Gregorian and Old Roman Eighth-Mode Tracts: A Case Study in the Transmission of Western Chant. (Book Reviews: Diverse Topics).(Book Review)

Gregorian and Old Roman Eighth-Mode Tracts: A Case Study in the Transmission of Western Chant. By Emma Hornby. Aldershot, Hants, England: Ashgate, 2001. [xii, 401 p. ISBN 0-754-604244. $84.95.] Music examples, illustrations, facsimiles. bibliography, index.

The relationship between oral and written transmission in Gregorian chant is among the most hotly debated issues of recent scholarship. Although scholars agree that origins of the repertory are oral, the time period and precise nature of oral transmission remain subjects of much contention. When was the repertory first recorded in notation? How was it remembered and transmitted before this time? To what extent did memory continue to play a role in the transmission of chant once the repertory was written down?

Gregorian and Old Roman Eighth-Mode Tracts contributes significantly to a deeper understanding of these questions. With few exceptions, the current conflicting theories about chant transmission have been presented in broad terms, without concrete models of their application to larger repertories. This book's importance lies in its detailed focus on a single group of melodies and its equal attention to the Gregorian and Old Roman traditions. Through an intimate understanding of how the tracts were constructed, Emma Hornby proposes a compelling theory of how they were kept stable before the beginnings of notation.

The foundation for this theory lies in a detailed analysis of manuscript variants and melodic structure. Comparison of sample manuscripts shows that the early written tradition was relatively stable, and that local variants filtered in at a later date. Hornby's melodic analysis focuses on the underlying functions of the constituent melodic phrases, seeking to determine the constructional principles of the genre. In both traditions, the tracts were governed by rigid formal conventions, with standard phrase types recurring consistently in specific formal contexts. As the analysis shows, the texts played a fundamental role in the melodic construction, often resulting in departures from typical melodic behavior. Although some of these findings have been previously demonstrated, they have not been considered in a comparative context that takes full account of the Gregorian and Old Roman versions. The analysis is presented in exhaustive detail, and the reader could benefit from periodic reminders of its larger sign ificance. The details, however, are central to the arguments about transmission made in subsequent chapters.

In seeking to explain the stability of the eighth-mode tracts, Hornby critiques and ultimately rejects Kenneth Levy's theory that a written archetype of the tradition was in place by A.D. 800. Levy's theory is partially based on the notion that memorization of a large repertory was impossible, particularly in formulaic melodies that did not possess distinctive melodic outlines. Hornby's analysis belies this assumption. Drawing on work of the cognitive psychologist David Rubin, she points to numerous characteristics of the tracts that could aptly have served as memory aids. The consistent use of standard phrase types in specific contexts, for example, would have aided the singers in remembering the melodies without notation. The texts also served as a memory prompt. Singers faithfully followed a set of customs in adapting the melodies to texts of various lengths and accent patterns. Moreover, phonetic relationships in the text, such as rhyme and assonance, are often reflected in similar musical settings, which suggests that these aural features of the texts served as additional mnemonics. Based on these findings, Hornby argues that the repertory was kept stable through a combination of rote learning and an active recall that depended upon the mnemonic features of the music.

Hornby's close attention to the manuscript evidence addresses a further issue of vital importance to chant scholars, namely the role of ...