Ancus

(? from Gk. angkos: ‘valley’, or angkōn: ‘bend’).

In Western chant notations, a neume signifying three notes in descending order, the last of which is semi-vocalized. The ancus is the Liquescent form of the Climacus. Liquescence arises on certain diphthongs and consonants to provide for a semi-vocalized passing note to the next pitch. (For illustration see Notation, Table 1.)

BIBLIOGRAPHY

H. Freistedt: Die liqueszierenden Noten des gregorianischen Chorals: ein Beitrag zur Notationskunde (Fribourg, 1929)

M. Huglo: ‘Les noms des neumes et leur origine’, EG, i (1954), 53–67

DAVID HILEY