ABSTRACT
The origin and dissemination of chants for the feast of Mary Magdalene is a complex matter which, despite a number of admirable studies, still needs a great deal of patient unravelling. The chief stylistic criteria which enable one to place the chants in some sort of music-historical perspective are by now reasonably well known. This chapter demonstrates some ways by which layers of musical style may be differentiated in offices composed in the eleventh and twelfth centuries, taking a selection of Mary Magdalene pieces as a suitable basis. Although several of the antiphons range through the full modal octave, they do not generally emphasize the key notes. The antiphons are restricted in range and only half of them use the Gallican cadence. On the other hand, the responsories do not have the traditional verse tones, all except those in the F-modes use the Gallican cadence and most exploit the full modal octave range.
