The Eighth-Century Frankish-Roman Communion Cycle

Optical and Acoustic Aura in the Medieval Image: The Golden Retable of the Pentecost at Stavelot

“…This group of communion-responsories are characterized with distinct melodies, reaching beyond pentachordal limits and arched phrases of exceptional scope. (McKinnon 1992;Maiani 1996Maiani , 1998aMaiani , 1998bMaiani , 2000. They are perhaps one of the last genres to be added to the Roman chant tradition in the mid-eighth century before it was exported to the Carolingians (McKinnon 1992;Maiani 2000, 286).…”

“…(McKinnon 1992;Maiani 1996Maiani , 1998aMaiani , 1998bMaiani , 2000. They are perhaps one of the last genres to be added to the Roman chant tradition in the mid-eighth century before it was exported to the Carolingians (McKinnon 1992;Maiani 2000, 286). This diversity in tone and melodic contour sets these responsory-communions apart from the stable and older group of the so-called core communions (which have fixed modal assignments, borrow verses from the psalms, and move in the pentacordal limits) (Maiani 1998b, 1-38).…”

Approaching the Communion Melodies

“…68. On the manuscripts containing Regino's tonary and their editions, see Huglo,Les Tonaires,[71][72][73][74][75][76][77][78][79][80][81][82][83][84][85][86][87][88][89] 69. See Mary Protase LeRoux, "The 'De harmonica institutione' and 'Tonarius' of Regino of Priim" (Ph.D.…”