In preparation
Chant is sung speech. This tutorial will teach ecclesiastical Latin pronunciation and accent so rhythm and phrasing have a solid foundation. If you have not read neumes yet, start with Reading Square Notation.
Planned outline
- Why text comes first — The neumes serve the Latin, not the reverse.
- Ecclesiastical vs. classical Latin — Church pronunciation used in liturgy.
- Vowels — Open, consistent sounds; diphthongs.
- Consonant groups — gn, ti+vowel, sc, ch, th.
- Syllables and elision — How words join across phrase boundaries.
- Word accent (Penultimate Law) — Where stress falls in Latin words.
- How to sing the accent — Light lift, not English thump.
- Matching text to neumes — Melismas, marking accents in your score.
- Common mistakes — Diagnostic table for directors.
- Practice drill — Salve Regina, Kyrie; link to arsis/thesis.
Prerequisites
- Introduction (helpful)
- Reading Square Notation