Grace and peace to from God Our
Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Gregorian Chant is one of the
single greatest aspects of Sacred Tradition in the Catholic Church. Many
religious communities still use it as a form of prayer and in the Liturgy of
the Hours. In modern times, it is often used in popular media and entertainment
to evoke a solemn, stern, and sacred effect. It is even used in what has become
known as “music therapy” due to its reflective and calming nature.
But where does Gregorian Chant
come from? What was the purpose of its creation and development? Does it have
any relevance in the life of the Church today?
I was privileged to have taken a
class with the University of Mary called “Catholic Imagination,” where we
studied music from the context of the Catholic faith. My classmates and I read
a book called Catholic Music Throughout
the Ages by Edward Schaefer, which I highly recommend. The work does a
wonderful job outlining music in the Church by providing a comprehensive guide
through the history and role of music in the Church.
Gregorian chant is popularly known
as the Latin chant of the Roman Catholic Church. It is attributed to Pope Saint
Gregory the Great, who instituted great reforms to the liturgy during his reign
from 590-604, even though it is widely held that he did not in fact compose any
of the chants (Schaefer 32). Schaefer provides the six necessary qualities of the
chant in the Roman Catholic Church:
1. Liturgical
– only exists within the context of the rites of the Church
2. Vocal
– it has to be sung
3. Monophonic
– single melodic line, no harmony
4. Unaccompanied
– no instrumental support
5. Rhythmically
supple – the rhythm is determined by the text
6. Modal
– uses a unique scale structure
(34)
Schaefer goes on to explain that
Gregorian chant is the result of a long evolutionary process, which was
initiated largely by Pepin the Short and his son Charlemagne, who wished to “unify
the liturgy in their kingdom as a means of unifying the kingdom politically”
(37). Once Christianity was legalized by the Edict of Milan in 313, the
Christian Liturgy was able to develop thanks to the structure and support of
the Roman administration, and chant developed with it.
According to H. Wendell Howard, Gregorian
chant is “a melody directly bearing meaning from composer to listener with a
style that in essence was determined not by words but by its role in the
service” (54-55). Howard also points out that Gregorian chant doesn’t have
nearly anything that could be evaluated according to standard musical
criticism. Gregorian chant, then, is perfect for the liturgy of the mass
because it reflects and accentuates the “outer ritual,” as Howard puts it (54).
Growing up in a culture of praise
and “worship” music and banal, catchy tunes at mass, I always found myself automatically
commenting internally on the music, whether it was better this week or last,
whether this singer was better than that one. This is precisely the issue with
this type of music. It begs to be aesthetically criticized or, at best,
aesthetically experienced. Gregorian chant, on the other hand, never does this,
because it lacks the qualities of music that are capable of being criticized,
such as “parallelism, contrast, climax, motives, themes, or phrasal balance”
(54). Thus, Gregorian chant fails to provide that which no contemporary “liturgical”
music can ever avoid or resist: inevitable distraction.
Anything in the liturgy that undermines
or detracts from the eternal sacrifice on the altar during the Holy Mass or the
universal prayer of the Church during the Divine Office ought to be
systematically phased out and removed permanently, especially when something as
powerful, wonderful, and
perfectly-suited as Gregorian chant is available.
Stay tuned my next blog, where I will
further discuss the state of liturgical music in the Church in America, and how
the great tradition of Gregorian chant and sacred polyphony can be resurrected
and returned to its rightful place.
The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ,
the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
Howard, H. Wenell; “Silence,
Solitariness, and Gregorian Chant.” Logos:
A Journal of Catholic Thought and Culture, 2016 Fall; 19 (4): 47-61.
(journal article), Database: MLA International
Schaefer, Edward. Catholic Music Throughout the Ages. Hillenbrand Books, 2008. Print.
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