Conclusit vias meas inimicus: A visigoths response in Gaul

The responsory Conclusit vias meas inimicus is part of Gregorian chant, however it features unusual traits, of which several relate to a Gallican stylistic substratum. A number of music theorists, writing from c. 1100 onwards, reveal that its melody contains two movable degrees at the distance of a fourth, which cannot be notated on a Guidonian staff. Moreover, its text is incoherent, since it depends on a longer version found in Old-Hispanic chant. The complete Hispanic text was sung to a melody of related contour. The inescapable conclusion is that this responsory is a Gallican version of an Old-Hispanic chant. Carolingian clerks could adopt it because Palm Sunday was a feast for which Roman books did not provide proper chants.