"Ad imaginem suam": Regional Chant Variants and the Origins of the "Jeu d'Adam"

The earliest surviving dramatic work in the French vernacular is a semiliturgical play now known as the "Jeu d'Adam." The first section of the play is semiliturgical because it indicates by textual incipit seven prolix responsories - Gregorian chants usually sung as part of Matins, the most substantial service in the cycle of prayers known as the Divine Office - to be performed by a chorus at certain points in the action. The singing of Gregorian chant varied significantly from region to region in the Middle Ages. The responsory in particular offers a range of details that may differ regionally. On the basis of chant manuscripts, it is almost certain that the creator of the "Jeu d'Adam" was a monk or was familiar with the Adam responsories as they were sung in a monastery rather than in a cathedral or other nonmonastic church.