Clivis
Two-note neume with descending movement.
What it means
The clivis is one of the basic signs of neume notation: a sign for two notes on one syllable, of which the second lies lower than the first. It thus belongs to the two-note neumes and forms the counterpart to the ascending two-note group. A neume sign always stands for one syllable of the text — the number of notes in it can range from one to several.
In the notation
The clivis is written as one connected stroke that first leads upward and then bends downward; in the square notation of later manuscripts it appears as two connected squares standing side by side, the higher one on the left; it is read from left to right, that is, first the higher, then the lower note. A common beginner's mistake is the reading direction where noteheads stand one above the other: there, as with the ascending pes, reading runs from bottom to top. Early neumes without a staff indicate only the direction of the movement, not its exact size; only with the staff do the intervals become unambiguous.
Musical use
The clivis has its place in monophonic liturgical chant, where it is among the most frequent signs of all. It appears on syllables that do not get by with a single note — at the end of phrases, on stressed syllables, in cadence formation before the finalis. In the oldest manuscripts the signs carry additional strokes and letters that contain information about performance and tempo; their interpretation is the subject of semiology.
Performance practice
Sing a clivis as one movement and not as two separate notes: the weight lies on the first, the second is connected and rounded off. Resist the inclination to emphasize the second note — it carries the syllable to its end. When reading from square notation, take the two notes of the clivis deliberately in their order — first the higher, then the lower — until it sits securely; the ascending two-note group, the pes, is read the other way round, from bottom to top.