Cheironomyorchironomyis a form ofmusic conducting,typically withchoral musicand choral groups (choirs), where the use of hand gestures directs musical performance. In the modern artform, conductors tend to hoistbatonsfor indicating melodic curves andornaments.
History
editEarly music(vocalchurch music), as far back as the 5th century, required some central direction from a leader in the coordination of singers in their delivery ofmelodiclines of mostly free rhythm. Traced back to early Egyptian performances throughhieroglyphicdocumentation (etchingsin stone depicting a leader employing hand signals to indicatepitchand rhythm details for wind instrument players)[citation needed],this form of conducting seems to predateGuido of Arezzo's designation ofjointsof the fingers for indicating pitches, and seems to have offered more than limited pitch instruction. These early leaders, orcheironomers,though possessing none of the modern conducting skills developed in the 17th century, using a form of choreographed hand signals, adeptly controlled the movement of the melodic lines, producing incredibly well-synchronizedperformances.
Cheironomy, though not a commonly used term in today's reference to conducting, serves, as it did in early music, as the model for the motions necessary to direct some modern music which requires individualized direction to specific players, within lessmetricallystructuredmusical compositions.It is still in use in theliturgyof the Roman Catholic Church (despite a decline of chant in the late twentieth century), of some Middle Eastern sects and in synagogues to direct the singing of liturgical songs (Hebrewsprobably learned cheironomy from Egyptians), and, more rarely, in someancientWestern religions.
TheNew Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicianscomments that the method is particularly developed in traditions lacking a written notation, including Vedic, Byzantine and Roman chants.
Jewish religious cheironomy can also be found asmnemonicsigns in printedHebrewBibles, appearing above, below and amidst the text to be sung, to guide thecantorin his rendition of Biblical readings: seeCantillation.
See also
editExternal links
edit- Neume Notation Project.Louis W. G. Barton.
- Chironomy in the Ancient World