The use of canticles in liturgical monody goes back to the early Middle Ages when the practice of canonical hours began to be used extensively. The canticles of the Gospel (Benedictus, Magnificat and Nunc dimittis) were successively incorpora- ted into the structure of the canonical hours and became in time the most important chants of the Liturgy of the Hours (Laudes, Vesperae, Completorium).

Some shorter canticles of the Old Testament books were also included in the Divine Office but it was only after the Second Vatican Council that shorter canticles of the New Testament books came into Vespers. They replaced the final (i.e. the third) psalm.

The designation „song" which was used to describe „canticle" in the Polish translation of the revised Liturgy of the Hours appeared to be highly controversial and inadequate. Thus, it was necessery to explain such definitions as: canticle, psalm, hymn, song. Based on the studies it is possible to definitely determine that a return to the original designation (canticle) is necessary and inevitable, in order to avoid confusion in terminology. Benedictus and Magnificat have received the primary thrust of poetic translations of canticles into Polish. In the latter case there are as many as five different Magnificat translations in Polish church song-books; only two versions of the Benedictus have been found. These canticles have a wide liturgical application; their use is not limited to the Divine Office alone.

They have been introduced into the Roman Catholic Order of Mass as the chants after Communion, or as the responsorial psalms, or as the verses sung before Gospel. Some of them have become independent processional chants for Mass, especially the ones intended for Lent. As far as the number of musical settings is concerned, it can be said that the Magnificat canticle seems to be highly favored. Nevertheless the melodies connected to other canticles, including the ones with the texts from „non-Gospel" biblical books, deserve attention as well. The melodies originated either in the Gregorian chant, or in the ecclesiastical songs, or in foreign sources, or, finally, in indigenous pieces of original compositions.

Thus, the repertoire of the New Testament canticles exhibits itself as a rich resource of new chants which have been included in the official liturgy in Poland since the Second Vatican Council. Clearly, further research is required in the aera.

Metodologia di analisi della monodia liturgica

Riassunto

Per monodia liturgica si intendono i canti a una voce che non richiedono accompagnamento strumentale. Nel suo ambito rientrano soprattutto: canto gregoriano, repertorio neo-gregoriano e canti liturgici a una voce in lingue nazionali. I principali metodi di analisi della monodia sono stati adottati dalle science storiche (euristica e metodi indiretti: filologico, geografico, comparativo, induttivo e di riduzione). In medievistica musicologica ha guadagnato importanza il metodo genealogico che serve a determinare la cosiddetta famiglia di manoscritti cio attribuirli ad un circolo geografico e culturale preciso. Oggi un metodo applicato universalmente. Senza dubbio la priorit spetta pertanto al metodo comparativo. Il seguente un metodo basato sull’aspetto modale del canto gregoriano. Esso base sull’analisi dei tipi di scale e dei tipi di melodie. Per questo si concentra sia sui finali delle composizioni che sul sottolineare le cosiddette strutture melodiche, soprattutto iniziali. Nell’ambito dei canti neo-gregoriani non stato ancora elaborato un metodo completo di analisi. Esso basa finora sugli studi relativi al rapporto della melodia verso il testo (uso di melismi, accento dinamico). Nella melodia vengono esaminati gli intervalli, la scioltezza del movimento dei suoni, l`alternanza dei modi autentici e plagali, l’adozione del principio di quinta tonalit (invece dell’attuale tonalit quartale). Le successive analisi della monodia liturgica possono apportare sia una correzione dei metodi attuali, sia un’elaborazione dei metodi di analisi completamente nuovi.