Gregorian Chant
Jake Eudene
Background
Prior to the reign of Pope Gregory I, musical chant was common practice but not widespread to all members of the church. The Catholic Church was growing and before his reign there was no written notation of the chants. With “Gregorian song of the Mass and the office [being] a part of the living heritage of the people[1]” it became necessary to provide the song for all associated with the church. Pope Gregory I identified a need for the music to be written down and in the seventh century C.E. he commissioned scholars to codify the chants.[2]
Turning Point
The codifying of Gregorian chant was the first attempt at recording written music. The Gregorian chant was codified using a system of symbols called “neumes.” The neumes were derived from the grammatical accents of the Greek and Latin literature.[3] Pope Gregory I commissioned scholars to codify the chants in order to assign particular chants to services in the liturgical calendar.[4] However, it was the notations of these chants, in nuemes mentioned above, that became the most important aspect.
Effect
Whereas chanting and singing used to be done through memorization, the chants were now written down and could be taught to people through learning the codification system. “In this time there started in out monastery a new method of singing, from signs arranged by means of lines and spaces…Until then the Graduals and Antiphonals of our Church had no lines[5].”
Gregorian chant and its codification have been of great importance to the Catholic Church. Pope Pius X mentions the chants have “always been regarded as the supreme model for sacred music[6].” It was the codifying of the Gregorian chants that cemented this idea and caused the long lasting impressions of these chants in church services.
The notation of Gregorian chant into recognizable symbols called neumes was a big step in musical notation. With a written record of music it now became possible to pass down music for future generational use. Musical scholars view the codifying with extreme importance because “The music in this collection serves as a model of melodic design even in the 21st century and is regarded as one of the monuments of Western musical literature[7].”
[1] Rayburn, John. “Gregorian Chant: A History of the Controversy Concerning its Rhythm.” McLaughlin & Reilly Co. 1964: 1.
[2] “Musical Performance.” Encyclopedia Britannica Inc. 2013.
[3] Apel, Willi. “Gregorain Chant.” Indiana University Press. 1958: 99, 108.
[4] “Musical Performance.” Encyclopedia Britannica Inc. 2013.
[5] Apel, Willi. “Gregorain Chant.” Indiana University Press. 1958: 119.
[6] Rayburn, John. “Gregorian Chant: A History of the Controversy Concerning its Rhythm.” McLaughlin & Reilly Co. 1964: 1.
[7] “Musical Performance.” Encyclopedia Britannica Inc. 2013.
Bibliography
Apel, Willi. “Gregorian Chant.” Indiana University Press. 99 - 120. 1958.
"Musical Performance." Encyclopedia Britannica. Encyclopedia Britannica Online Academic Edition. Encyclopedia Britannica Inc., 2013.
<http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/399251/musical-performance>.
Rayburn, John. “Gregorian Chant: A history of the controversy concerning its Rhythm.” McLaughlin & Reilly Co. 1 - 2: 64. 1964.
Jake Eudene
Background
Prior to the reign of Pope Gregory I, musical chant was common practice but not widespread to all members of the church. The Catholic Church was growing and before his reign there was no written notation of the chants. With “Gregorian song of the Mass and the office [being] a part of the living heritage of the people[1]” it became necessary to provide the song for all associated with the church. Pope Gregory I identified a need for the music to be written down and in the seventh century C.E. he commissioned scholars to codify the chants.[2]
Turning Point
The codifying of Gregorian chant was the first attempt at recording written music. The Gregorian chant was codified using a system of symbols called “neumes.” The neumes were derived from the grammatical accents of the Greek and Latin literature.[3] Pope Gregory I commissioned scholars to codify the chants in order to assign particular chants to services in the liturgical calendar.[4] However, it was the notations of these chants, in nuemes mentioned above, that became the most important aspect.
Effect
Whereas chanting and singing used to be done through memorization, the chants were now written down and could be taught to people through learning the codification system. “In this time there started in out monastery a new method of singing, from signs arranged by means of lines and spaces…Until then the Graduals and Antiphonals of our Church had no lines[5].”
Gregorian chant and its codification have been of great importance to the Catholic Church. Pope Pius X mentions the chants have “always been regarded as the supreme model for sacred music[6].” It was the codifying of the Gregorian chants that cemented this idea and caused the long lasting impressions of these chants in church services.
The notation of Gregorian chant into recognizable symbols called neumes was a big step in musical notation. With a written record of music it now became possible to pass down music for future generational use. Musical scholars view the codifying with extreme importance because “The music in this collection serves as a model of melodic design even in the 21st century and is regarded as one of the monuments of Western musical literature[7].”
[1] Rayburn, John. “Gregorian Chant: A History of the Controversy Concerning its Rhythm.” McLaughlin & Reilly Co. 1964: 1.
[2] “Musical Performance.” Encyclopedia Britannica Inc. 2013.
[3] Apel, Willi. “Gregorain Chant.” Indiana University Press. 1958: 99, 108.
[4] “Musical Performance.” Encyclopedia Britannica Inc. 2013.
[5] Apel, Willi. “Gregorain Chant.” Indiana University Press. 1958: 119.
[6] Rayburn, John. “Gregorian Chant: A History of the Controversy Concerning its Rhythm.” McLaughlin & Reilly Co. 1964: 1.
[7] “Musical Performance.” Encyclopedia Britannica Inc. 2013.
Bibliography
Apel, Willi. “Gregorian Chant.” Indiana University Press. 99 - 120. 1958.
"Musical Performance." Encyclopedia Britannica. Encyclopedia Britannica Online Academic Edition. Encyclopedia Britannica Inc., 2013.
<http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/399251/musical-performance>.
Rayburn, John. “Gregorian Chant: A history of the controversy concerning its Rhythm.” McLaughlin & Reilly Co. 1 - 2: 64. 1964.