A Dictionary of Music and Musicians/Perielesis

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A Dictionary of Music and Musicians
edited by George Grove
Perielesis
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​PERIELESIS (Gr. περιείλησις, a convolution). A long, and sometimes extremely elaborate form of Ligature, sung towards the close of a Plain Chaunt Melody. It differs from the Pneuma in that it is always sung to a definite syllable; whereas the very essence of the Pneuma lies in its adaptation to an inarticulate sound. Like the Cadenza in modern music, the Perielesis generally makes its appearance in connection with the penultimate or antepenultimate syllable of a final phrase: but it is not absolutely necessary that the phrase should be a final one, or that the entrance of the Perielesis should be deferred until its conclusion.

The Melody of 'Æterna Christi munera' exhibits a fine example of an antepenultimate Perielesis, in the 1st and 4th lines, and an equally effective one on the final syllable of the 3rd line.

{ \override Score.TimeSignature #'stencil = ##f \relative g' { \override Score.Stem #'stencil = ##f \cadenzaOn g1^"Mode VII." g a b\breve g1 a\[ b c b a\breve\] g4 g1 \bar "|" g b c d e\breve d1( b) c d \bar "|" d d d e d c b a\[ b c b a\breve g1\] \bar "|" g g a b\breve g1 a\[ b c b a\breve\] g4 g1 \bar "||" } }


A more elaborate form furnishes the distinguishing characteristic of 'Ite missa est' and 'Benedicamus Domino,' and is found, in the ​former case, on the first syllable, as well as on that before the antepenultimate.

{ \override Score.TimeSignature #'stencil = ##f \key f \major \relative f'' { \cadenzaOn f1_( e\breve c1 d c\breve a1 bes c) c\breve^( \bar "|" c g1 a g f d' c\breve a1 bes c c\breve c g1 a g f \bar "|" f g a bes a g) \bar "|" a g g( f) \bar "||" } \addlyrics { I -- te -- mis -- sa est. } }
{ \override Score.TimeSignature #'stencil = ##f \override Score.Stem #'stencil = ##f \key f \major \relative a' { \cadenzaOn a1( bes) a\breve g4 a\breve d, \bar "|" f( g1 a bes a g e f e d) d4 c\breve( d) \bar "||" } \addlyrics { Be -- ne -- di -- ca -- mus Do -- mi -- no. } }


The Perielesis may consist either entirely of notes of equal length, or of an intermixture of Longs, Breves, and Semibreves. In the former case, it is not always necessary to sing all the notes with exact equality of duration. In the latter, the Long must always be made longer than the Breve, and the Breve longer than the Semibreve; but it is neither necessary nor desirable that the notes should be sung in the strict proportion demanded by the laws of Measured Music.

A good example of Perielesis, where we should hardly look for it, is in a well-known passage in Mr. Sullivan's 'H.M.S. Pinafore':—

{ \override Score.TimeSignature #'stencil = ##f \time 4/4 \key d \major \clef bass \partial 2 { a4. g8 fis([ e)] fis([ g)] a([ b a g] | fis e fis d e4.) d8 | d2 } \addlyrics { he re -- mains an Eng -- lish -- man. } }
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