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The music historians can correct me if I am wrong, but I believe that the choir is singing in what was called "faux bourdon." I involves one voice singing the propers pretty much in recto tono (straight tone) with two others harmonizing, usually an fourth and a sixth below. It is 15th century in origin.
As I remember, either the St. Basil or the St. Gregory hymnal had propers set like this--small choirs can do harmonized monotone a lot easier than the Gregorian propers.
I have never heard it done before, by the way, although I understand it was quite common before the Council.
Father, I'm pretty certain you are correct; it was probably something lost in translation as I believe that translates "false bass", or "faux bass" as we might say in English since we do use the word faux in our vocabulary.
This same schola was in Oxford for the CIEL conference last year, and you can hear the faux bourdon's in the clip I posted of their singing of the magnificat.
Faux-bourdon is an beautiful effect that, unfortunately, is often eschewed by Roman purists as being an Anglican thing. Really, it belongs to the entire western church, it's just that the Anglicans have kept it going while we've concentrated on plainchant psalmody.
Warning: long-ish, academic post.
Fauxbourdon or faux bourdon is, as Fr. Thompson said, a 15th Century practice involving one voice singing a perfect fourth below the cantus firmus, and another part played or sung in sixths below, although the lowest part is often rhythmically independent of the upper two, making the counterpoint more interesting. It could be done as a simple harmonization of a chant, but is not usually used for harmonization of psalm tones; Dufay is said to have invented faux bourdon and used the technique frequently, writing short faux bourdon pieces in which the bass is instrumental, and longer pieces with faux bourdon sections.
There is an English practice with a similar name--faburden--which is more often associated with improvisation and the kind of psalm-tone harmonization heard here. Faburden involves one voice singing a a fourth above the chant, and one voice singing thirds and fifths below the chant (he must begin and end on a fifth, and never sing two fifths in a row, but may sing as many thirds as he likes).
A third practice with a similar name is falsobordone, an Italian practice of harmonizing psalm tones in four parts, with root-position triads and the chant in the top voice.
This is confusing, I know--it took me a semester-long seminar on 15th Century counterpoint to sort it all out. I think I hear a voice singing higher than the cantus firmus in that video, which means that this schola is singing faburden rather than faux bourdon or falsobordone, since faburden is the only practice in which a voice sings harmony above the chant.
Dear Janet,
Thanks! Your post was very clear. I confess that I am pretty much a rank layman when it comes to polyphony of any type. Like it a lot even though the Dominican tradition tried to exclude it in favor of our version of the chant.
I have been lucky to be one of the four cantors.
The reason why we came from France is simple. The Oxford Oratory organist, who is in charge of the music for the Latin Mass Society, has been a friend of mines for 17 years, and we enjoy to compare and share our French and English traditions.
The faux bourdons we sang are often found in French 17th century chant books. They can be two, three or four parts. The plainchant melody is more or less sung, and a bass and treble are added to compose the harmony.
The name faux bourdons is quoted in those books.
Some more complex faux bourdons have been composed since the 16th century until the 20th, and sometimes the original melody is not kept. I have in my files some old "Faux bourdons de l'école Anglaise".
I am very busy until the middle of September but I might give some examples when I am back in Paris.
The choir I sing in (Episcopal) sings the Alleluia verse each week at our Solemn Mass using a fauxburdon setting. They still thrill me each time - and are as much fun to listen to as to sing.
In addition to the above, we use four-part Anglican chants, a derivative of fauxburdons, to sing the lectionary psalm. We also use translated propers sung to the original graduale tones (pace purists). Add in a choral mass setting (frequently polyphonic and/or in Latin) and a couple anthems or motets and that's our weekly repertoire. Come back in the evening for sung Evensong and Benediction.
All in all, the program is a fine example of incorporating the entire patrimony of church music from its monophonic chant origins, through fauxburden, Renaissance polyphony, Baroque, Classical, and even fine modern compositions.
For those interested in "faux bourdon" (or, simply, in obscure, old but beautiful liturgical music) I'd recommend the truly excellent Ensemble Organum's "Messe des Invalides" and "Corsican Chant" (in another completely different style.
They are both awesome.
Best regards
Westminster Cathedral still sings in fauxbourdon very very occassionally. The office hymn is sung to that effect at solemn vespers on Sundays in Advent, as well as the introit, Ressurexi, on Easter Sunday (mass during the day).
I must confess I'm not a great fan of it myself. It all sounds too..less pure somehow.
Philippe Guy: I wanted to speak to you or Henri after the Mass but didn't get a chance. I want to thank you for the wonderful singing at these Masses - your execution of Gregorian chant is excellent; one of the best I have heard. The music comes alive in your singing. Thank you.
Great comments, esp. from JaneC. Faux bourdons are also used at the Toronto Oratory for vespers.
To Fra' Lawrence Lew,
Father,
Thank you for your compliments.
You will certaintly agree that such a setting as Merton College Chapel, such a congregation as the one of the training, such a great welcome of the the Anglican Chaplain, the Dean of Merton College and the Latin Mass Society made everything possible.
Moreover, the fantastic acoustic is very indulgent and the Oxford Oratory organist is brilliant.
Thought I should just confirm that fauxbourdon settings are used every day in Westminster Cathedral - the Lay Clerks chant the Magnificat at Vespers using fauxbourdon verses in alternatum with the Cantor.
Thomas Wilson
Precentor, Westminster Cathedral
I am currently listening to a recording of Palestrina's Missa Viri Galilaei performed by La Chapelle Royal with propers sung by Ensemble Organum under Marcel Peres and they use this techinque along with some other very interesting treatments which at times bring the sound rather close to Orthodox Liturgy. I recommend the CD as both very interesting and inexpensive. Harmonia Mundi.
Oh.. and I can vouch for the singing at the Oxford liturgies as very special too.
The reference to Marcel Pérès is interesting: Shawn Tribe posted (Aug 8th, 2007) in this forum the description of a training which is going to take place in Lyons (France) with some 20 priests and lay cantors. We will probably study faux bourdons there.
There is an excellent record from our good friend Marcel still available, full of the same faux bourdons we sung in Merton College Chapel:
http://amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_gw...=0&Go.y=0&
Go=Go
Philipe, on this recording they also use an embelishment which I have not heard used before. At the end of a line of gregorian chant the last note is continued by a downward phrase of three or four notes. I'm not sure where this comes from but it is certainly a decoration rather than part of the original chnt. After finding it initially a bit disconcerting I now find it very effective especially where there are phrases echoing each other, eg in the Magnificat. I hope this makes any sense. The more one goes into the subject the more interestng and infinitely varied it all is!!
is it correct that under ideal conditions, with faux bourdon,one can hear the note a full octave below the false bass at the top? thanks, donald kahn
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