Estimated reading time 2 minutes
Table of Contents
Introduction
Do you want to know more about medieval chant? Gregorian chants are essentially medieval church songs that have a mysterious yet serene quality to them. Also, they played a pivotal role in developing modern musical notation. Keep reading to discover early music via beautiful medieval Gregorian chants.
This article uses musical terms. For definitions, see the Glossary at the end of the post.
Discover Early Music Via Medieval Gregorian Chants: Why Are They Called “Gregorian?”
This type of medieval chant got its name from Pope Gregory I:
- He is credited with collecting and categorizing Gregorian chants.
- Plainchant is monophonic, meaning that all the monks sang the same melody in unison.
- The big, echoey sound of the monasteries and cathedrals combined with the Latin text lends a mystical quality to these simple tunes.
The melodies have a flowing sound because the rhythms are controlled by the poetical meter of the Latin text combined with the melismatic neumes.
Discover Early Music Via Medieval Gregorian Chants: How Is it Linked to the Development of Sheet Music?
Plainchant and political ambition lead to the development of Western music notation:
- In the late first millennium, Charlemagne wanted to unify his empire.
- He knew that to do this he had to unify the culture of the different people who lived under his rule.
- Since the church was central to the lives of the people, this meant that the liturgy had to be unified.
However, since the entire mass was sung, Charlemagne’s people had to unify the music in order to unify the liturgy.
Mobile users: for best results reading the examples, rotate your screen 90o to the right.
The picture above shows a medieval music manuscript:
- The four lines and three spaces on the medieval staff allowed the monks to graph out the notes as higher and lower sounds.
- For the first time, this allowed them to be able to sing melodies they had never heard before.
- How did they do this? They were able to sing from sheet music using solfege syllables.
The melodies often followed the rhythm of the Latin text:
- However, in the picture above, when you see the “notes” these are called neumes.
- Neumes allowed the monks to add melismatic ornaments to the melody.
- In other words, the neumes made it so they could have more than one note per syllable of text.
Video: Monks of Santo Domingo de Silos
Even though these medieval melodies are hundreds of years old, they became trendy in the 1990s. For example, the video (above) was a top 10 album on the Billboard 200 chart in 1994.
Final Thoughts on “Discover Early Music Via Beautiful Medieval Gregorian Chants”
Takeaway points:
- Medieval chants are monophonic, stepwise melodies.
- Pope Gregory I is credited with codifying the plainchant repertoire.
- Medieval chant played a pivotal role in developing modern musical notation.
Have fun listening!
Related Posts
- What Is the Meaning of the Death Requiem?
- Explore J.S. Bach’s Hypnotic Choral Music in Less Than Four Minutes
- D’you Want Some Music Tips and Tricks I’ve Learned Over the Years?
© 2024 Geoffrey Keith
Join me for in-person or online lessons today!
Back to the All-Purpose Music Tips and Topics category blogs page
Glossary
How Common are Mistakes While Practicing and Playing Guitar?
Do you worry about making mistakes when you perform? Do you want to be able to fix errors quickly during your practice time? Everyone slips up, at least occasionally. Don’t worry about it. Errors have an important role to play in the process of learning. Click to answer the question, “How common are mistakes while practicing and playing guitar?” Estimated reading time 3 minutes.
Read More
Singing Shape Note Solfege Mixolydian Melodies
Do you want to sing blues, gospel, or even mediaeval melodies? Are you confused about how modes work? Modes have the exotic feel of world music and music from ancient times. "Singing Shape Note Solfege Mixolydian Melodies" helps you discover the sound of the modes. Estimated reading time 4 minutes.
Read More
Celebrate Christmas with O Come, O Come, Emmanuel!
Do you want to sing the lyrics to “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel?” In this post, you’ll get the essentials: 1) the complete lyrics, 2) a video, and 3) an easy-to-read shape note score with a sing along song track. Keep reading “Celebrate Christmas with O Come, O Come, Emmanuel!” to learn more. Estimated reading time 2 minutes.
Read More
How to Graduate from the Color Coded Sheet Music: Part 2
Has your child or student shown readiness to move on from color coded music notes? The "How to Graduate from Color Coded Music Notes" series will explain how it works. Read more to learn how to transition from the color coding to the clef mnemonics, empowering students to graduate from the color coded sheet music. Estimated reading time 4 minutes.
Read More