View source for Oriscus

An '''oriscus''' is a type of [[neume]] found in [[gregorian chant]].{{Verifysource|date=January 2016}} <br/>
[[File:OriscusMain.tif]]
It is a single neume, meaning it represents one pitch, unlike a compound neume, representing a sequence of more than one pitch.
It is considered an ornamental neume, like the [[strophicus]], [[quilisma]], [[salicus]], and [[pressus]], but the original meaning of the ornament is unclear. It is usually found added to another neume as an auxiliary note. Some modern chant editions replace the sign with a regular [[Neume|punctum]].
It is found in the chant manuscripts of St. Gall, Northern Spain, Catalonia, Bologna, Breton, England, Metz, and Aquitaine, but not in those of Toledo. Wagner suggested the neume involved intervals of less than a [[semitone]] (i.e. [[microtone]]),<ref>{{cite book|last=Wagner|first=P.|title=Neumenkunde: Paläographie des liturgischen Gesangs|year=1905|location=Fribourg}}</ref> but other scholars dispute this. For Cardine, it implied tension on the following note.<ref>{{cite book|last=Cardine|first=E.|title=Semiologia gregoriana|year=1970|publisher=Solesmes}}</ref>
The name is possibly derived from the Greek ''horos'' "limit" or ''oriskos'' "little hill."
==References==
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[[Category:Musical notation]]