On April 1, 1972, Schola Antiqua gave its first concert at the Metropolitan Museum of Art–The Cloisters; it included the Mass Propers for Easter Sunday, newly transcribed from Manuscript Laon 239, c. 930. And now it celebrates its 50th Anniversary by publishing a 503-page book,

—which may be freely downloaded in PDF by clicking on that title.

Once during each week between 1978 and 1985, a few of us sang the Sunday Propers at Masses in one or two New York City churches. Usually there was just a week to transcribe the chants, relying mainly on Laon 239 for rhythm and the 12th-century MS Graz 807 for melodic pitches. Our book contains copies of all the informal music scores from which we sang, over 400 chants with music ranging from good to sublime. The notation was based on the typical modern notation of medieval neumes, except that long notes were made black and short notes made white—in 2:1 proportion, with the long being the ordinary length, rather like today’s quarter-note. Further notational details are given throughout the book.

The ancient presence of proportional rhythm in chant is witnessed in the writings of 10th–11th century theorists—monastics who lived the chant—and in the physical shapes of the neumes, particularly as they are written in MS Laon 239. But the need for proportional rhythm also lies in the nature of song itself, as discussed on pages 14–15. The Schola has discovered itself to be part of a reforming of chant rhythm that’s been going on for well over a century, and it has found welcome guidance in the writings of Jan Vollaerts, S.J. and Dom Gregory Murray (see Bibliography, pages 486 and 488–496).

This Laon 239, though conceived as a book, is published over the internet, and readers are welcome to copy the whole or its pages, freely for use with the Schola credited. You may find that the Table of Contents on pages 6–7 is an essential key to the many pages of music in score. Please be so kind as to share this website with anyone you think might be interested in the Gregorian Chant.

An earlier booklet on the same subject, extending its thoughts into the 12th-century, is

—which also may be freely downloaded in PDF by clicking on its lengthy title. It includes in score six early hymns in regular syllabic rhythms, three Mass Propers, six fine pieces of early medieval polyphony in various rhythms, and two complete 12th-century liturgical music-dramas. Many of these are illustrated in MP3 audio the tracks of which can be heard here.   You may download a zip file containing all of the audio tracks by clicking here.

The name “Ancient School” harkens in hope to some ageless philosophia perennis wherein an angry Herakleitos, the conversing dreamers on Athens’ hills, a young outrageous Hebrew ethics teacher, a seventh-century notable body of chants, the Hölderlin-Hegel Idealism in Tübingen, Dada’s Cabaret Voltaire in Zürich, and our own still-burgeoning Democracy—all in the West—shall get along deeply and beautifully with one another.

That School would also include the 12th-century Hildegard von Bingen, who added to medieval song the voice of a woman who sang, composed, taught, wrote, and scolded emperor and pontiff alike. One of the signatories to Schola Antiqua Inc, Barbara Lachman, finished in 1991 an historical novel called Tagbuch Entries of Hildegard von Bingen, Advent I 1151–1179, which can be downloaded in PDF by clicking on its trade-book title,

In 1980 she had written this article: Five Liturgical Songs by Hildegard von Bingen (1098–1179).

Skipping to the beginnings of Romanticism, Barbara wrote also freely downloadable

an historical novel about life with Catherine’s William, the ancient-school’d man of futurity.

An embodiment of such a School today may be found at La Casa del Libro, in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico. It was founded in 1956 by Elmer Adler and Governor Muñoz Marin to serve the Island in its “Operation Bootstrap.” Adler was a bibliophile of consummate good taste, and his library-museum became world-class through acquisitions by him and his protegé, David Jackson McWilliams. From 1988 to 1992 John Blackley and Barbara found themselves as co-directors, following Jack. Their time there produced two freely downloadable and highly pictorial PDF books,

(Since 2016, La Casa del Libro has thrived independently under a new director, a humanist, Karen Cana-Cruz.)

The website closes with a brief downloadable essay by John, In Days’ Dreaming.

Contacts...

by post: Schola Antiqua, 407 Spring Valley Road, Lexington, Virginia 24450
by email: rjohnblackley@gmail.com; barbaralachman82@gmail.com
by telephone: 540-464-1195