Text and formula in the Milanese cantus

This analytical article aims to establish the melodic grammar of the in directum Milanese cantus. Deviations from the generic norms might be experienced in performance as emphasising the words with which they appear. Certain texts (particularly ‘domin-’) are often associated with melodic shapes found elsewhere in the genre on the same words, regardless of what one might expect to encounter formally. Chants that share similar liturgical functions, or which appear in close liturgical proximity, often share melodic material and formal strategies. Building on and responding to Bailey's The Ambrosian Cantus (1987), the present article seeks to appreciate the cantus melodies as they have been preserved, rather than using them as a lens through which to seek a putative (and entirely rationally structured) lost ancestor.

Art · Linguistics · Melody · Musical · Visual arts · Diverse Musicological Studies · Historical and Archaeological Studies · Medieval Literature and History · Philosophy