Regular psalm tones Reciting tones occur in several parts of the
Roman Rite. These include the
accentus prayers and lessons chanted by the deacons or priests such as the
Collect,
Epistle,
Gospel,
Secret,
Preface,
Canon, and
Postcommunion, as well as such regular texts as the
Pater noster,
Te Deum, and the
Gloria in excelsis Deo. They are also sung in versicles and responds such as the
Dominus vobiscum ("The Lord be with you") of the officiant followed by the
Et cum spiritu tuo ("and with your spirit") of the choir. Some tones, presumably from the earliest layers of chant, such as the Collect, Pater noster, and Postcommunion for
Easter, consist of just two notes, often a reciting tone on A or G, with inflected notes one pitch below on G or F. Other tones, from later in the medieval period, usually recited on a C or F, inflecting down to the two notes below, such as the Epistle for Easter. More complex patterns were used for the psalm tones, which are employed in the chanting of the
Psalms and related canticles in the daily
Offices. There are eight psalm tones, one for each
musical mode, designed so that the
antiphon that is sung between psalm verses transitions smoothly into the psalm tone. Each psalm tone has a formulaic
intonation,
mediant (or
mediation), and
termination (or
ending). The
intonation defines the notes for the first two or three syllables, with subsequent words sung on the reciting tone. Because of the parallel structure typical of the Psalms, psalm verses divide into two roughly equal parts; the end of the first part is indicated by the
mediant, a slight bending of notes above and below the reciting tone. For longer phrases, the first part is itself divided into two parts, with the division indicated by the
flexa, on which the accented syllable is sung on the reciting tone that preceded it, and the following unaccented syllable is sung a whole tone or a minor third lower (depending on the psalm tone), before returning to the reciting tone until the mediant. After the mediant, the second part of the psalm verse is sung on the reciting tone until the last few words, which are sung to a
cadential formula called the
termination. Several of the psalm tones have two or three possible terminations, to allow for a smoother return to the following repeat of the antiphon. Two sets of tones are used for the "
Magnificat", the canticle of
Vespers, and the "
Benedictus", the canticle of
Lauds: simple tones, which are very close to the standard psalm tones, and solemn tones, which are more ornate and used on the more important feasts. The psalm verse and "
Gloria Patri" (
doxology) which are sung as part of the
Introit (and optionally the
Communion antiphon) of the Mass and of the greater responsories of the
Office of Readings (Matins) and the reformed offices of Lauds and Vespers are also sung to similar sets of reciting tones that depend on the musical mode.
Tonus peregrinus In addition to the eight psalm tones associated with the eight musical modes, there is a ninth psalm tone called the
tonus peregrinus, or "wandering tone", which uses a reciting tone of A for the first part of the psalm verse and a G for the second half. Although rarely used, it is not unique; early sources refer to tones called
parapteres, which, like the tonus peregrinus, have different reciting tones in their first and second halves. ==Reciting tones in other chant traditions==