The responsory: Type and modulation

The responsory — a genre originated in early period of Gregorian chant, but also increasing in number until the end of the Middle Ages — is expected as transmitted in a rather stable melodic shape. The paper lists and analyses, however, 27 items with more than one melody and with variants in a wide scope of modes. In addition, 15 tunes are listed that has been adapted as contrafacta (and not as a model-melody) to new texts. These latter include not only parts of saints’ offices but also items belonging to the temporale part of the office