Die römische Choralreform in der Folge des Trienter Konzils und die Editio Medicaea 1614/15

The Roman choral reform in the wake of the Council of Trent is one of the great reforms in the history of monophonic liturgical chant in the Latin Church. In the period around 1600, the melodies of the Gregorian chant were transformed, with the humanistic ideal of the sounding word being applied to the melodies. The chants were shortened and changed in their emphasis structure as well as in their modality. The reform found expression in the Editio Medicaea compiled by Felice Anerio and Francesco Soriano and published in print in 1614/15. Using a large number of historical documents, this study traces the history of the reform. The reformed melodies of the Editio Medicaea are compared with the surviving melodies from Roman chorale books around 1570. Extensive melody synopses allow the process of transformation to be understood at a glance and also form the starting point for detailed analyses of the chants. While the Editio Medicaea has so far been considered exemplary for the decline of Gregorian chant, this book attempts to understand and appreciate the reform chant from its time.