TROPOLOGY
66
TROT
Trope of the Blessed Virgin, which is built upon the
penultimate word, inviolata, of the Responsory of the
Assumption; "Gaude, Maria virgo . . . et post partuni
inviolata permansisti. " The syllable la of inviolata
was the bearer of a long mehsma; to this melisma
towards the close of the tenth century in France the
following text was composed:
la. Invio-lata Integra lb. Quie es effecta
et casta fulgida
es, Maria, regis porta.
2a. O mater alma 2b. Suscipe pia
Christi carissima, laudum precamina
3a. Nostra ut pura 3b. Qua; nunc flagitant
pectora devota
sint et corpora. corda et ora,
4a. Tu da per precata 4b. Nobis perpetua dulcisona, frui vita,
5. O benigna,
quae sola inviolata permansisti. Of a similar structure are all the Breviary Tropes or "Verbeta", and they are dovetailed, as shown above, more or less ingeniously, between the penultimate and last word of their Responsory.
The "Tropi Graduales" in their turn are divided into two classes, namely into "Tropi ad Ordinarium Missa;" or to the unchangeable text of the Mass, i.e. to the Kyrie, Gloria, Credo, Sanctus, Agnus Dei, and Itemissaest, and into "Tropi ad PropriumMissarum " or to those parts of the text which change according to the respective feast, i.e. to the Introit, Lesson, Gradual, Offertory, and Communion. This latter class frequently differs from the former also in the ex- ternal structure of its Tropes; and at first it was the most widespread; it might perhaps even claim to be the oldest and most original; but it disappeared at a relatively early date, whereas the "Tropi ad Ordina- rium Missae" still kept their place in hturgy for a considerable time.
History and Significance. — The origin of the Tropes, that is to say of the Gradual Tropes (since the Antiphonal Tropes are evidently of a later date), must almost coincide with that of the Proses or Sequences which are most clo.sely related to them; this would mean that their history begins somewhere in the eighth century. Whether the Trope or the Sequence was the older form is all the more difficult to decide, since the Sequence itself is to a certain degree a kind of Trope. The St. Martial Troper, the oldest one known, of the middle of the tenth cen- tury (Cod. Parisin., 1240), abounds in Tropes to the Introit, Gradual, Offertory, and Communion; in other words it has a great many "Tropi ad Proprium Missarum". In addition it contains thirteen Gloria Tropes, but only two of the Sanctus, and not one of the Kyrie. Comparatively poor in Tropes are the St. Gall Tropers, and this fact alone makes it ex- tremely doubtful whether Tutilo of St. Gall wa3 the inventor of the Tropes. It appears that the Trope, Uke the Sequence, originated in France, where from the tenth century onwnnl it enjoyed great popularity and was most eagerly (•ulti\'ated. From there it soon made its way to England and to Northern Italy, later to Central and Southern Italy, and became wide- spread in all these countries, less so, however, in Germany. It was known there as early as in the ninth century, since Tutilo of St. Gall can rightly be considered a composer of Tropes. It remains a curious fact that in spite of the great number of Tropes no poet can be named who gained distinction as a composer of Tropes. In the thirteenth century this once important branch of literature began to decline and survived almost exclusively in Kyrie Tropes, pai ticularly in France until the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries.
Regarding the poetical contents, the Tropes, with tew exceptions, are of no great value. But this
peculiar poetical production is all the more interest-
ing for the student of Uturgy, and especially great is
its significance in the development of music and
poetry. It is worthy of note that, instead of short
insertions into the lltuigical text, as time went on
several verses, entire stanzas, even a number of
stanzas, were fitted in. The non-essential part
developed into the main work; the liturgical te.xt
withdrew entirely into the background, and was
scarcely even considered as the starting-point. In
this manner the Tropes grew to be independent
cautions, motets, or reUgious folk-songs. Also the
dramatic character, which was quite peculiar to many
Introit Tropes at Christmas and Easter, developed
mere and more luxuriantly until it reached its highest
perfection in larger di-amatic scenes, mystery plays,
and plays of a jjurely religious character. Tropes
finally left the liturgical and the religious ground al-
together, and wandered away from the spiritual to the
profane field of .songs of love, gambling, and drinking.
And for that reason many specimens of leligious as
well as secular poetry of later date can be fully under-
stood only when they are traced back to their source,
the Tropes. The importance from a musical stand-
point of both the Tropes and the Sequences has been
most suitably characterized by Rev. Walter Howard
Frere in his introduction to "The Winchester Troper"
where he says: "For the musician the whole story is
full of interest, for the Tropers practically represent
the sum total of musical advance between the ninth
and the twelfth century. . . . All new developments in
musical composition, failing to gain admission into
the privileged circle of the recognised Gregorian
service-books, were thrown together so as to form an
independent musical collection supplementary to the
official books; and that is e.xactly what a Troper is"
(op. cit., p. vi).
Frere, The Winchester Troper (London, 1894); Wolf, Ueber die Lais (Heidelberg. 1841); Gautier. Les Tropes (Paris, 1886); Reiners, Tropen-Ges&nge u. ihre Melodien (Luxemburg, 1887); Blume and Bannister, Tropi Graduales ad ordinarium Miss(E in Anafecta hymnica, XLVII (Leipzig, 1905); Blume, Tropi Graduales ad Proprium Missarum in Anal, hymn., XLIX (Leipzig, 1906).
Clemens Blume.
Tropology, Scriptur.\l, the theory and practice of interpreting the figurative meaning of Holy Writ. The literal meaning, or God-intended meaning of the words of the Bible, may be either figurative or non- figurative; for instance, in Canticles, the inspired meaning is always figurative. The typical meaning is the inspired meaning of words referring to persons, things, and actions of the Old Testament which are inspired types of persons, things, and actions of the New (cf. Exegesis).
Walter Drum.
Troy, John Thomas, Archbishop of Dublin, b. in the parish of Blanchardstown, near Dublin, 10 IVIay, 1739; d. at Dublin, 11 May, 1823. He belonged to an Anglo-Norman stock, and received his early education at Liffey Street, Dublin, after which, in 1777, he joined the Dominican Order and proceeded to their house of St. Clement, at Rome. Amenable to discipline, diligent in his studies, and gifted with much ability, he made rapid progress, and while yet a student was selected to give lectures in philosophy. Subsequently he pro- fessed theology and canon law, and finally became prior of the convent in 1772. When the Bishop of Ossory died, in 1776, the priests of the diocese rec- ommended one of their number. Father Molloy, to Rome for the vacant see, and the recommendation was endorsed by many of the Irish bishops. But Dr. Tioy, who was hold in high esteem at Rome, had al- ready been appointed Bishop of Ossory. He arrived at Kilkenny in August, and for the next nine years he laboured hard for the spiritual interests of his diocese. They were troubled times. Maddened by excessive