Grove's dictionary of music and musicians

—'
538 SONG
of Charlemagne, 8 IS. It may be found in a
MS. in fonds-latm dated 1154, in the Bibliotheque
Nationale in Paris,' and has been
attributed to S. Colnmbanus. The music has
been reduced to modern notation by both
Coussemaker and Fetis, but their versions
vary. It must be remembered that there is
less certainty on the subject of early music
than on early language, for music was handed
down solely by oral tradition. And even
when about the year* 1000 the necessity was
felt for some method of musical notation, the
plans adopted were so numerous and confused
that the question of time or rhythm or actual
notes of a mediaeval MS. is constantly interpreted
differently by musical historians. We tlierefore
give in facsimile a fragment of the MS. (see p. 5 3 7),
and a few bars of both versions for comparison :
Ex. 2.
CoUSSEMAKBK's VERSION". ^
A BO • lis or - tu us - que ad oc
ii^^i^gi^p^S
ci - du • - a Lit to ra ma - ris
Ex. 3.
F^Tis's Version".
The melody has only four notes ; indeed, up
to the last phrase only three, showing that
the peculiar French fondness for a, small compass
has survived for 1000 years: Since the
10th century the practice existed of using
well-known tunes (which later would be called
timbres) to different Latin words.' And most
of the Crusaders' songs which have come down
to us from the 11th century are in Latin.*
But an important exception amongst them is
a song commencing ' Marie, Deu maire,
dated 1096, which is in the vernacular, and
this date marks the epoch when the Latin
language began to be superseded by the French.
It is necessary to emphasise the close connection
which has ever existed—and perhaps
in France more than in any other country
between the folk-song and the Church. There
is reason to believe that some melodies, or
fragments of melodies, of Celtic origin have
been preserved from the days before Christianity
was introduced into France. The old heathen
popular songs were in the early centuries of
the Christian era a subject of much trouble
to the Church, and Christian people were forbidden
to fi-equent places where they were
sung. Even Charlemagne, who ordered a collection
of epic songs to be made, condemned tlie
vulgar, reprehensible type of songs "which were
sung round about the Churches. In speaking
of the musicof the Churchit must be remembered
that it had two distinct groups ; iirst, the
liturgical portion, or plain-song, "without regular
rhythm ; and second, the music to the hymns
(prose or sequence, seqiientia), which was both
melodious and rhythmical, and represented the
popular part of the service. By degrees, the
secular spirit crept into these proses * and from
the 11th century onwards popular songs* are
to be found in the vtilgar tongue side by side
with the Latin canticles. These were called
proses farcies or epitres farciesJ Laudable
attempts also were made by the Church to
adapt secular festivals and customs to Christian
purposes. Thus the Christian festival of Easter
corresponded with the heathen celebration of
the spring. Many of the old Celtic May-day
.songs 8 still exist, and a great similarity of
melody can be traced between them and the
Easter music of the Church. The origin of the
well-known Easter hymn ' iilii et filiae ' is
unknown, but it is certainly as old as the
12th century, and has usually been attributed
to French sources. It is unlike Gregorian
music in chaa-acter, but its aflBnity with some
of the following examples of old May-day songs,
called Chatisons de quete, still sung in diiferent
parts of France, is incontestable.'
, Ex. 4.
1 Another jnmg in the aame MS. on the battle of Fontanet, 841,
is said to> he by* one Angelbertr a Fianfilsh wamior, who was
present. F^tis, flistoire gcnSrate de la Mur^qus, iv. 473 et geq.
2 Wekerlin, 'Cliansons Pop. du Pays de France,' 1. 86.
3 F^tis speaks of two Latin poemssung to tunes called Sfodta
libtdiniB (I'alr de I'amour), and MoAuaJtorum (I'air des ileurs). Ibid.
It. 430.
4 Such as the beautiful ' Jerusalem Wlrabilis,' which is a solemn
pieee, like a Gregorian hymn, and probably sung by the people in
the open air. Ibid. tv. 4B2,
vit c'eat an-jour - d'hul qu'il faut chanter.
1 LayoiT. la itutixiue Pranfatae, p. 20.
5 Usually CoMiptafciftM.recognlHable by their rhythm.
' For example see Fitis, t. 103.
8 Tliese contain strange relics of old Celtic words, such aa
Trimmw^te. See Tiersot, Bistoire, p. 192-
fl
Tiersot, Bigtoire de la Chanson Popvlaire en France, p. 361.
Other pagan or Celtic festivals, such as midwinter {ee]\ed la /ete de