Die Kyrieorgana von Winchester

In his studies on the organa of Winchester, Stefan Häussler examines the oldest surviving large-scale chant series in which the polyphonic performance of the chorale was recorded in writing. This took place in the 11th century. Neumes were used, i.e. a notation method that works quite differently from the musical notation used today. Much is largely unknown: Who recorded the organa and why? Who sang the chorale in a way that could fit the notation; who started and who stopped? However, a great deal of information from various areas can be collected, organized and interpreted, making it possible to approach the organa from different perspectives. It is possible to arrive at plausible sound sequences according to which the organa could be recreated and performed today. 11 of the 12 kyrie organas are presented in this work as two-part vocal pieces on staves. In addition to these practical concerns, conclusions can be drawn that see concepts realized in the organa that point beyond polyphony in the narrower sense. They help to understand decisive steps in the history of European music, which have to do more generally with the questions of how sounds were organized, what was written down, how this happened and how what was written and what was made to sound changed over the course of time.

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