Gregorian Chant

Within a few years following the conclusion of the Second Vatican Council, the use of Gregorian chant in celebrating the Church's liturgy has became increasingly rare. Despite the decreased use of chant after liturgical reforms, however, there is no indication that the Church intended a gradual disappearance of a chanted liturgy. The Church's magisterium succeeding Vatican II have, if anything, continued to reaffirm their preference for chant. Moreover, chanting the liturgy in vocal monophony dates back to the earliest period of the Church. While chant may not have the same user-friendly quality as the music which replaced it, its historical significance and connection to the development of the liturgy cannot be underestimated.

Gregorian chant finds its origins in the early Church fathers promoting the use of the human voice alone in celebrating the liturgy and Psalms.1 Stylistically, the liturgical chant had no instrumental accompaniment, and its melody relied exclusively on the voice of the singers. The subtleties and emotion of the human voice were conducive to expressing the somberness of the rite. Instrumental accompaniment were unnecessary, as any addition to the voice would end up obscuring the subtleties of the chant.2 To preserve the dignity and purpose of chant, they are monophonic in texture, meaning all the singers performed the same melody without any supporting harmony, nor interwoven counterpoint. The chanters singing in unison further expresses the austere nature of the liturgy, and emotionally moves the listener by complementing the text. St. Augustine stated that the chanters had even moved him to tears, which is the fullest realization of liturgical music.3

The use of chant in the Roman Church's liturgy had other purposes besides expressing emotion. Gregorian chant is a close companion to the Latin language. The melodic ascents and descents of a chant closely match the accent, stresses, and syllables of Latin words.4 The flexibility of the melodic phrasing and rhythms give chants an amorphous quality which can adapt to match the purpose of the recitation of the text. The recitation can be simple by organizing numerous syllables in one pitch if a text is sung for its own sake. Conversely, a text which is meant to be meditative can be sung in a melismatic way, where fewer syllables are matched with more notes, in order to emphasize personal reflection on the words.5 The lack of strict meters or form in a chanted melody preserves the sentence structure and grammatical divisions of a text, rather than adapt or alter a text to correspond with the music.6

The value of chanting the liturgy was a subject for papal proclamations as early as the Fourth Century. Pope Damasus stated at a convocation in Rome that psalms should be chanted, and his imperative has never been revoked to this day.7 The role of chant in the liturgical cycle would be further strengthened through continued codification. Although the exact degree of Pope Gregory I's contribution to the evolution of liturgical chant is uncertain, his compilation, organization, and codification of chant was significant enough to have his name associated with the chant of the Roman Church.8

The orientation towards a vernacular liturgy after Vatican II has effectively minimized liturgical chanting; at least in the U.S. This is partially due to vernacular languages not lending themselves to chant as effectively as Latin. Despite this trend, however, the popes who succeeded Vatican II continued to affirm their preference for Gregorian chant. Pope John Paul II stated that sacred music should especially draw from Gregorian chant.9 Pope Benedict XVI had advocated for updating sacred music within the traditions of both Gregorian chant, and sacred polyphony, as a way of exploring new artistic expressions while still connecting to the past.10

The use of Gregorian chant may not appeal to many individuals for various reasons. Some may not find chants as engaging as other forms of music, some might prefer a liturgy which is easy to understand, and some might not even be familiar with chanting altogether. However, chant has been a significant musical component of the Church from its earliest days, to contemporary times. Its structurally loose nature allows it to best translate the written and spoken word into music, and to vary in dynamics and intricacy as appropriate. Regardless of one's personal preferences for liturgical music, one should still appreciate chant's historicity and uniqueness in musically expressing text.

1. David Henry "The Attitude of the Church Towards Music from the Patristic Age to the Late Middle Ages." Sacred Music 111, no. 4, (1984). 22.

2 Joseph Lennards. "Gregorian Chant: Its Artistic Value and Its Interpretation." Sacred Music 135, no. 2, (2008). 45.

3. Henry. “Attitude of the Church Towards Music.” 23.

4. Lennards. “Gregorian Chant.” 46.

5. William Mahrt. "Gregorian Chant As A Paradigm Of Sacred Music." Sacred Music 133, no. 1, (2006). 7.

6. Columba Kelly. "Gregorian Chant: the Foundational Sound Christian Ritual Music." Sacred Music 137, no. 4, (2010). 24.

7. Henry. “Attitude of the Church Towards Music.” 23.

8. Henry. “Attitude of the Church Towards Music.” 24.

9. Theodore Marier. "Gregorian Chant, a Liturgical Art Form." Sacred Music 141, no. 2, (2014). 7.

10. Kelly. “Gregorian Chant...Christian Ritual Music.” 19.

Bibliography:

Henry, David. "The Attitude of the Church Towards Music from the Patristic Age to the Late Middle Ages." Sacred Music 111, no. 4, (1984). 22-30

Kelly, Columba. "Gregorian Chant: the Foundational Sound Christian Ritual Music." Sacred Music 137, no. 4, (2010). 18-31.

Lennards, Joseph. "Gregorian Chant: Its Artistic Value and Its Interpretation." Sacred Music 135, no. 2. (2008) 45-57.

Mahrt, William. "Gregorian Chant As A Paradigm Of Sacred Music." Sacred Music 133, no. 1, (2006). 5-14.

Marier, Theodore. "Gregorian Chant, a Liturgical Art Form." Sacred Music 141, no. 2, (2014). 5-14.