Grove's dictionary of music and musicians

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SONG 539
Another example of the resemblance between
the Church and folk-songs is afforded by the
Tonus Peregriiins, the oliant sung to the Psalm
^^^len Israel came out of Egypt.' Again the
'
origin is obscure, but already in the 9th century
it was held to be veiy old. Like
' filii et
filiae ' it differs in many ways from Gregorian
music, but sereral old French songs could be
given where the melody is almost note for note
that of the Tonus Peregrinus. For instance,
the Chant ' des Livrtes,' a very old song still
sung at country weddings ; or the beautiful
16th-ceutury 'Rossignolet des bois.'^
1st.
Ro3-si - gno - l«t dea boys Qui cbante au verd bo -
Aa - tu ou - y la vtrix D'uag gsr-son du vil
2nd.
ce Comme c'eat qn'il faat af - mer.
Though there is no definite evidence in this
case that the Church adopted a popular melody
for the chant, nor that the people used a chant
which they heard in church for their own songs,
it proves the popularity of this iine melody, and
that it was common property to both. And it
will be seen that this practice of intermixing
sacred and secular music has continued from
those early centuries to the present day.
It was incidentally remarked in. the introduction
to this article that the folk-aongs have
given us our scales ; and these scales include
not only the modem major and minor but also
the ecclesiastical or GregoHan scales and modes.
Modal melodies have existed for hundreds of
years, and still exist all over France. It must,
however, be admitted that the commonest
scales for the French folk-songs are the modem
major and minor scales. ^ Among the most
beautiful modal tunes are those found in
Brittany, such as Le ' Clerc du Tremolo, ' which
is in the ecclesiastical Dorian or first mode ;
a singularly pathetic religious song sung in
a time of famine, Disons ' le chapelet ' in the
Phrygian or third mode ; and the well-known
'Ma douce Annette,' or the beautiful 'Le
VAauilameaf or VAsuAUaneufi or midsummer, answering respectively
to the Church festivajg of ChriatmaafseeCAROi.). the Epiphany,
or St. John the Baptist, gave rise to masses of songs still sung In
Stance, and coraioon to both kinds of music. Space debais further
mention o£ this aabfect. hut fall and interesting Information will
be found In ST. Ileisot's above-quoted volume, p. 18S et geq,
(In this same i^apter the firniouB 'Ifanmatlde* Chcaisonx are
alluded to.)
1 Tiersot, ' Melodies,' p. 73.
2 Jbld., Biatoire, p. 322.
Paradis ' (given below) in the Aeolian, or ninth
mode. 3
ai^^^fai^
„Ex. 8.
Jo cioia au pa - ra-dis
Jti - Bus nous la pi'o-mis.
Jour au glo - n • eax
J'e8-p£rBal-ler
1st.
un
2nd.
The narrative form of song is very popular
in France, and the generic terms for this class
of song is tlie Complainte. The old Celtic epics
and the later collection of epics made by Charlemagne,
the chansons de geste, the early romances,
the ligendes of the Passion and of the Christian
saints, and the old pathetic ballades of the
peasants would all come under that name. The
wonderful legende called the ' Ballade de J^sus
Christ ' is still sung in Picardy.* The simplicity
of the language and the modal melody point to
its being of popiilar origin. The Chanson de
'
la Perronelle,' which has lived in the mouths of
the people for centuries,* resembles the oldest
complwiwtes in its poetic form, consisting of
couplets of two Hues without a refrain."
Ex. 9.
Eggzf^>gE^^3Ea^^^3g
A-v" ous point veu— . La Fer-ron - nel-le
les gen-dar mes ontem ~me - n^I
p^^^^^3^3Eg^
pour pas-ser le Daol-pbi - nd.
M. Tiersot calls attention to the strange fact,
that although these chansoTis tiarratives were
known to exist, they were far less often included
in the collections made from the 13th to the
3 The above are inclnded in M. BonrgauIt-I>ucoiidia,y's ' Trente
Melodies Populaiies de la Basse Bretagiie '
; and here it would be convenient
to state briefly M, Boui^tilt-Ducoudtay's theory. He denies
that these modal songs have their origin in the Church. His argUr
ment is that the modes found in these and other popular melodies,
not only of France, but of Ireland, Scotland. Oreece, etc, are actually
the survival of music common to the early Indo-European race.
He maintains that the Greeks akme cultivated musie as an art
that the Church, taking its scales from Greece and afterward^
carrying them to other countries, brought to Brittany, for instance,
a kind of music which waaiJreadytamllnirtothe Bretons in their
popular songs ; that the bo -called modes may bo ais old and as
common to many nationalities as many of the £Eimiliar words
common to the different InriiguAges of tlie Indo-European i^ily.
On the strength of this, Diicoudray'a nomenclature of the modes
is the Greek and not the ecclesiastical, and this hns been adopted
\^ other continental writers (see Moora). Throughout this article,
however, the Church names and Gregorian numbers of the modes
are retained, except in the section relating to Song ta Greece.
1 This legend is widely spread in France. It is found in coiint^tlon
with several saints in the La^mtda Awrea of Jacobus de
Voiagine. See Charapfleiiry and Wekerlin's 'Chansons pop. des
proTtincea de Prance.'
^ The earliest record of the words and mnaic of this song is to be
feond in a MS. in the Biblloth^ue NotionaTe ealled Chansons da
'
ig6me Siftcie/ published by Gfaiaton Paris and Gevaert.
f Tiersot, Histoire, p. 12.