Getting to Know the Psalm Tones: Weeks I and III

Through the course of the Liturgy of Hours, we use a 4 week cycle of Psalms.  Using the Mundelein Psalter, we have two sets of melodies that alternate each week.  This post will have the melodies for Weeks I and III.  (BTW – Ash Wednesday to the following Saturday is considered Week 0 in Lent – the first full week is Week I …the melodies for Weeks II and IV are used during Week 0).  Be sure to visit the Chant Basics with the Pater Noster post if this is all new to you.

Remember, the hollow note is the reciting note …you stay on that note for as many syllables as needed until you encounter the flex  in the verse.

…and just to remind you, here is the solfege scale with the half steps:

do / re / mi / fa / sol / la / ti / do

Try to sing the melodies in solfege:

Weeks I and III:

Psalm 1

do / ti / la / sol … la // fa / la / sol

…You will notice that I placed additional “/” in between notes to correspond with the distance from one note to the next.  This will just be done within these posts to help develop a sense of the relationship between the notes.

Psalm 2

do / ti / la // do … do / ti / la

New Testament Canticle

do // mi //// la …sol / fa // la

Canticle of Mary  (VI f)*

fa / sol – la / la … sol / la //do  ………… la / sol / fa / sol – fa / fa

 

*this melody is actually different from what is provided in the source material, though it is the same tone category (VIf) – feel free to ask me why if you catch me sometime after Vespers.