The North French Kyrie Chant

The Kyrie chant is an important type of medieval§ecclesiastical song distinct from and also somewhat§younger than, the songs in the Gregorian repertory.§Kyrie melodies are first notated in manuscripts from§the tenth century. This book aims to expand§and differentiate our view on melodic and formal§particulars for the Kyrie chant. In the first part,§the early Kyries in north French manuscripts are§examined. Then the north French repertory is§compared to corresponding repertories from other§geographical areas. By comparing the north French§Kyrie repertory to the Aquitanian Kyrie repertory,§the author succeeds in giving an overview of the§Kyrie chants in the west Frankish area. Also, the§concluding discussions on a small group of Kyrie§chants found in early west Frankish and east Frankish§manuscripts, result in findings that further§substantiate a new perspective on the Kyrie chant.§The book incorporates a detailed musical study,§studies of chant transmission and a transcription of§each melody in the north French repertory and will§be of interest to scholars of medieval musicology as§well as chant scholars and readers who wish to§appreciate, or perform, the Kyrie chants.