{"id":188,"date":"2015-09-11T07:30:29","date_gmt":"2015-09-11T11:30:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.gregorian.ca\/wp\/?page_id=188"},"modified":"2015-09-11T07:53:39","modified_gmt":"2015-09-11T11:53:39","slug":"chant-in-colonial-canada","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.gregorian.ca\/wp\/?page_id=188","title":{"rendered":"Chant in Colonial Canada (Exhibit)"},"content":{"rendered":"

CHANT IN COLONIAL CANADA<\/strong><\/p>\n

Exhibition designed by Library and Archives Canada <\/strong>for GIC 4th Annual Colloquium, <\/strong>McMaster University, Hamilton (ON), August 13-16 2009<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Image 1 (Click on image to enlarge<\/em>)<\/p>\n

View of Qu\u00e9bec from the hill on the opposite shore, [1788?].
\nLibrary and Archives Canada. Peter Winkworth Collection of Canadiana, R9266-492.<\/p>\n

Introduction<\/strong><\/p>\n

In colonial Canada, liturgical chant was essentially confined to New France and naturally grew out of liturgical practices prevalent in 17th-century France. In the early days of the colony, religious orders in the city of Qu\u00e9bec, such as the Jesuits, Ursulines, and Hospitali\u00e8res Sisters established institutions where plainchant was developed. In Montr\u00e9al, the musical activities of the Notre-Dame parish, founded in 1683, and those of the Sulpician Order, who established the Seminary of Saint-Sulpice, played an important role in allowing liturgical music to flourish. The French organist Jean Girard arrived in 1724 with several music books; including one that was later discovered in the archives of the Sulpicians in Montr\u00e9al and became known as the Livre d\u2019orgue de Montr\u00e9al. In 1750, the Sulpician Poncin came to Montr\u00e9al with a copy of the Messe Bordeloise, which became immensely popular in the colony. Finally, female religious communities such as the S\u0153urs de la Charit\u00e9 (Sisters of Charity or the \u201cGrey Nuns\u201d) and the Congregation of Notre-Dame played a seminal role in the development of musical practices tailored to the devotional needs of the Catholic faithful in New France.<\/p>\n

Except for the pages from the Livre d’orgue de Montr\u00e9al, the digital reproductions in this exhibition are taken from the liturgical chant books found in the rare books and manuscripts collections at Library and Archives Canada. They reflect many of the aforementioned liturgical origins and particularities of chant practice in colonial Canada from the 17th to the end of the 19th centuries.<\/p>\n

The Gregorian Institute of Canada and McMaster University gratefully acknowledge the assistance of Library and Archives Canada in the research and design of this exhibition, and in the writing, and translation of the texts that accompany it.<\/p>\n

Content:<\/strong>
\n1- Guillaume-Gabriel Nivers – In festo Vitae interioris Domini Nostri Iesu Christi
\n2- Monsignor de Saint-Vallier’s Ritual
\n3- Fran\u00e7ois de La Feill\u00e9e’s Plainchant Method
\n4- “Messe musicale” by La Feill\u00e9e
\n5- Fran\u00e7ois-Xavier Borel’s Chant Book
\n6- Prose de la Sainte-Famille
\n7- “Messe Bordelaise”
\n8- Livre d’orgue de Montr\u00e9al<\/p>\n

Guillaume-Gabriel Nivers – In festo Vitae interioris Domini Nostri Iesu Christi<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Images 2, 3 and 4 (Click on images to enlarge<\/em>)<\/p>\n

Guillaume-Gabriel Nivers, In festo Vitae interioris Domini Nostri Iesu Christi (Paris : Robert Ballard, 1668). Library and Archives Canada. MusRare M2149.3 N58 1669.<\/p>\n

This is one of the earliest chant editions specially destined to the Seminary of Saint-Sulpice, comprising the office and mass to be celebrated on the occasion of three feasts: Vitae interioris Domini Nostri Iesu Christi (celebrated on the Thursday following the second Sunday after Easter); Divini Sacerdotii Domini Nostri Iesu Christi (celebrated on August 30); and Vitae interioris B. Mariae Virginis (celebrated on October 19).<\/p>\n

For each of the three feasts, the antiphons of first Vespers, of the Magnificat, and of second Vespers, as well as the mass Proper are provided. The final 24 pages include the Kyriale and hymns for first and second Vespers of each feast.<\/p>\n

Monsignor de Saint-Vallier’s Ritual<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Images 5, 6 and 7 (Click on images to enlarge<\/em>)<\/p>\n

Rituel du dioc\u00e8se de Qu\u00e9bec : publi\u00e9 par l\u2019ordre de Monseigneur l\u2019\u00e9v\u00eaque de Qu\u00e9bec (Paris : Simon Langlois, 1703). Library and Archives Canada. BX 2035 A2 1703.<\/p>\n

Commissioned by Monsignor de Saint-Vallier, Bishop of Quebec, this Rituel is the first manual of practical information to describe the pastoral tasks of a priest in New France. It includes examples of notated liturgical chant.<\/p>\n

Fran\u00e7ois de La Feill\u00e9e’s Plainchant Method<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Images 8 to 11 (Click on images to enlarge<\/em>)<\/p>\n

Fran\u00e7ois de La Feill\u00e9e, M\u00e9thode nouvelle pour apprendre parfaitement les r\u00e8gles du plain-chant et de la psalmodie [\u2026] (Paris : A. Poitres, 1748). Library and Archives Canada. MT860 L3.<\/p>\n

La Feill\u00e9e\u2019s method contains motets for the principal liturgical feasts and also for the Elevation. Fran\u00e7ois de La Feill\u00e9e was an ecclesiastic from Poitiers who enjoyed a certain popularity both in France and in New France. He professed to be a follower of Nivers and a \u201ccorrector\u201d of plainchant which, in his method, feature added ornamentation in diamond-shaped notation, and precise prosody rules.<\/p>\n

“Messe musicale” by La Feill\u00e9e<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Image 12 (Click on image to enlarge<\/em>)<\/p>\n

Fran\u00e7ois de La Feill\u00e9e, Messe musicale du sixi\u00e8me ton, \u00e0 laquelle il convient de joindre un serpent avec le ch\u0153ur (Paris : A. Poitres et se vend \u00e0 Paris par J.T. Herissant, 1751). Library and Archives Canada. MT860 L3.<\/p>\n

Published three years after his M\u00e9thode, this mass by La Feill\u00e9e clearly stipulates the use of an arcane wind instrument called a serpent to accompany the choir.<\/p>\n

Fran\u00e7ois-Xavier Borel’s Chant Book<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Images 13 and 14 (Click on images to enlarge<\/em>)<\/p>\n

Fran\u00e7ois-Xavier Borel, Livre de chants gr\u00e9gorien (sic), manuscript (Sainte-Foy, 1767). Library and Archives Canada. CA ANC MG18 E21.<\/p>\n

In 1767, Fran\u00e7ois Borel, parish priest of Sainte-Foy for nearly a quarter-century, transcribed in his own hand the music and Latin words of the liturgical chants, mainly hymns, in this book. It was used for several years in this parish, situated near the city of Qu\u00e9bec.<\/p>\n

Prose de la Sainte-Famille<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Images 15 and 16 (Click on images to enlarge<\/em>)<\/p>\n

Officium Sanctae Familiae ad usum Antonii Bedard scholastici, manuscript (1791). Library and Archives Canada. MG 23 G V 12.<\/p>\n

The composer of the Prose de la Sainte Famille (Prosa Sacrae Familiae) is likely to have been the priest and musician Charles-Amador Martin (b. Qu\u00e9bec, March 7, 1648, d. Sainte-Foy, near Qu\u00e9bec, June 19, 1711).<\/p>\n

\u201cEveryone in New France knows the importance of the Feast of the Holy Family, instituted locally and celebrated since 1684 on the third Sunday after Easter. Many are the villages and institutions under the protection of St. Anne, the Virgin Mary, St. Joseph and Baby Jesus. Even the Aboriginal peoples know the Prosa Sacrae Familiae, which was translated in Abenakis [\u2026].\u201d (translation)<\/p>\n

\u2014Jean-Pierre Pinson, \u201cLe plain-chant de la Nouvelle-France,\u201d in La vie musicale en Nouvelle-France by \u00c9lisabeth Gallat-Morin and Jean-Pierre Pinson (Sillery, Quebec : Les \u00e9ditions du Septentrion, 2003, p. 188).<\/p>\n

“Messe Bordelaise”<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Images 17 and 18 (Click on images to enlarge<\/em>)<\/p>\n

\u201cMesse Bordelaise\u201d in Graduel romain \u00e0 l\u2019usage du dioc\u00e8se de Qu\u00e9bec (Qu\u00e9bec: John Neilson, 1800). Library and Archives Canada. MusRare M2148 L4 1800.<\/p>\n

Extremely popular in Quebec until the early 20th century, the Messe Bordelaise is no doubt a perfect example of the kind of plainchant written in the mid-18th century: a combination of strict and more \u201ctheatrical\u201d chant. This Messe Bourdeloise, as it was sometimes spelled, is taken from the first book of printed notation ever made in Canada.<\/p>\n

Livre d’orgue de Montr\u00e9al<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Images 19 to 24 (Click on images to enlarge<\/em>)<\/p>\n

Le Livre d’orgue de Montr\u00e9al, facsimile (Montreal, Fondation Lionel-Groulx, 1981), p. 507-512. Biblioth\u00e8que et archives nationales du Qu\u00e9bec. Grande Biblioth\u00e8que – Niveau 4-Coll. nation.-Musique – Partitions musicales – 786.5 L7886 1981.<\/p>\n

Kyrie from Messe en mi. The base line of the first Kyrie is borrowed from Henri Du Mont’s Messe Royale du Premier Ton, which was very popular in Nouvelle-France.<\/p>\n

In 1724, a Sulpician cleric from Bourges (France), Jean Girard (1696-1765), arrived in Montreal bearing a 540-page manuscript of organ works. Named the Livre d\u2019orgue de Montr\u00e9al, the manuscript was found to contain the largest extant collection of French organ music from the time of Louis XIV. It is principally composed of Magnificat and Mass organ verses to be performed with plainchant alternatim. With the exception of sixteen pieces that have been attributed to Nicolas Leb\u00e8gue (1630-1702), the works in this manuscript are anonymous.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

CHANT IN COLONIAL CANADA Exhibition designed by Library and Archives Canada for GIC 4th Annual Colloquium, McMaster University, Hamilton (ON), August 13-16 2009 Image 1 (Click on image to enlarge) View of Qu\u00e9bec from the hill on the opposite shore, [1788?]. Library and Archives Canada. Peter Winkworth Collection of Canadiana, R9266-492. Introduction In colonial Canada, … Continue reading Chant in Colonial Canada (Exhibit)<\/span> →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":9,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-188","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gregorian.ca\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/188","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gregorian.ca\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gregorian.ca\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gregorian.ca\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gregorian.ca\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=188"}],"version-history":[{"count":13,"href":"https:\/\/www.gregorian.ca\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/188\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":226,"href":"https:\/\/www.gregorian.ca\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/188\/revisions\/226"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gregorian.ca\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/9"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gregorian.ca\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=188"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}