HE CHOIR HERE in Los Angeles usually sings the Gradual to a mode VIII psalm tone, mixing it with a polyphonic “Alleluia.” Below is a sumptuous setting by Francisco Guerrero (d. 1599), a marvelous composer who lived a very interesting life:
* * PDF Download • “ALLELUIA” for the Blessed Virgin (Guerrero)
When Guerrero was alive, the Gradual & Alleluia may have been sung in plainsong, but I suspect many Cathedrals also employed falsobordone, as they did for breviary psalm verses. The Alleluia in that video originally had a different text. 1
REHEARSAL VIDEOS :
NOTES FROM THIS ARTICLE:
1 When the text is changed, it’s called “contrafactum.”
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