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by
Cynthia J. Cyrus
The eight modes (sometimes called church modes or ecclesiastical modes
to distinguish them from the rhythmic modes) were defined through a combination
of range and final (the final is the note on which a melody ends). If
melodies were consistently above the final, they were in an authentic
mode; if they ranged both above and below the final, they were in a plagal
mode. In medieval theory, there were only four appropriate final pitches:
D, E, F, and G. In the Renaissance, theorists added modes on A and C.
Mode had melodic implications: each mode had characteristic intervals
and musical gestures. For instance, the placement of the half-step within
the mode (and its distance from the final) was a defining characteristic
for the sound of that mode, especially since the actual pitch of the melody
was determined by the singer rather than being standardized. Similarly,
the melody in a given mode would naturally gravitate towards its final,
the pitch on which it would end. Interim cadences, for instance, might
be on the final, or might be left inconclusively on another pitch to lead
forward into the next phrase. Melodies in a particular mode could also
reflect the reciting tone or tenor usually found a fifth above the final,
though the more elaborate chants might seem to emphasize it only at medial
cadences. Modes also had certain moods associated with them, although
which moods could vary from author to author. Finally, mode was thought
to have the power to change people--to encourage morality or licentiousness,
for instance; this quality was known as modal ethos.
Mode first began as a method for classifying existing melodies, perhaps
as an aid to memorization. In particular, mode was useful for determining
which psalm tone to use with a given antiphon. Some melodies can be hard
to classify and likely pre-date the Western modal system; they may have
a range larger or smaller than the octave or ninth that theorists specify,
or they may shift tonal center over the course of the piece. Later genres
of chant (such as the trope and the sequence), however, frequently make
"textbook use" of the modal system.
The modes can be named in a variety of ways:
- By Greek tribal
name ("dorian," "phrygian," etc.)
- By number (modes
1 and 2 end on D, modes 3 and 4 end on E, etc.). In some modern chant
books, the number of the mode will appear over the first letter of the
text.
- By reference to
the final ("D-mode," "E-mode," etc.)
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By pairs with
each final represented by a Greek number as well as a designation
of the range: protus authenticus, protus plagalis, deuterus autheticus,
deuterus plagalis, tritus authenticus, tritus plagalis, tetrardus
authenticus, tetrardus plagalis. Though this system was among the
earliest to be developed, it is rarely used by modern speakers.
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