The Oratorian plainchant : an example of the reform of the ecclesiastical psalmody. From the Brevis Psalmodiae Ratio (1634) of François Bourgoing to the 18th century parisian plainchant oratorians songs

In 1634, Marin Mersenne greets the Brevis Psalmodiae Ratio, writed by the Father François Bourgoing, as an "ars nova & exacta Psalmodiae canandae". Conceived to endow the Society of the Oratory of Jesus of the cardinal Pierre de Bérulle its own musical identity, this theoretical and practical treaty is part of an ecclesiastical reform project. Thus, the thoughts of the Father Bourgoing applied to codify the repertoire of the Oratorians and to contribute to the renewal of the ecclesiastical singing. I propose a reflection on Oratorian cantoral art. First, I will dwell on the place occupied by the Brevis Psalmodiae Ratio at the beginning of the 17th Century. This first point will highlight the musical rhetoric of this treaty. Then, I will focus on the impact of the psalmodic principles on the liturgy developed in the house of the Oratory of Paris in the 18th Century. Finally, I will examine the influence and legacy of this treaty on the musical practice of the Berullians located in the County of Hainaut in the 18th Century. Their choir books are witnesses of a close link between the conventual oratorian houses from the Hainaut and the Kingdom of France. Through this paper, I hope to make you consider under a new day the nickname of "pères au beau chant", granted to the Oratorians.