and continuing through representative quotes from Lully, Rameau, Rousseau and Gluck, comparisons are ultimately made with the purposefully rustic practice of wildly popular staged works of the eighteenth-century Forains and a rising tide of opéras-comiques built on 'realistic' themes, such as those composed by André Grétry. Analysis connects linguistic, poetic and musical elements as the major actors in these socially complex art forms