Gregorian chant is a style of unaccompanied vocal music that was the standard music in Catholic worship for centuries. Named for the first Pope Gregory (the patron of St. Gregory the Great Church), who is also a saint and Doctor of the Church, Gregorian chant was compiled and arranged in the sixth century. Although widespread use of Gregorian chant really took place 200 years after Gregory I’s pontificate, it was attached to his name to encourage its acceptance.
The roots of Gregorian chant go back even further—to ancient Jerusalem. Also called plainchant, it is monophonic, with all voices singing the same part. It’s notated with a unique manner, with mostly square notes on a four-line staff. Unlike most of later western music, chant has no specific rhythmic structure and instead takes its timing and flow from the text being sung.
Used for centuries in monasteries and cathedrals, it is rarely used in the ordinary worship in most Catholic parishes. When it is used at Masses in parishes, it’s often sung by the choir, rather than the congregation. Still, Gregorian chant was designed for prayer, and its gentle flowing sound tends to stir feelings of peace and contemplation.
In the 1990’s, an album of Gregorian chant recorded by the Benedictine Monks of Santo Domingo
de Silos at their monastery in Burgos, Spain, became an international best seller. That recording reintroduced chant to secular audiences, and it remains popular with those seeking a tranquil refuge from the kind of music that fills so much of our days.
by Fr. Larry Rice, Vocations Director for the Paulist Fathers.
