An antiphonary of the Venetian school, dating back to the early fifteenth century and showing a style of musical notation that emerged in the ninth century. How Bede would have chanted in the 680s must remain a mystery. The chant of the Roman Church in his day remains obscure, and to complicate things further St Benedict Biscop, founder of Bede’s monastery, brought home art and music coloured by Rome’s fascination (as never before or since) with the glorious Agia Sophia cathedral in Constantinople: see How Benedict Biscop brought Byzantium to Britain. The traditions of English chant were stamped out by French abbots, following the Norman Conquest in 1066: see Forgotten Melodies. However, we can be fairly sure that apart from a few squiggles Ceolfrid’s ‘little lad’ would have had to learn to chant by ear.
Introduction
At the age of seven, St Bede was sent to the recently-opened monastery of St Paul at Jarrow to complete his education under Abbot Ceolfrid (a great man who sadly died in 716 on a journey to Rome to present a magnificent copy of the Bible to the Pope). The events in this touching reminiscence took place during an outbreak of the plague in 686, when Bede was about thirteen.
IN the monastery over which Ceolfrid presided, all who could read or preach or recite the antiphons and responses* were swept away [by the plague],* except the abbot himself and one little lad nourished and taught by him, who is now a priest of the same monastery, and both by word of mouth and by writing commends to all who wish to know them the abbot’s worthy deeds.*
And the abbot, sad at heart because of this visitation,* ordained that, contrary to their former rite, they should, except at vespers and matins, recite their psalms without antiphons. And when this had been done with many tears and lamentations on his part for the space of a week, he could not bear it any longer, but deemed that the psalms, with their antiphons, should be restored according to the order of the regular course; and all assisting, by means of himself and the aforesaid boy he carried out with no little labour that which he had decreed, until he could either himself train or procure from elsewhere men able to take part in the divine service.
From ‘The Venerable Bede, his Life and Writings’ (1919) by George Forrest Browne (1833-1930). The translation is by Dr Plummer.
* Antiphons and Responses are short texts that vary with the day of the year, giving a fresh and seasonal dimension to whichever hymn or psalm they accompany. They are kept in their own separate books, and finding the right words and singing them to the right music requires specialist knowledge and skill. The monastery in Jarrow was fortunate in that at the foundation of the sister-house in Monkwearmouth a few miles to the south, St Benedict Biscop had been able to secure the services of monk John, probably originally from the Eastern churches and lately arch-chanter at St Peter’s Basilica in Rome, a musician of long experience and wide learning.
* ‘Yellow plague’ spread rapidly over the British Isles from 664, sparing only some parts of what is now Scotland (a mercy which St Adomnán attributed to the intercession of St Columba, Abbot of Iona from 563-597). In 541 a pandemic of plague struck Constantinople and the Mediterranean during the reign of Justinian I (r. 527–565), and spread from there to break out sporadically across Europe over the next two hundred years (541-767).
* A heavy hint as to the boy’s identity. The passage occurs in Bede’s Lives of the First Five Abbots of Wearmouth and Jarrow, in which he lovingly chronicled the contributions to the evengelisation of Northumbria made by the Abbots of the twin monasteries of St Peter at Monkwearmouth and St Paul at Jarrow: Benedict, Ceolfrid, Eosterwine, Sigfrid, and Huetbert.
* The word ‘visitation’ is often used in the Scriptures to mean a punishment, especially by a disease (as here) or a hostile invasion, for a people that has become wicked and in the words of Hosea 9:7 ‘gone a whoring from thy God’. But see also Wisdom 1:12-16, where the author reminds us that ‘God made not death: neither hath he pleasure in the destruction of the living ... Ungodly men with their works and words called it to them: for when they thought to have it their friend, they consumed to nought [i.e. they wasted away], and made a covenant with it, because they are worthy to take part with it’. Sadly, the ungodly unleash forces that also take away the innocent.
Questions for Critics
1. What is the author aiming to achieve in writing this?
2. Note any words, devices or turns of phrase that strike you. How do they help the author communicate his ideas more effectively?
3. What impression does this passage make on you? How might you put that impression into words?
Based on The English Critic (1939) by NL Clay, drawing on The New Criticism: A Lecture Delivered at Columbia University, March 9, 1910, by J. E. Spingarn, Professor of Comparative Literature in Columbia University, USA.
Précis
(1 / 60 words)
Variations: 1.increase the length of this precis to exactly 5 words. 2.reduce the length of this precis to exactly -5 words. 3.introduce one of the following words into the precis: about, although, because, if, may, ought, until, who.
Archive
Word Games
Spinners Find in Think and Speak
For each group of words, compose a sentence that uses all three. You can use any form of the word: for example, cat → cats, go → went, or quick → quickly, though neigh → neighbour is stretching it a bit.
This exercise uses words found in the accompanying passage.
1 According. Do. Now.
2 Decree. He. Space.
3 Aforesaid. Vesper. Worthy.
Variations: 1. include direct and indirect speech 2. include one or more of these words: although, because, despite, either/or, if, unless, until, when, whether, which, who 3. use negatives (not, isn’t, neither/nor, never, nobody etc.)
Statements, Questions and Commands Find in Think and Speak
Use each word below in a sentence. Try to include at least one statement, one question and one command among your sentences. Note that some verbs make awkward or meaningless words of command, e.g. need, happen.
This exercise uses words found in the accompanying passage.
1 Train. 2 Mouth. 3 Bear. 4 Assist. 5 Part. 6 Write. 7 Read. 8 Man. 9 Service.
Variations: 1. use a minimum of seven words for each sentence 2. include negatives, e.g. isn’t, don’t, never 3. use the words ‘must’ to make commands 4. compose a short dialogue containing all three kinds of sentence: one statement, one question and one command
Subject and Object Find in Think and Speak
Use each word below in two sentences, first as the subject of a verb, and then as the object of a verb. It doesn’t have to be the same verb: some verbs can’t be paired with an object (e.g. arrive, happen), so watch out for these.
This exercise uses words found in the accompanying passage.
1. Read. 2. Man. 3. Mouth. 4. Regular. 5. Response. 6. Wish. 7. Boy. 8. Train. 9. Priest.
Variations: 1.use your noun in the plural (e.g. cat → cats), if possible. 2.give one of your sentences a future aspect (e.g. will, going to). 3.write sentences using negatives such as not, neither, nobody and never.
High Tiles Find in Think and Speak
Make words (three letters or more) from the seven letters showing below, using any letter once only. Each letter carries a score. What is the highest-scoring word you can make?
x
0
Add
Your Words ()
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