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In the Milan diocese, and in some other areas of Lombardy and the Canton of Ticino, Mass and the divine office are celebrated following the Ambrosian, or more appropriately the Milanese, ritual. The Milanese liturgy corresponds to a musical repertory, also called ‘Ambrosian’ or ‘Milanese’ chant (in the same manner that the Gregorian chant is for Roman liturgy), the oldest known musical sources of which date back to the 12^th century. Naturally, the rigorous practice of the official liturgy repertory is and was possible only where scholae of specialised singers existed. In the smaller rural and mountain parishes, the chant was entrusted to the community itself; the repertory of musical formulas and melodies were placed alongside a basic nucleus of simple Ambrosian melodies, which allowed the communities to chant the texts of the liturgical prayer.
The ‘official’ melodies were enculturated, which adapted them to the singing method and sensitivity of popular music; the others were new compositions, more modern, suitable for being learned easily, and they were re-elaborated and represented in the typical modes of popular music. It should be highlighted that the survey on the relationship between written and unwritten repertories is very delicate and complex, also because the same official chant, even though copied in the song books, was practiced referring more to habit than adhering strictly to written models (so much so that the Ambrosian antiphonary was never printed before the 20^th century and therefore no official reference book existed, unless for minor parts of the repertory such as hymns).
The popular creative relationship outside performing methods is even more complex to evaluate: different proof confirms that whoever had an attitude for and familiarity with singing could, in an impromptu manner, propose simple melodic forms for toning repetitive texts such as litanies. In general, however, we use the word ‘popular’ to indicate both music that was practiced widely, and music that was transmitted and sung in a manner similar to popular profane music.
It is clear that the repertory was stratified during the centuries following the ‘tradition and renewal’ process, which has always characterised the organic development of liturgy and its music until the post-conciliar ‘revolution’; what today can be documented as the last stage, namely what existed at the moment when the new liturgy created after the Second Vatican Council was applied, ended the traditional liturgical chant. There are, however, cases in which the comparison between older written proof and modern recordings makes it possible to look back to epochs with no musical documentation. The librettos that organ players wrote themselves for their own use, noting the popular tones they had to accompany, are precious written sources: they give us information on popular liturgical chants in the epoch prior to the oldest sound recordings.
Liturgical chants were learned and transmitted by tradition, but a precise system governed the procedure. To start chanting one’s own texts (those that changed at each celebration), simple standard formulas were used, characterised by a psalmody-type structure, and as such easily adaptable to any text. Ordinary texts (those that did not change or were frequently repeated) received a richer, more elaborate musical guise.
At the current state, we note that the repertory is a merge of: a) Ambrosian melodies; b) recent tones for psalms and canticles; c) cantus fractus melodies from various epochs; d) more recent songwriter compositions.
Popular Ambrosian melodies have melodic variants, abbreviations of melismata and their redistribution on the stressed syllables of the text, a common phenomenon of many hand-written texts, especially subsequent to the Council of Trent epoch; this opens interesting research scenarios on the relationship between oral and written sources, but with the cautions already mentioned.
Of great interest are the pieces that can be classified as cantus fractus. The cantus fractus is a type of liturgical song written in a rhythmic-proportional notation, the first examples of which date back to the late Middle Ages and continue until the modern age. The style changes according to the epochs; what remains constant is the simplicity of writing and execution, which makes it suitable for being sung by non-professional singers and even by the people (for example in Gurro, Val Cannobina, the whole town still sings the Messone, an ordinary of the Mass, completely in cantus fractus).

The pieces that can be classified as cantus fractus are of great interest. Cantus fractus is a type of liturgical singing written in rhythmic-proportional notation, the first examples of which date back to the late Middle Ages, and reaching up to the modern age. The style changes according to the epochs; what remains is constant and the writing and execution simplicity which makes it suitable for being sung by non-professional singers and even by the community (for example in Gurro, Val Cannobina, the whole town still sings the Messone, an ordinary of the Mass, completely in cantus fractus). In the Ambrosian area it diffused with elementary rhythmic forms; it often requires a second voice that proceeds in parallel with major third, just like the spontaneous multiple voices of the Alps. Just like a true boundary repertory, a trait d’union between ‘cultured’ and popular music, between oral and written, is configured here in this manner.
The hymns can use the official melody or a new melody in cantus fractus; in the first case, rhythm is almost always added, as can be heard also in the printed tradition from the 16^th century.
A song is seldom identical in every part. The same melody can be present in different centres, but with variants that make it a unicum; the songs are therefore perceived as "belonging to" each individual community and become an identity factor. The variants normally involve improvements, with similar logic, of the Gregorian and Ambrosian manuscripts (manuscripts which not by chance, as already said, reflect the multiplicity of local traditions as opposed to a single model).
When being performed, the typical characteristics are the open and auditory emission and the continuing multiple voices for thirds. The latter was not pertinent to small groups: anyone who took part in singing was placed spontaneously in the vocal range that was most suitable to give life to second and third voices.

Traditional liturgical singing is a chapter in the history of music that is normally not present in subject manuals or in the placement of liturgical music considered in the history of liturgy. The result is a strongly deformed perspective, given that it takes as standard the activity of the great institutions, which are 'extraordinary' by their very nature, and religious law. On the contrary, it is ‘popular’ liturgical chanting that for centuries established the sound panorama that was more familiar to the majority of the population in the context of religious practice.
The same is true for participation in the liturgy, in particular in community chanting. The common idea that before the Second Vatican Council the catholic communities were only mute spectators of the ritual and excluded from celebration and chanting is widespread; in truth participation in chanting was choral and participation in the liturgy had different methods than those of today, based above all on the literal understanding of words.
It should be specified that in the Ambrosian area, liturgical singing had never been the exclusive pertinence of the confraternities, but of the community, played essentially between the priest and the population. Naturally, there were singers, positioned as a rule in the presbytery, who started singing and took on their own pieces. The singing was, however, fundamentally the duty of the community.

Research has brought to light a conspicuous number of hand-written liturgical-musical sources that had never been evidenced or catalogued previously: the most consistent remainders are found in the library in the Basilica of St. Joseph in Seregno (Monza e Briana) and Cannobio (Verona). In the Parish of Introbio (Lecco) a volume of liturgical songs was discovered, with the music written as it was played at the start of the 20^th century. Finally, rare cases of epoch recordings should be mentioned, such as an LP recorded in 1984 at Carugate (Brianza) with a wide range of pieces that return the ‘sound’ of a community that sings; some pieces are accompanied by a band, as proof of a practice that was once quite spread.

The choirs of some dioceses and spontaneous choir groups have gone back to or re-learned the melodies of the liturgical repertory of the Ambrosian ritual. In some cases ex novo groups have been created, such as at Sartirana in Merate or at Casletto in Rogeno, made up of both older representatives and local young people. These choirs are today called to sing during celebrations in traditional rituals, even outside the area they live in, and they even sing the songs from the new liturgy, returning them to use.
The main choral groups are:
Choir of the parish of St. George in Dorio
Spontaneous singing group from Premana, conventionally labelled as Cantà Promàn
Spontaneous cantors of Sartirana in Merate, director Elena Redaelli
Choir of the parish of Saints Gervasius and Protasius in Cortenova, director Pietro Ossola
Choir of the parish of St. Bartholomew in Margano
Saint Cecilia Choir of Imberido, director Pasquale Frigerio
Choir of the parish of St. Lawrence in Vendrogno

Learning was spontaneous by imitation, attending the church and the various functions that marked the liturgical year; in the post-committee period liturgical practice ended almost entirely during the Mass, while previously there was a much wider range of ritual occasions that involved the population (Vespers, Compline, processions, moments of community prayer such as the Rosary and so on). Following the controversial manners of realising and above all applying the liturgical reforms created by the Second Vatican Council, vulgar language was introduced to the liturgical celebrations and Latin was excluded almost completely even in singing; in addition, the new liturgy had greatly changed the texts and structures of the previous form. This caused the forced deferment of the already-existing popular repertory which, if not documented and excluding the occasional survival of some pieces, is today limited to the memory of a few elderly people, and as such close to disappearing. An exception is the case of the parish of St. George in Dorio where, thanks to a dedicated parish priest, the Office of the Blessed Virgin continues being sung with the traditional texts and melodies.

The Associazione Res Musica Centro ricerca e promozione musicale (Res Musica Association Musical research and promotion centre) (Lecco) organises celebrations and concerts to promote the Ambrosian liturgical ritual repertory. It collects documents on liturgical songs and improves the liturgical ceremonies that were their context. For this purpose, the local choirs had to return to or re-learn the melodies; in some cases even ex novo groups were formed.

Traditional liturgical singing in Lombardy in the Ambrosian ritual areas is part of the R.E.I.L. (Intangible Heritage Register of Lombardy), a protect for improving, protecting and promoting the intangible works, traditional knowledge and customs of the Lombardy Region.

• Genere: Atti di congresso
  Titolo: Il canto liturgico di tradizione orale nella diocesi ambrosiana. Primi risultati di un’indagine in corso.
  Autore: Rusconi Angelo
  Editore: Fondazione Levi
  Anno:
• Genere: monografia
  Titolo: Premana. Ricerca su una comunità artigiana
  Autori: Bertolotti Guido / Melli Isa / Minervini Enzo / Sanga Glauco / Sassu Pietro / Sordi Italo
  Editore: Silvana Editoriale d'Arte
  Anno: 1979
• Genere: saggio
  Titolo: I vespri di tradizione orale a Premana
  Autore: Rusconi Angelo
  Editore: Fondazione Levi
  Anno: 2014