Gregorian Chant
Gregorian Chant is a style of music that plays a significant role in the liturgy of the Roman Catholic Church. Primarily associated with monks and religious figures, it features texts in Latin derived from the Old and New Testaments of the Bible. The chant is named after Saint Gregory the Great, who was pope from around 590 to 604 CE, although his direct involvement in its development remains uncertain. Historically, Gregorian chant evolved from Roman chant and was influenced by Frankish music, with early forms passed down orally until the establishment of written manuscripts around 800 CE. These early manuscripts primarily documented the texts, while melodies were learned through listening.
Over time, the practice of notation evolved, leading to variations in the representation of melodies. The rhythm of Gregorian chant is dictated by the music rather than the text, often featuring multiple pitches for single syllables. Although its prominence waned by the 1800s, there was a revival in the late 20th century, with efforts from Popes like Pius X and John Paul II to restore and promote its use in liturgical settings. Understanding Latin pronunciation is essential for singers, as it enhances the performance and interpretation of these ancient chants. Today, Gregorian chant is appreciated not only for its historical significance but also for its spiritual and artistic beauty.
Gregorian Chant
Gregorian chant is a style of music or a musical repertoire that is used in the liturgy of the Roman Catholic Church. Gregorian chanting is best known as being sung by monks and other religious, though lay people sometimes sing the chants as part of the Mass as well. The words of the chants are in Latin and are taken from the Old and New Testaments of the Bible. Gregorian chant had fallen out of practice by the 1800s, but it saw a resurgence in popularity by the end of the twentieth and early twenty-first centuries.
History
Gregorian chant gets its name from the Roman Catholic Saint Gregory the Great. Saint Gregory lived approximately between 540 and 604 CE and was pope from 590 until his death. It is clear that Saint Gregory made some important changes while he was pope, including some changes to the Mass; however, it is not clear whether Gregory actually helped develop the music form now known as Gregorian chant.
The exact history of Gregorian chant is difficult to trace because for many centuries after its creation, it was passed down orally through generations. Many historians now believe that Gregorian chant developed out of the Roman chant, which was eventually influenced by Frankish music and chanting. By roughly the year 800 CE, Frankish scribes had written manuscripts of chants for the liturgy based on Roman texts, though none of the Roman texts survived. These Frankish manuscripts are the first written documents indicating the history of the Gregorian chant. Although the text of the chants was written down, the melodies of the chants were not. Monks and others learned the melodies by listening and singing.
Over the years, Gregorian chants changed. By the end of the Middle Ages (500–1500 CE), some Gregorian chant manuscripts began including notes. This practice went against the tradition of aurally, or through hearing, passing down Gregorian chants. As a result, fewer interpretations of the chants were made and fewer people committed the details of the chants to memory. Later, some of the chants were also shortened and had their accents changed.
In 1903, Pope Pius X reformed the Roman Catholic liturgy. One of the changes he made was to ask for the reformation of the Gregorian chants. He wanted the chants to be more similar to the original chants used during the early Middle Ages. To do this, monks and other scholars used old manuscripts to create an updated reference.
Pope Pius X also encouraged more people to engage in Gregorian chant and for all liturgical music to be a bigger part of the celebration of Mass. In 2003, Pope John Paul II commented that he believed that Pope Pius X was correct when he indicated that Gregorian was the most worthy music to be used to celebrate the Roman Catholic liturgy. John Paul also stated that the most sacred music was the Gregorian chant and the music that was similar to it.
Elements of Gregorian Chant
The earliest notations in the texts gave some information besides the words of the chants. These notations, which eventually became known as neume, indicated where certain syllables rose and fell. However, these notations did not designate exact pitches for each syllable. The early Gregorian chant manuscripts were written so that the pitches and tones were passed down through listening. In addition, many different monasteries that were creating chant manuscripts used different neume in their work. Therefore, the versions of the notation varied from manuscript to manuscript. Although traditional Gregorian chants do not include music notes, some newer versions do.
The words of Gregorian chants are in Latin. They are taken from a Latin translation of the Bible that was compiled around the year 400 C.E. This version of the Bible was written in prose and not in verse; therefore, the words of Gregorian chants do not have a verse-like rhythm. The rhythm that comes from Gregorian chants is from the music and not usually from the words themselves. Because the music makes up the rhythm, Gregorian chants may use two, three, or four pitches for a single syllable. When singing words in Gregorian chant, people are likely to draw out words much more than if they were speaking.
Traditionally, Gregorian chant was used during specific parts of the Roman Catholic Church's liturgy. Some of these chants changed, depending on the day and the liturgical season. Other chants, such as "Gloria in excelsis Deo," were the same during all liturgies. After the Middle Ages, the Roman Catholic Church allowed individual composers to write music that eventually replaced much of the Gregorian chanting used in the liturgy.
Singing Gregorian Chant
Singing Gregorian chant has a number of similarities to singing almost any type of music. The melody and words of the chant work together to make the song melodic and enjoyable. Since much of Gregorian chant is still in Latin, however, it is important for singers to understand Latin. Being able to pronounce the words and having an understanding of their meanings enable singers to improve their performances. For example, the vowels in Latin are pronounced differently than they are in English. Singers have to be aware of these pronunciation differences to correctly sing the chants.
Bibliography
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Clark, Richard J. "Pope Saint John Paul II on Gregorian Chant." Corpus Christi Watershed. Corpus Christi Watershed. 13 June 2014. Web. 2 July 2015. http://www.ccwatershed.org/blog/2014/jun/13/pope-saint-john-paul-ii-gregorian-chant/
Dalmais, Irénée Henri, et al. The Church at Prayer—Volume 1: Principles of the Liturgy. Collegeville: The Order of St. Benedict, Inc., 1987. 72–73. Print.
"Gregorian Chant." Liturgica.com. Liturgica.com. Web. 2 July 2015. http://www.liturgica.com/html/litWLMusDev7.jsp
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