MeaneVoiceResearchPieces
“Itwasthemeanevoicewhichwasthenormalhighestvoiceofthechoir,though
usuallyratherhigherincompassthanthesixteenth-centurymeane;thesetwo
distinctvoicesofthesamenamearedescribedbyMorleyasthehighmeaneand
thelowmeanerespectively”.(Wulstan,1966-67).
IHighMeanes
MeaneVerse,ByrdSecondService
ByrdFirstResponses,(sungasemitonelowerthanprinted)
Byrd:OMakeThyServantElizabeth
Taverner:SanctusfromMeaneMass,transposedupwards
Taverner:SanctusfromMeaneMass,originalpitch
IILowMeanes
Meanepart,Fayrfax5partMagnificat,1525.RangeG3-A4
Meanepart,Lambe,5partMagnificatcirca1500RangeE3-A4.
“Atleastatthestartofthenineteenthcentury,thequestionofwhosangaltoin
thesechoirswaslargelyacademic:inmostchoirstheanswerwasevidently
anybodybyanymeans.”(Ravens,204:173).
“ForthisvoiceourcomposersoftheEnglishcathedralschoolwrote,carryingthe
partmuchlowerthantheywouldhavedoneiftheyhadbeenwritingforwomen
orboy-singers”(Curwen1891:78).
WesleyAscribeUntotheLordAlto(+TB)recitative