Viderunt Omnes
| "Viderunt Omnes" | |
|---|---|
| Gregorian chant | |
| Language | Latin |
| Length | 2:20 (approx.) |
| Composer(s) | Perotin |
| Lyricist(s) | Unknown; notable variations composed by Léonin, Pérotin and Adam de la Halle. |
"Viderunt Omnes" is a traditional Gregorian chant of the 11th century. The work is based on an ancient gradual of the same title.
The chant was subsequently expanded upon by composers of the Notre Dame school who developed it as type of early polyphony known as organum. Thought to be written for Christmas, the polyphonic settings would have retained the same liturgical purpose as the original gradual, while being musically enhanced for the festivities. The cantus firmus, or tenor, "holds" the original chant, while the other parts develop complex melismas on the vowels. The various settings of Viderunt Omnes provide context for specific trends in medieval music.
The text describes God's oversight of the Earth, an especially symbolic message given the musical unity that the composition came to represent.
Léonin's two part version of Viderunt Omnes was written about 1160 (the composer's dates are fl. 1150s — d. ? 1201). In his variation, the bottom voice sings the familiar chant as a drone while the top voice echoes in rich polyphony—a symbol of religious unity; a form of communal togetherness. As a theorist, Léonin developed complex sets of rhythmic modes and patterns that could only be written with a certain styling of ligatures. Due in large part to the development of mensural notation, his vision became common practice, allowing for discant and clausula.
Pérotin's four-part version of Viderunt, one of the few existing examples of Organum Quadruplum, may have been written for the Feast of the Circumcision in 1198. We know that at this time Eudes de Sully, bishop of Paris, was promoting the use of polyphony.
The melismas in particular are especially diminuted, rendering the text virtually incomprehensible. While only solo sections are polyphonic, the organum remains clear when juxtaposed with the traditional, monophonic choir chant.
...
Wikipedia