Gregorian chant and music notation system
In the fourth century, the Gregorian chant was established in Rome by the Roman Catholic Church. The chant is named after Pope Gregory I. Research suggest that Pope Gregory was probably not a musician and composer. However, he played a vital role in the preservation of the chant. The Gregorian chant existed long before it was being recognized and named by the Roman Catholic Church. Many of the chants came from the east and partial changes were made to them in Rome. Other names used for the Gregorian chant are Cantilena Romana and cantus planus /musica plana. The Gregorian chants are similar in characteristics to that of Jewish sacred music (see introduction to early Christian music).
At first Gregorian chants were passed down orally. Most composers of the Gregorian chants are anonymous. Due to the desire for musical uniformity, the chants were later notated.
Angles, H. (1955) Gregorian Chant. In Hughes, D.A (Ed.), The new oxford history of music II early medieval music up to 1300 (p.116 ) London. Oxford University Press.
The music notation system used during this time was called Neumes, from the Greek word neuma. These signs explained the melodic contour of the music but failed to measure rhythm. The Gregorian chants stem from a system called the oktoechos also known as the Ecclesiastical modes or Church modes. These tones consist of seven different tones and an eighth tone that duplicate the first an octave higher.
Click on the video below
Gregorian Chant notation from the Liber Usualis (1961), p. 1810. Latin lyrics sung by the Alfred Deller Consort.
Discussion:
1.Compare and contrast the Ecphonetic notation system and the Gregorian notation system.
References
Angles, H. (1955) Gregorian Chant. In Hughes, D.A (Ed.), The new oxford history of music II early medieval music up to 1300 (pp.92-127).London. Oxford University Press
Apel, W. (1960).Harvard dictionary of music. Cambridge, Massachusetts. Harvard University Press.
Dies Irae (Mass for the Dead, Sequence, Male Voices. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dsn9LWh230k on January 16, 2017.
Kamien, R. (2002). Music an appreciation, fourth edition. New York. McGraw Hill companies,Inc.
