Chapter 6

Style and Structure in Early

Offices of the Sanctorale
David Hiley

James McKinnon's magnificent achievement in mapping out stages in the

development of the Proper of the Mass evokes more than admiration for that
work in itself. It gives o ne ho pe that other areas of the chant repertory may
prove susceptible to similar methods of investigatio n and inspires one with
courage to attempt the task. The chants of the Divine Office, to which the
following remarks are addressed, offer a particularly daunting challenge, since
their number is so great and their transmission relatively late. To realize how
arduous the work will be one has only to think of the wide discrepancies
between the earliest comprehensive source of office chant texts, H esbert's
manuscript 'C' (Paris, BNF lat. 17436, mid-ninth century), and other early
manuscripts. In this chapter I offer a few observations about features of struc-
ture and musical style that may help toward keeping one's bearings while
exploring the territory. 1
I begin in the year 1052, in R egensburg, at the Benedictine monastery of
St. Emmeram. Pope Leo IX is present for the canonization of one of
R egensburg's greatest bishops, Wolfgang. This Leo is none other than Bruno
of Egisheimffoul, born 1002, Pope 1049-54, composer of the plainchant office
Gloriosa sanctissimi for St. Gregory (and other offices). The music for a new
office for Wolfgang has been composed by H ermannus Contractus of the
R eichenau (1013- 54). Example 6.1 gives one of the larger antipho ns from
the Wolfgang office. The office is hardly known, altho ugh its existence was
recognized over a hundred years ago, and a transcription was published by
Franz Stein in 1975.2 Only two of the many offices composed by Hermannus
appear to have survived, the other one being that for St. Afra. A facsimile
of one source of the Afra office was published by Wilhelm Brambach, Peter
Wagner quoted an example from it, and recently Karlheinz Schlager
published an article about it and discussed the shorter antiphons in it. 3 But
Hermannus is still better known as a theorist than as a composer, and opin-
ions such as that expressed by Urbanus Bomm and quo ted by Hans Oesch
in his study of 1961 are still current. Borum reckoned that 'H ermann's Historia
de sancta Afra falls far short of the spiritual distinction of [his] Salve regina
melody.' 4 Oesch had obviously no t looked at the Afra office properly and
did no t know abo ut the Wolfgang office at all.
Example 6.1 - closely comparable with the antiphon quoted by Wagner -
is a remarkable piece in many respects. One striking feature is the way in

157
Ex. 6.1 Antiphona ad Magnificat Gaudeat tota from 1st Vespers of the
Office of St. Wolfgang (canonized 1052), composed by Hermannus
Contractus (1013- 54) (Munich, BSB elm 14872)
1

f ... Gau-<le
•·••••••• •
at
.... •
to - ta
•
•• • ••• ... • .... •
vir-go
•
ma-ter ec -cle - si - a

•• • • • • ....• ••• •
' .. .. . •• •
e - gre gi pre-su - lis Wolf - gan - gi

.
~ ==:J•~=::=====~·~·~===~
•:;;.=:::::::;.;•~=~•=:::'.t::;..•~--
-.•~=====.; =======:1=
..... .
' ..
•··
me -ri - tis in - sig-ni- bus io cun - da - ta:

JL.L....!_

...-le -♦•te - tt1r ---•· .... •

fe - lix Sue-vi - a tam su -a - vi pro-le fe - cun-da - ta:

• • •• • ••
cx -t1l-ta pre - ci - pu - C ci - vi - tas Ra-tis - po - na

, • •• ·- -•- •- - --•----
tan - ti pon-ti - ti - cis tu doc-tri - na

pa - tro-ci- ni - is
- -------- ~ - - - -~ - - - - - -
•
et cor-po - re
.............
sa - cro glo - ri - o - sa,

·• . .
·---· .......
,~--·
)

cu - ius sa-cra-{is-si-mum vo - tis om-ni-bus re-co-le Illes trans - i - tum :

•
•••• _ • ·_ ·_·_
•• •_ _
• _ · _·_·••••• •_ _ __
e ius pi - um a-pud Do-m i-num De - um nostnim

•• • • •• • •• •• ••• l •• • ••••
••• •
iu gi - ter sen-ti - re me - re - a - mur suf - fra gi- um.

F •---.•· . .
E t1 o t1 a e.
II
 Style and Structure in Early Offices 159

which the tonal space within which the melody moves is clearly divided into
segments bounded by the finalis, upper fifth and upper octave. It is a partic-
ularly clear demonstration of features that have been noticed by several
scholars in many chants of this period. Moreover, it has not gone unremarked
that these melodic characteristics seem to correspond to a new trend in music-
theoretical writing of the time, where modality is defined in terms of scale
segments, name ly the fourth below the finalis, the fifth above it, the fourth
between the upper fifth and the uppe r octave, a nd even the fifth above that.
In the introduction to their new edition of antiphon melodies in the series
Monumenta Monodica Medii Aevi, 5, Laszlo Dobszay and Janka Szendrei
say that 'in antiphons in the newer style ... the mode is not a sum of motivic
elements but is rather a general tonal framework ('scale') for melodic
motions.... To "compose" ... became a ... procedure helped by theoret-
ical categories and by musical notation. Invention was now influenced by the
theoretical definition of the modes.'5 This is just one example of many such
statements in the chant literature.
Hermannus' antiphon Gaudeat tota is nevertheless an extreme example of
this tendency in chant composition. Because his theoretical writings are well
known - or a t least the fact that he was a theorist is well known - the connec-
tion between practice and theory seems fairly clear cut in his case. It would
be wrong to attribute great influence to Hermannus' music-theoretical writ-
ings, and I would not necessarily argue that he is a seminal figure. But at
least at St. Emmeram's in Regensburg his writings were known. The connec-
tions between St. Emmeram's and the Reichenau were of many decades'
standing. Wolfgang himself had been a novice at the Reichenau. A former
cantor of the R eichenau, Burchard, was abbot of St. Emmeram's at the time
when a new plainchant office was composed for St. Emmeram himself, by
the Regensburg monk Arnold, about twenty years before the Wolfgang office
was created. And Hermannus' ideas are reflected in the music theory trea-
tise of Wilhelm, monk of St. Emmeram and later abbot of Hirsau in the Black
Forest. Wilhelm presumably sang in the first performance of the Wolfgang
office by Hermannus Contractus. 6 For example, the diagram 'Figura tropicae
disposition is' in Wilhelm's treatise is the perfect illustration of how the tonal
space was divided up. The scale segments are indicated by semicircles with
inscriptions defining position and range. The horizontal lines are named for
the four basic tonalities: protus, deuterus, tritus and tetrardus, whose struc-
tural keystones are marked on the same lines, for example, tetrardus with
keynotes D-G- d- g. In the top part of the diagram it is explained how the
' tropi' are composed from the appropriate keynotes ('chordae') and the scale
segments that lie between these. The latter are defined as species of the fifth
(diapente) or fourth (diatessaron), according to the succession of tones and
semitones in each of them.7 It goes almost without saying that the chants in
the Wolfgang office are arranged in the numerical order of the modes.
Although, as already indicated, H ermannus' chants are extreme examples of
their type, they are by no means alone in the way they explore tonal space.
Wherever one looks in the eleventh century, one comes across chants exhibit-
ing similar tendencies. In this respect the twelfth century is then, generally
160 David Hiley

speaking, a time of consolidation, and in any case the new poetic type of office
with rhymed, accentual verse makes its appearance at the end of the century;
the one for Thomas of Canterbury, presumably written straight after his mar-
tyrdom in 1170, seems to be one of the earliest examples. But did it all begin
in the eleventh century? How far back can it be traced? To answer these ques-
tions there seems little alternative to checking through the saints' offices cov-
ered by Hesbert's Corpus antiphonalium officii (CA 0), in order to put a marker
on those sets of chants exhibiting the newer stylistic features. It will be recol-
lected that Richard Crocker, for one, has already been over similar ground, in
his study of the antiphons in one of the CAO sources, the twelfth-century
antiphoner from St. Denis, Paris, BNF lat. 17296.8 Working through the other
CAO sources is necessary in order to gain an idea of the wider patterns of trans-
mission and locate other interesting offices not in the St. Denis book.
Of particular interest are groups of chants that have a good chance of being
composed as a set - as a 'project', to borrow James McKinnon's useful term
- especially those exhibiting the more modern melodic characteristics
mentioned above. There is no space here to report on a sophisticated analysis
of the type to which Richard Crocker treated us. I draw attention to just one
telltale feature, the way in which the upper octave of a chant is handled, that
is, the note one octave above the finalis in the authentic modes and one fifth
above the finalis in plagal modes. Is that top note reached at all? Is it touched
upon simply as an upper neighbor-note? Or does it function as a melodic
goal of real structural importance?
The way Hesbert presents the contents of his twelve chosen manuscripts
in CAO I- II is no doubt the best possible in the circumstances, but when the
manuscripts diverge in their choice of pieces it is not always easy to assess
the possible relationships between them. It is easier to work with tables where
the chant incipits are set out in a different way (see Tables 6.1-3).
This makes it easier to see where the manuscripts have the same pieces
but in a different order, or where they have quite different pieces. The manu-
scripts represented are the twelve of Hesbert plus the Mont-Renaud
manuscript (CO = Corbie) and the Old Roman antiphoner (OR). The next
step would be to include other ninth-century witnesses - the Metz tonary and
Amalarius' antiphoner, as far as it can be reconstructed - and then other
tenth-century sources: that is, the Albi manuscript and the table of office
chants in Paris, BNF lat. 1240. And then one can start adding in sources from
the CANTUS project, and so on as the need arises and time allows.
The tables make it easier to identify sets of chants that have established
themselves as a group and one can then start to analyze them from what-
ever point of view one chooses: text, possible Roman or other origins, melody
type, and so on. Such tables emphasize graphically the relatively high agree-
ment among sources in their choice of antiphons for Lauds and their
concentration on a nucleus of responsories for Matins. The biggest diver-
gences always occur in the series of antiphons for Matins, and in many cases
it is clear that whatever archetype may have existed in, say, the early ninth
century, it did not include Matins antiphons. In fact, even when manuscripts
have different selections of Lauds antiphons, and one suspects that other
 Style and Structure in Early Offices 16 1

pieces have been drafted in or newly composed, they are stylistically usually
of an older type. The only feasts of the Sanctorale where there are obviously
divergent traditions between sources at Lauds are those listed in Table 6.4.
This means that most feasts of the Sanctorale show a more or less uniform
selection of Lauds antiphons in older styles.
Bold type indicates the presence of sets of Lauds antiphons in what I
continue to call modern style. A nd it may be seen that they are all associ-
ated with a modern numerical office, eithe r continuing the numerical series
of Matins antiphons (Gregory, the Annunciation, Mary Magdalene 9) or
supplementing one (Nicholas). It will immediately be obvious that only later
feasts not represented in the older CAO sources have these modern sets of
antiphons. I have divided the feasts between two columns to make this clear.
Those in the second column are later or localized traditions of chants. I should
point out that I have not included in this survey some local saints with a very
limited distribution. I shall mention a few of these cases later. In order not
to miss anything I have noted a number of series 'with modern tendencies',
that is, where the antiphons are, stylistically, borderline cases. I shall not
enlarge the discussion of these here, since similar cases will come up among
the Matins antiphons.
Table 6.5 gives information for Matins antiphons (some series are omitted
because of lack of access to the Benevento antiphoner L; a number of eccen-
tric items, additions to otherwise stable series, have also been omitted).
Although I had expected to find many more numerical offices than Richard
Crocker noted in the St. Denis antiphoner, this turned out not to be the case.
From the scarcity of offices listed here in bold type one can see immediately
how restricted the distribution of these offices was. Furthermore, as far as
their musical style goes, they are often not more progressive than many non-
numerical offices. Naturally, the designation 'old' covers several different
layers, which I have not even attempted to distinguish. The ideal key to a ll
analysis of this sort is the recently published antiphon edition by Laszlo
Dobszay and Janka Szendrei, organized according to melody types. 10 Sorting
out the items in the 'old' category according to their melodic types and fami-
lies, and collating the melodic evidence with the liturgical, is all work for the
future. So is the matter of the respective Roman and Frankish contributions.
Even a generous interpretation of the criteria fails to elicit many chants
that might be designated as modern. Example 6.2 gives the antiphons from
the nume rical office of Holy Innocents in the CAO manuscript G, some of
which are also in CAO manuscript S. Very few aim for the upper octave with
any conviction (see the phrases marked with brackets).
It is therefore clear that the move to compose numerical series and, less
often, pieces in the more modern style was a very limited one before the
eleventh century. In fact one must turn to much more local cults in order to
find examples. When and where? It is important to note that the feast of All
Saints, absent from C but represented in books of the next century, has no
numerical sets or modern pieces. And, as Richard Crocker pointed out,
neither does the St. Dionysius office, nor the others that may date back to
the time of Hilduin (814-40) at Saint-Denis.11 Then we have the three offices
Table 6.1 Matins responsories for Holy Innocents
For tables 6. 1-6.3 sigla are as in CAO, plus Corbie (CO) and the Old Roman anliphoner (OR). Other abbreviations are:
• incipit only x single antiphon, not part of a series
L responsory at Lauds + 'cum reliquis' from Commune Sanctorum
L-Ab Antiphona ad Benedictus c Amtiphona ad cantica
a alternative series
C G B E M V H R D F s L CO OR
Sub altare dei audivi voces 1 I I I 1 1 1 1 1 J 1 1 1
Effuderunt sanguinem sanctorum 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 4 2 3* 2
Adoraverunt viventem 3 3 3 4 3 3 3 3 4 5 3 2 4 5
lsti sunl sancti qui passi sunt 4 4 4 6 4 4 4 4 5 10 4 4 5 4
Ecce vidi agnum stantem 5 6 6 11 10 8 9 12 9
Ambulabunt mecum in albis 6 7 9 6 8 2 7
Istorum est enim regnum 7
Centum quadraginta quatuor 8 9 9 9 6 9 10 12 11 12 12 8 13 2
Yiri sancti 9* 11*
Tradiderunt corpora 10* 12*
V erbera carnificum 11*
Hee est vera fratemitas 12*
Sancti mei qui in isto 13*
Cantabant sancti canticum 5 5 7 6 5 5 L 3 5 5 8
Isti sunt sancti qui non inquinaverunt 6 7 8 5 5 7 7 6 7 6 6 6
Fulgebunt iusti sicut )ilium 8
Coronavit eos dominus 8 I1 10 7 11
Exultabunt sancti in gloria 3
Letamini iusti et exultate 5
Hi empti sunl ex omnibus 7 11
Ex ore infancium 8
Sub throno dei omnes sancti 8 9 3 11 10 3
Hii sunl qui cum mulieribus 8
Sancti et iusti in domi no L
Rodie matryrum flores 7
Yox in Rama audita est 9 6 3
Vidi sub altare de i animas 9 9
Concede nobis domine 8
Sci tui domune benedicent L
Vidi turbam magnam 7
lsti qui arnicti sunt stolis albis 10
Absterget 10* 6*

Mater c I arrb copyr g t

Table 6.2 Lauds antiphons for Holy Innocents

Sigla are as in CAO, plus Corbie (CO) and the Old Roman antiphoner (OR). For abbreviations see Table 6.1.

C G B E M V H R D F s L co OR
Herodes iratus [est) occidit 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
Angeli eorum semper vident 2 2 2 2 2 2 4
Vox in R ama audita est 3 5 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 4
Sub throno dei ornnes sancti 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 5 5
Cantabant sancti canticum 5 3 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 4 6
A bimatu et infra 2 2 2 2 2 2 3 2 3 2
Hi empti sunt ex omnibus 5
Sinite parvulos venire ad me 3
L-Ab
Sinite parvulos venire ad me 1 2
Laverunt stolas suas 2 2
A bimatu et infra occidit 3
Ambulabunt mecum in albis 4 3 1
Hii sunt qui cum mulieribus 5 1 1 X 1 X X X 1 X
Innocentes pro Christo 6 x* 3 2
Hi empti sunt ex omn ibus 7
Hi sunt qui venerunt ex X 2
Clamant clamant clamant 4
Splendent Beth leemitici X
Vox in Rhama audita est 2

Mater c I arrb copyr g t

Table 6.3 Matins antiphons for H oly I nnocents
For abbreviations see Table 6.1.

C G B E M V H R D F s L
Tn lege domini fuit voluntas I
Predicantes preceptum domini 2 a2* 2
Voce mea ad dominum 3
Fili hominum scitote quia 4 a3* 3
Scuto bone voluntatis 5 2* a4* 4
In universa terra gloria 6 a5* 5
Iustus dominus et iustitias 7
Habitabit in tabernaculo tuo 8 6
Sanctis q ui in terra sunt 9 3* a6* 7 x*+
Herodes videos quia illusus 1 1/10*
Christus infans non despexit 2
Arridebat parvulus occisori 3
Norunt infantes laudare deum 4 l3
Erigitur itaque infantium etas 5 14
Dignus a dignis laudatur 6 15
Dicunt infantes domino 7
Licuit sanguine loqui 8 9/11 *
Vindica dornine sanguinem 9 5 12
Secus decursus 1* al* 1 1 x*+
Hee est generatio querenti um 4* 7 8
Sinite parvulos veni re ad me 1 2 9 6 3
Angeli eorum semper vident 2 3 4
Ambulabunt mecum in albis 3 8 2 c* 7
Innocentes et recti pro Christo 4
Adoraverunt viventem 5
Ex ore infantium [deus] et lactentium 6 6 4 5
Beati quos elegisti domine 8 11
Laverunt stolas suas 9 5 C 12 8
A bimatu et infra a7 4
Clamaverunt iusti a8 10

Mater c I arrb copyr g t

 C G B E M V H R D F s L
In paucis vexati in multis 3
Sanguis scorum martirum 7 11
Yidi turba magna ex omnibus 9
Letamini in domino et exultate 9
Innocentum passio Christi C
Hi sunt qu i cum mulieribus 1
Fulgebunt iusti sicut sol 4
Stabunt iusti in magna 5
Ecce merces scorum 7
Yiri sancti gloriosum 8
Iustorum anime in man u 9
In circuito tuo domine lumen 10
Yindica domine sanguinem 11
Beati eritis cum vos 12*
Novi t dominus vias innocen- 1
Rex terre infremuit adversus 2
Deus iudex iustus iudica nos 3
Iudicabit domins pupillo s
Quis ascendet aut quis stabit 6
Innocentes adheserunt mihi 7
Inter innocentes lavabo 8
Mendaces et vani dum 10
Filio regis datum est iuditium 11
Novit dorninus viam iustorum 2
Clamant clamant clamant 3
Arridebat parvulus occisorum 4
Dabo sanctis meis locum s
Reddet deus 7*
0 beata lactantium gloria 8
Ecce vidi agnum stantem 12
0 quam gloriosum C
Sub throno dei omnes sancti 1
Acceperunt divinum 2
Claman! ad dominum innocentes 6
Innocent es ( .. .?) 9*
Coronavit eos dominus 10

Mater c I arrb copyr g t

166 David Hiley

Table 6.4 Sets of Lauds antiphons where sources diverge

Sigla as in CAO. Boldface indicates antiphons in modern style.

CAO Older, universal tradition/ Lauds antiphons

later or local tradition

46 Vincentius series Assumptus ex eculeo G E M D F

non-numerical, some with modern tendencies
series Dum pateretur beatus Vine. L not
checked
50.4 Gregorius series Beatus Gregorius natione B H L
non-numerical, old
series O admirabile beati Gregorius D non-
numerical, old
series Gregorius vigiliis confectus R
numerical, modern (continuation of Matins
series)
50.5 Benedictus various divergent series C B H R D F S L,
non-numerical, old
supplementary series of Benedictus antiphons
in F O beati viri Benedicti also almost all old
51 Annunciatio BMV series Quando venit ergo sacri R numerical,
modern (continuation of Matins series)
series Postpartum virgo inviolata F put
together from older material
91 Philippus et Iacobus divergent series (non-numerical), one or two
with modern tendencies
100 Iohannes et Paulus eccentric series Dominum tibi preponimus
in L not checked
1.01 Petrus et Paulus series Petrus et lohannes ascendebant C M D
non-numerical, old
series Petre amas me pasce oves B E H R L
non-numerical, old
series Beatus Petrus apostolus vidit F non-
numerical, some with modern tendencies
102.5 Maria Magdalene series Una sabbati Maria Magdalena R
numerical, modern
series Annua Magdalene recolentes D
numerical, modern
series Maria ergo unxit pedes Iesu L not
checked
1.05 Hippolytus two overlapping series, C B F M H R I D F
CO both old
115 Omnes Sancti series Scimus quoniam diligentibus B M R S
non-numerical, old
series Vidi turbam magnam quam E (V) F
non-numerical, old
120.2 Nicholaus series usually starting Beatus N. pontificatus/
Lis B E R D F S L not numerical, modern
but (non-numerical) monastic extensions in
R and D F not modern
 Style and Structure in Early Offices 167

Table 6.5 Sets of Matins antiphons where sources diverge

Sigla as in CAO. Boldface indicates antiphons in modern style.
CAO Older, universal tradition/ Matins antiphons
later or Local tradition

5 Lucia none
20 Stephanus series Beatus vir qui in Lege C commune
series Hestema die dominus BE M V HR L
non-numerical, old
series Beatus Steph. iugi GS CO (D)
numerical, some modern
21 Johannes Evangelista series In omnem terram C and E commune
series Qui vicerit faciam B V HR (L) , non-
numerical, old
series Johannes apostolus et evangelista G B
EM V (D) F S CO numerical, most modern
22 Innocentes similar commune selections C E H
other (mostly) commune selections D; S
series Herodes videns quia illusus B (S)
numerical, some modern
series Novit dominus vias innocentes F
non-numerical, old
44 Sebastian us mostly derived from Lauds, non-numerical,
old
45 Agnes series Discede a me pabulam mortis almost
universal, partly drawn from commune,
non-numerical, old
46 Vincentius series Sanctus Vincentius a pueritia E
(secular) expanded in D F, numerical,
mostly modern (ed. Crocker 459---63)
series Satis est laudabile L not checked
48 Purificatio BMV series starting Benedicta tu in mulieribus and
variants and extensions all o ld
49 Agatha series usually starting lngenua sum et
expectabilis non-numerical, old
50.4 Gregorius series Gregorius ortus Rome (secular),
expanded in R , numerical, modern
series Gregorius papa inclitus patre D non-
numerical, old
series Beatus Gregorius urbis Rome L not
checked
50.5 Benedictus series Fuit vir vite venerabilis gratia in various
mutations, all monastic C H R D F S L,
non-numerical, old
51 Annunciatio BMV series Missus est angelus Gabriel con tinuing
l ngressus angelus ad Mariam R numerical,
modern
series continuing Ave Maria gratia plena
Dominus F mostly drafted in from
elsewhere, non-numerical, mostly old
168 David Hiley

Table 6.5 (continued)

CAO Older, universal tradition/ M atins antiphons

later or local tradition

91 Philippus et Jacobus no regular series

92 Inventio Crucis series Adoremus crucis signaculum
S {Inventio) non-numerical, mostly old
110 Exaltatio Crucis series Ecce crucem domini fugite
F (Exaltatio) non-numerical, mostly old
98 Marcellinus et Petrus none
99 Johannes Baptista series Priusquam te formarem in utero almost
uniform, non-numerical, old; extensions
also old
100 Johannes et Paulus series Johannes et Petrus martires in L not
checked
101 Petrus et Paulus series In omnem terram exivit sonus C
commune
series Petrus et Johannes ascendebant B E V
H R F L non-numerical, old
series In plateis ponebantur infirmi M D F S
numerical, modern
102 Paulus series Qui operatus V. Qui me seg. almost
uniform, non-numerical, old
102.5 Maria Magdalena series lngressus /esus domum Sym. R non-
numerical, some modern
series Cum discubuisset Dominus L
numerical, mostly modern
102.6 Inventio Stephani series Luciano venerabili presbitero D F S L
numerical, some modern
103 Laurenti us series Quo progrederis V. Beatus L. dixit
fairly uni form distribution, non-numerical,
old
105 Hippolytus series Valerianus tradidit D (cf. C) non-
numerical, old
106 Assumptio BMV series (somewhat variable) starting Exaltata
es sea Dei genetrix non-numerical, old
series Ecce tu pu/chra es amica mea V
(second series) numerical, not modern (cf.
Nativ. BVM)
other possible series (S L) not checked
107 Symphorianus none
108 D ecollatio Johannes Bapt. two series Johannes Baptista arguebat and
Audivit Herodes tetrarcha in V not checked
109 Nativitas BMV series Celeste beneficium introivit E not
checked
series Gloriose virginis Marie V not checked
series Ecce tu pulchra es amica mea R
numerical, not modern ([Link] Assumpt.
BVM)
 Style and Structure in Early Offices 169

Table 6.5 (continued)

CAO Older, universal tradition/ Matins antiphons

later or local tradition

series R odie nata est beata virgo F

nume rical, not modern
111 Maurit ius series Quanta excolendus est E D F non-
nume rical, old
112 Cosmas et D amianus none
113 Michael series Stetit angelus non-numerical, old
(exte nsions in D F also old)
114 Dionysius series Sanctus Dionysius qui tradente CV H
R D F CO non-numerical, old
115 Omnes Sancti usual series Novit Dominus viam iustorum B
E M V H R F S L non-numerical, old
series Letentur omnes qui sperant E not
checked
series Adesto Deus unus omnipotens D
compiled from various other offices
116 Martinus series Martinus adhuc caticuminis C B E M V
H R S L non-numerical, old
series Sanctus Martinus obitum D F CO non-
numerical, old
117 Bricius none
118 Cecilia series Cecilia virgo Almachium non-
nume rical, old
119 Cle mens no series
120 Andreas series (various) beginning Vidit Dominus
Petrum et Andream all non-numerical, old
extensions in D old
120.2 Nicholaus series Nobilissimus siquidem B E R D F S L
numerical, modern
monastic extras in R and D F respectively not
modern, though D F group preserves
modal order
121 T homas overlapping series E V S L not checked
90.5 Evangelistae series Convocatis Jesus duodecim D F SL
nume rical, not modern
170 David Hiley

Ex. 6.2 Matins antiphons for Holy Innocents in numerical modal order
(Utrecht, Universiteitsbibl. 406 [3.J.7])

... • • ·" • I

He-ro<les vi - dens qui-a

• • • • • •• • •• • •
il -l~us es- set a magis
. . •.
mi - sit in Bethle- em

et oc-ci - dit omnes pu-e-ros qui e - rant in

•e -
••
om -nibus fi - ni-bus e-ius.

...• . . ....
in-fans non de-spe-xit su - os co-e - ta - ne-os
••• •
mi - Ii - tes

·-.. .... . . . .. ........ .. ...

sed pro - ve-xit qu>bus
,._
de - dit an - te trkm1pha - re
••
quam lo-qui.

• •1£• •• • •••• •• ••• • •

Ar-ri- de - bat parvu-lus oc-ci - so - ri gla-di - o ad - io-ca-ba-tur in -fan-tu - lus

• •
•
nu-tri-<:is lo - co ad-ten-dobat lac-tans percus-so - ris hor-rorem.

• • • • • • ••
I
•• • •• • •. • •• •

'
..l
No - runt in-fan-tes lau-da- re de-um qui lo - qui non no- ve-rant

• • •• • •• •
ti - unt pe-ri - ti lau - de qui fu - e - rant im-pe- ri - ti ser-mo-ne.
 Style and Structure in Early Offices 17 1

in- fan -ti - um e-tas in lau-dem que de - lie-to-rum

••
crimen.
11

6t

Dig-nus a dignis lau-da-tur et in-nocens in-no-cen ti - um

• • •• •• • • ...... 11
tes-ti-mo-ni - o compro - blHur.

• •• • ••• •• • .··"•• •• •
in- fan - tes do-mi-no laudes lru-ci -da - ti ab
••
He-ro-de

oc -ci - si pre - di-cant quod vi vi non po-te- rant.

~-~ ..
8

- cu-it
••• • •• • • • • •
loqui quibus
san • gui•ne lingua
~ --
non
•

Ii - cu - it
I

. ...... ...
miscentcum do-mi-no co~lo-qui - a quibus hu-ma-na ne-ga - ta sunt ver-ba.
172 David Hiley

Ex. 6.3 Selected antiphons from the Office of St. Gallus, composed by
Ratpert of St. Gall, ca. 900 (Karlsruhe, Badische Landesbibl.
A ug. LX)

8
• • •••• •
qui omncs ht! - re - mi se-mi - ta-. n<Ma, ha - he - hat aggrt!~us

• • • • • • •• • • •• •• ••
~ • • •• •
que-si-vit ab
•
e-o
• •• • •
an unquam in-ve-nis-set in so - Ii - tu - di - ne locum

••••
•• • • • • • • • • • • • •• • •
hlHnanis ha-bi-ta-ti - o-ni-bus o - por-twmm dc-si-dc-ri- o in-qui-ens a - ni-mi fcrvcn-tis ex cs-tu - a

•• • • • •
hu- ic vi - te con-cessos.

•• •• • •• • • •• •• • •••
••• •• • ••••
Huius ip - se clavem sub ta - Ii cus-to - di - a se1npt!r re - ti - nu - it

• •••• • •
•••• • •
ut nullus c - ius dis - ci - pu-lorum quamdi - u in cor-po - re vi-xit

•• • • • • •• •• • ••• II

e-quis in - do - mi-tis fe - rt! - tro et fre - nis de ca-pi- ti-bus e - o-rum

• • • ••
rec-to
•
i - ti - ne - re per-ve- ne-mnt ad cellam vi - ri de-i.
 Style and Structure in Early Offices 173

....
ls-le sanc-tus digne in mt:ano - ri - am vt:-r - ti - tur

• ••
t1ui - a in hac pc-rc-gri-na-ti-o - nc so-lo cor- po - re [Link]

• • • •• •• • • • • •• •
co-gi- ta - ti - o - nc ct
. - . .. . ... .•... ••••• •........ .
a-vi-di - ta - tc in ii - la c- tcr-na pa-tri-a con-vcr-sa-tus est.

attributed to Stephen, archbishop of Liege, born about 850, educated at Metz

and in the palace school, archbishop from 901 to 920. The offices for the Holy
Trinity, for Lambert and for the Invention of Stephen are all numerical but
rarely explore the upper tetrachord or pentachord systematically. Hucbald's
numerical cycle of Matins antiphons In plateis, for St. Peter, presumably
written about the same time, is much more consistent in this respect. 12
Now, although the Hartker antiphoner has the Trinity office, it ignores the
Invention of St. Stephen, as do most books from the eastern half of Europe.
And looking back at the list of numerical offices, and those with stylistically
more modern pieces, the relative lack of interest in East Francia is quite
noticeable. It is therefore no surprise to find that the office of St. Gallus
composed by Ratpert about 900 is not numerical. 13 Most of its antiphons are
very restrained in style, but one or two pieces are more adventurous. These
are given in Ex. 6.3.
One other example should not be overlooked, and this takes us back into
the area of North France and Lotharingia at the beginning of the tenth
century. A proper office of St. Cuthbert, wit h hymn and Mass as well, was
composed ' probably by a clerk from the Low Countries' (Hohler), for the
court chapel of King Athelstan of England (924- 39) or his father E dward
the E lde r (899- 924). 14 The earliest notated source, London, BL Harley 1117,
dates from the late tenth century. This is a numerical office, and several of
the chants exploit tonal space in the 'progressive' way highlighted above. It
is, moreover, a partly versified office. Thus three of the characteristics that
make the Trinity office of Ste phen of Liege so important for its date are also
present in the Cuthbert office : verse text, modal order and progressive musical
style. Seven antiphons from this office are given in Ex. 6.4.
It seems clear, therefore, tha t the new feeling for tonal space is evident
principally in the new numerical offices, but that not all items of the latter
exhibit this stylistic feature. A s far as antiphons are concerned, therefore, the
174 David Hiley

Ex. 6.4 Selected antiphons from the Office of St. Cuthbe rt, early
ninth century (Worcester, Cathedral Chapter Library, F 160)

.• . .... • •
Aue-tor do- norum spi- ri - tus in - spi rans ve-ra
.-----
va-ti - bus

I - -.-

••
per tri-n um pha-tur in - fan- tem Cuthber-tum fo - re pre-su - lem.

..• ...... •......... .

Qui Rapha-e - lem ar -chan - ge-lum
-
To-bi • e de-<lil me• di-cum

••
Cuth- ber-ti
• ge-1rn lan-gui:lum su - um sa- nat per an-ge-lum.

6t
• • •• • •• • ••• • I• • • • •• •• ••c-~
. - ---===-=-===·=·==========-----=-=-=-=-=-=-==== I

Adest fra-ter cu - ri - o - sus ex-plorans quid a - gat ius - tus

' •••••••• •
quern la~uo-rc et pa-vo - re mox con rep-tum sa-nat prcce.
 Style and Structure in Early Offices 175

.... . •..
A lme con-fes-sor
•do-mi-
•••ni •+
pre~ul
•re••- g is ••
e - ter-ni

Cuthber-te
•
con-sors san-cto-rum
•••••
con-ci - vis
••
ce- les-ti - um

• ••••• • ••••• • •• • • • •• • •• •• •• •• I

'
,
~

"
ex - au

et
••
pro
.-
di

-
pre - ces

• • -•.........
no-bis re-gem re - gum
tu - ornm

- --•-
ip- sum
su-me vo- ta

•- ·-•- ••• •
pos-ce
sup-pli-cum

do-mi-i1um.

•
. • •• . •• • • • • • •• •• •••• ••

'$' H inc tangun-tur

•• •
sci-ens ve-ro
i•
ar - tus sa -cri

•• •• • • • • • •• •
se re - sol-vi
I
corporis morbo

confortat
..
o - vi -le
le - ta

• • II
Christi.
Ii

7
-• ••• • •·· •• • •• • • • ••••
V
J
L anguor ac - cres-cens in di-es ar- tus ve-xa- bat fra - gi - les

'4% .• • •••• • • •• •
ip- se sa- cras fundens pre-ces
• • .• •• •• ••
ce - Ii - cas pre- gus- tat
••
laudes.
 .._.__.._._ .._.__._·___
....._
176 David Hiley

1,_____._
~
.__._ .__._
._
._._._._
.__._._
Oum ter-re - nis re - dit di - es e - ter - nus Cuth-ber-to di-es

• •• • •• •• • ••••••
•
sa -lu -ta-res SU -
••
mil da pes
•
sic
•• •·· ·-• •• •
su - per- nas
•
scan-dit sedes.
-~
• •• • •• • •
•• • • • •• • •• •••
••
0
••• ••
mag-ne pre-sul Cuth-ber-te cu - i Chrisn,s fu - it vi - ve - re

cu- 1 mo- n lu-crum per- hen - ne dum post mortem u - nus ve-re

• • • •• •.
• •• • • •• ••
....
• •• •..• • ---1-

' signis di-vi-n is in-cli - te

•• •• • ••• •• •• •• •
• •
•
lar,gu i - dos

• ••• •• • •·· • • II
sa - nans a la-be

' hoc ro - ga-mus pi - a pre-ce tu pro no - bis

search appears to end in the North French/Lotharingian area at the beginning

in -ter- ce-de.

of the tenth century.

What of responsories? As far as stylistic features are concerned the way to
proceed seems fairly simple. One looks for the verses that use the old stan-
dard tones, those where the second half of the tone is altered in order to end
on the finalis, and those where the traditional tone is more or less abandoned.
Since different sources often assign different verses to responsories, the task
of sorting all this out may be rather laborious. The search for standard for-
mulas in the main part of the responsory also takes time and patience. On the
other hand, a simple glance through a chant can give one a first impression of
its tonal behavior. Example 6.5 gives one of the responsories of the Cuthbert
office. (One should note that the verse uses the traditional tone for mode 1
responsories, which points up the necessity for treating responsories and their
verses as two different categories.) In fact there are almost no series from the
 Style and Structure in Early Offices 177

Ex. 6.5 R esponsory Cuthbertus p uer from the Office of St. Cuthbert, early
ninth century (Worcester, Cathedral Chapter Library, F 160)

•♦ · • -
R.Cu1hber~us
......... ...
pu - er bo ne
•••• •
in - - do - lis

..........
per vi-gil noctumus in-sislens
. ~
y mp-n is

•••••••••• •••••• • ••••• •• • I • ....... -· ••••

*A y- da - ni e - pis - co-pi a ni-marn in ce-lum fer-ri vi - dil

..- .
ab an
. ........ .-
~
ge- lis.

• • • • •
V. Cum pasto-ri - bus o-vi-um po - si-tus pastor a- ni- marnm a de-o pre - e - lee - tus

•• •• • •• • •••••••••• •••••••• •••••• ••••

men-le el vul -1u su -per - nis in - 1en - tus. * Aydani.

tenth century with progressive stylistic features. T he three offices attributed

to Stephen of Liege have them, and so does the Cuthbert office. But Stephen,
John the E vangelist, Holy Innocents and Peter do not. As far as the more
widely distri buted offices of the eleventh century are concerned, there are
numerical responsory series for G regory a nd Nicholas, but not for Vincent,
the Annunciation or Mary Magdalene. But from the eleventh century there
are, as is well known, plenty of local offices that are fully numerical.
Only those three cycles of the Christmas season, with the possible addi-
tion of Peter, hint at a numerical or otherwise modernizing ' project' involving
more than one feast, and the transmission of those series is not uniform. It
was left largely to musicians of the eleventh century to initiate their own local
projects, only a few of which achieved wide distribution. But the new melodic
style gradually gained the upper hand all over E urope. As is well known, it
was not restricted to chants of the office, and tracing its origins and progress
through the chant repertory as a whole is a task of some importance for
future scholarship.
178 David Hiley

Notes

1 These features have ofte n been discussed in the specialist literature. My own
work is especia lly indebted to the work of Richard Crocker, Ruth Steiner and
Laszlo Dobszay. See in particular Crocker's essay ' Matins A ntiphons at St. Denis',
JAMS 39 (1986), 441- 90.
2 Utto Kornmillle r, 'D er heilige Wolfgang als Beforderer des Kirchengesanges', in
Der heilige Wolfgang - Bischof von Regensburg - Jubiliiumsschrift 994-1894
(Regensburg: F. Pustet, 1894), 140-62; Franz A. Stein, 'Das altere Offizium des hi.
Wolfgang in der H andschrift Clm 14872 aus St. Emmeram zu R egensburg in der
Bayerischen Staatsbibliothek Milnchen', in id. (ed.), Sacerdos et cantus Gregoriani
magister: Festschrift Ferdinand Haber/ zum 70. Geburtstag (R egensburg: Bosse,
1977), 279- 302. My own edition of the office a ppeared just as the present volume
was going to press: Hermannus Contractus (1013- 1054): Historia Sancti Wolfgangi
Episcopi Ratisbonensis. Wissenschaftliche Abhandlungen/Musicological Studies
65/7 (Ottawa: Institute of Medieval Music, 2002).
3 Wilhelm Brambach, Die verloren geglaubte Historia de sancta Afra und das Salve
regina des Hermannus Contractus (Karlsruhe: C. T. Groos, 1892); Peter Wagner,
Einfiihrung in die gregorianischen Melodien , iii: Gregorianische Formenlehre
(Leipzig: Breitkopf & H arte l, 1921), 316; Karlhe inz Schlager and Theodor
Wohnhaas, 'Zeugnisse der Afra-Verehrung im rnitte lalterlichen Choral', Jahr-
buch des Vereins fiir Augsburger Bistumsgeschichte, 18 (1984), 199- 226.
4 Hans Oesch, Berno und Hermann von Reichenau als Musiktheoretiker (Bern: P.
Haupt, 1961), 153. The reference is to Bomm's review in AfMw 1 (1950), 403,
of J. Maier's monograph Studien zur Geschichte der Marienantiphone 'Salve
regina' (1939).
5 Antiphonen, e d. Laszlo Dobszay and Janka Szendre i, 3 vols (MMMA 5; Kassel:
Barenreiter, 1999), 25*, 30*.
6 David Hiley, 'The R egensburg Offices for St Emmeram, St Wolfgang and
St D e nis', in Musica Antiqua X (Bydgoszcz: Filharmonia Pomorska im I.
Paderewskiego, 1997), 299- 312, was a first attempt to summarize the achieve-
ments in office composition at R egensburg and their relation to contemporary
theory. I offer a more detailed exploration of some chants from the Wolfgang
office in 'Das Wolfgang-Offizium des H e rmannus Contractus - Zurn Wechselspiel
von Modustheorie und Gesangspraxis in der Mitte des XI. Jahrhunderts', in
Walter Berschin and David Hiley (eds), Die Offizien des Mittelalters: Dichtung
und Musik (Tutzing: H. Schneider, 1999), 129-42.
7 The diagram is reproduced in the editions of Wilhe lm's treatise by Millier and
Harbinson. See H ans Millier, Die Musik Wilhelms van Hirschau: Wiederherstel-
lung, Obersetzung und Erkliirung seines musik-theoretischen Werkes (Frankfurt:
[[Link].], 1883); Wilhe lm of Hirsau, Musica , ed. Denis Harbinson (Rome:
American Institute of Musicology, 1975). See also the reproduction with commen-
tary in my article 'Das Wo lfgang-Offizium des H ermannus Contractus'.
8 Crocker, 'Matins Antiphons at St. Denis'.
9 I do not know what is being conti nued here, since neither R nor D has a numer-
ical series of Matins antiphons.
10 Antiphonen, ed. Dobszay a nd Szendrei.
11 Keith Falconer has recently drawn attention to ite ms in the office for St. Medard,
represented in C: ' Zurn Offizium des hi. Medardus', in B erschin and Hiley (eds),
Die Offizien des Mittelalters, 69-85. Whether of 'Gallican' origin or not, of the
chants he reproduces only one might be long in the 'progressive' category outlined
above.
 Style and Structure in Early Offices 179

12 See the edition by Rembert Weakl and in 'The Compositions of Hucbald', Etudes
gregoriennes, 3 (1959), 155-62.
13 Cf. the observations by H artmut Moller on the early tenth-century Otmar office
composed at St. Gall, in Walter Berschin, Peter Ochsenbein and Hartmut Moller,
'Das Otmaroffizium - Vier Phasen seiner E ntwicklung', in Berschin and Hiley
(eds), Die Otfizien des Mittelalters, 25- 57, esp. 55-7. Moller rightly leaves open
the question of the date of the Otmar office, which has antiphons in numerical
modal order.
14 See Christopher Hohler, 'The Durham Services in Honour of St. Cuthbert', in
C. F. Battiscombe (ed.), The Relics of St. Cuthbert (Oxford: Oxford University
Press for the Dean and Chapter of Durham Cathedral, 1956), 157-91. The attri-
bution of authorship to a foreign clerk is a probability, based on an estimate of
the sophistication of the composition, though not ultimately provable. David
Rollason has recently challenged the belief that the earliest source, Cambridge,
Corpus Christi College 183 (without musical notation), was actually presented
by Athelstan together with Bede's two lives of the saint to the shrine of St.
Cuthbert in Durham in the 930s. See his 'St Cuthbert and Wessex: T he Evidence
o f Cambridge, Corpus Christi College MS 183', in Gerald Bonner, David W.
Rollason and Clare Stancliffe (eds), St Cuthbert, his Cult and his Community to
AD 1200 (Woodbridge, Suffolk: Boydell Press, 1989), 413-24, esp. 421-4. But I
find the recent arguments presented by Laura Sole persuasive: Laura M. Sole,
'Some Anglo-Saxon Cuthbert Liturgica: The Manuscript Evidence', Revue bene-
dictine, 108 (1998), 104-44.