Chant, Liturgy, and the Inheritance of Rome: Essays in Honour of Joseph Dyer ed. by Daniel J. DiCenso and Rebecca Maloy

Abstract

Reviewed by: Chant, Liturgy, and the Inheritance of Rome: Essays in Honour of Joseph Dyer ed. by Daniel J. DiCenso and Rebecca Maloy Uwe Michael Lang Daniel J. DiCenso and Rebecca Maloy, ed. Chant, Liturgy, and the Inheritance of Rome: Essays in Honour of Joseph Dyer Henry Bradshaw Society, Subsidia VIII Woodbridge: The Boydell Press, 2017 xxiv + 572 pages. Hardbound. £60.00. This substantial collection of scholarly essays honors Joseph Dyer, an eminent musicologist (and distinguished organist) whose publications on chant and musical practice are widely recognized as landmarks in the study of the history of Roman liturgy. Dyer's work is distinguished for placing the foundational musical traditions of early medieval Rome into their ritual and spatial contexts, for instance, in his seminal papers on the processions for Candlemas and the Major Litany (litaniae maiores). Following in the steps of Dyer's scholarship, this volume focuses on the city of Rome and highlights its wider impact on Western liturgy. A brief review cannot offer a complete appreciation of this impressive book, and I shall limit myself to those contributions that have caught my particular attention. The first and longest section, "Medieval Rome and Ancient Rites," offers studies on the ritual performance of the Mass and the Divine Office in their urban settings. Charles M. Atkinson illuminates the history of the Doxa en ipsisis Theo (Gloria in excelsis Deo) in the Roman Ordinary of the Mass sung in Greek, which had an enduring presence in the abbey of Saint Denis near Paris well into the twelfth century. The historical role of Old Saint [End Page 302] Peter's as an expression of papal authority in the late ancient and early medieval period are analyzed by Charles B. McClendon. The articles on specific aspects of the Roman liturgy exemplify the complexity of the extant sources that call for a multi-disciplinary inquiry, including architecture, topography and social history. The second section, "The Liturgies of Italy," considers Rome's interaction with, an influence on, other liturgical traditions on the Italian peninsula. The third section "Books, Sources, and Reform in the Wake of Rome," explores the adaptation and transformation of Roman liturgy and chant in the Carolingian reform. The final section, "Roman Foundations: Later Liturgical Developments," widens the scope and takes us beyond the city of Rome. Susan Boynton reads Cluniac identity as mirrored in liturgical practice: the important abbey understood itself as an anticipation of the heavenly Jerusalem. In a spirited essay, Christopher Page reflects on how liturgical chant brings Scripture to life and has a profound spiritual effect on singers and listeners alike. Though different in tone, William Mahrt complements Page by showing how Gregorian chants interpret their biblical text through a supple use of melodic tropes. The editors, Daniel J. DiCenso and Rebecca Maloy, are to be commended for their thorough labors. Individual articles contain illustrations, tables, and music examples. The volume is well provided with an index of chant incipits, an index of manuscripts, and a general index. The depth of the scholarly contributions assembled in tribute to Joseph Dyer appeals above all to specialists in musicology, but any researcher in the broad field of medieval history will gather precious insights into the varied and enduring legacy of the Roman liturgy. [End Page 303] Uwe Michael Lang St Mary's University Twickenham, London, UK Copyright © 2018 Society for Catholic Liturgy