Gregorian Chant and its Purpose

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teacherwestpalm

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So Gregorian Chant has a really rich history (chantsofcarmel.com/gregorian-chant/history-of-gregorian-chant/), but we don’t hear it much, at least not in American churches. Do you think there is room for a “come back” or has it already happened? I’d actually like to write a blog piece on this idea. I believe there has even been medical evidence that Chant can help with health issues.

Additionally, is Gregorian Chant just meant for Catholic audience or are it’s lyrics borad enough for non-catholics as well.

Would love to hear any feedback!
👍
 
Ironically, I heard it the first time at a Anglican service, but have never heard it in a Catholic church. At least not in person.
 
I sing Gregorian Chant weekly in my choir at my parish. There is a community of people who are working to spread this sacred music around the US here at musicasacra.com
 
Is there room for a return, sure. Do I think it will be wide spread anytime soon. That I’m not so sure about.

I love chant (it 70% or more of the music I listen to), but there are large sections that absolutely hate it. Part of it is that most chant is in Latin and few Catholic know or bother to learn even a handful of liturgical Latin phrases. Beyond that is that too many people try to sing chant the same way as a hymn. We were singing Attende Domine last Saturday at Mass and it felt stilted. Why? Because the music leader was using modern notation and tried to force the chant to follow a specific meter. It was like they had a metronome in their head going tick, tick, tick. Chant is more fluid and always seems to be slowed in certain passages when people use modern notation. They see a half note and their brain says hold it for two beats, but the natural phrasing might only be 1 and 2/3 of a beat. When that happens chant can lose the natural beauty and turn people off. Unless you have people that understand that meter is an illusion in chant I don’t know what kind of inroads it will see. I can hope, but it’s fairly thin hope in parishes that hold things like Lord of the Dance as a great hymn.

Can chant be used outside of Catholicism, possibly. It really depends on the chant and the theology of the faith community. I highly doubt that Baptist would embrace Ave Maria or Regina Caeli, but they might accept an English version of Parce Domine. I would say the more liturgical the faith community is, the more likely chant would be accepted.
 
It is beautiful music, but I yhink it requires a unique talent set as well as instruments and the appropriate structure to carry the music, I don’t think most modern churches would do it justice, or afford it . Sadly.
 
Crusaderbear said:
It is beautiful music, but I think it requires a unique talent set as well as instruments and the appropriate structure to carry the music, I don’t think most modern churches would do it justice, or afford it . Sadly.
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What instruments? It is unaccompanied, ergo, plain chant. We learned it quite easily in Catholic School before Vatican II. We studied Latin, too, no big deal.
 
zamyrabyrd said:
What instruments? It is unaccompanied, ergo, plain chant. We learned it quite easily in Catholic School before Vatican II. We studied Latin, too, no big deal.
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I stand corrected, I thought it was accompanied by a pipe organ!
 
Crusaderbear said:
I stand corrected, I thought it was accompanied by a pipe organ!
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Nope, church polyphonic often uses an organ, but i can understand how some might link all older forms of music together in their heads.

Chant is all based on intervals and merely requires a starting pitch that can be hummed or given via pitch pipe. It certainly does require some training, but my children have learned simple chants so it’s not anymore difficult then learning many children’s songs. The key is for people to learn interval singing since chant is based on relative, versus absolute pitch. It’s really about learning that chant is not simply a differnce type of hymn. Chant is less singing as it is talking while varying pitch and speed. The biggest challenge for a singer is to untrained themselves in trying to make chant into another song. They are really two seperated, but related things.
 
teacherwestpalm said:
So Gregorian Chant has a really rich history (chantsofcarmel.com/gregorian-chant/history-of-gregorian-chant/), but we don’t hear it much, at least not in American churches. Do you think there is room for a “come back” or has it already happened? I’d actually like to write a blog piece on this idea. I believe there has even been medical evidence that Chant can help with health issues.

Additionally, is Gregorian Chant just meant for Catholic audience or are it’s lyrics borad enough for non-catholics as well.

Would love to hear any feedback!
👍
Click to expand...
Chant is intended for use in the Divine Office, which is usually prayed in Monastic houses. It doesn’t fit so well in the context of the Mass. There are wonderful recordings of it that are quite popular, and I’m not surprised that listening to them helps put people in a prayerful/meditative state.

It’s not terribly difficult to read chant music, but it takes some practice.
 
Where I live, NYC, there are beautiful, grand 100+ year old, Romanesque and Baroque style Churches everywhere that are screaming out for a return to chant!

They were built for Gregorian chant, not the contemporary hymns put out by Dan Schutte or David Hass. No offence to them or other contemporary writers, but the combination of high vaulted ceilings, wood and marble make for beautiful acoustics for chant. These Churches were built grand and beautiful to be a slice of heaven on earth for it’s congregants and to be a representation of Gods kingdom here on earth. We are transported to a heavenly world by these buildings, so why in the world would it not have the music of the angels, Gregorian chant, coming from it’s choir lofts?:cool:

Don’t leave out poliphany either, which is a more melodic style of Gregorian chant…🙂
 
teacherwestpalm said:
So Gregorian Chant has a really rich history (chantsofcarmel.com/gregorian-chant/history-of-gregorian-chant/), but we don’t hear it much, at least not in American churches. Do you think there is room for a “come back” or has it already happened? I’d actually like to write a blog piece on this idea. I believe there has even been medical evidence that Chant can help with health issues.

Additionally, is Gregorian Chant just meant for Catholic audience or are it’s lyrics borad enough for non-catholics as well.

Would love to hear any feedback!
👍
Click to expand...
Gregorian Chant is often playing prior to Mass at my parish, and I live in America. I think it depends on the traditional/non-traditional slant of the parish. I never heard it at my old parish, but it was not as traditional as my new one is.
 
Crusaderbear said:
It is beautiful music, but I yhink it requires a unique talent set as well as instruments and the appropriate structure to carry the music, I don’t think most modern churches would do it justice, or afford it . Sadly.
Click to expand...
I cannot agree with this.

Our little “choir” is made up of children and young adults, ages 11-23, and they sing chant beautifully. When I directed that actual children’s choir (3rd - 5th grade) I taught them chant and they also sang it beautifully.

It takes the same singing skills – on pitch and listening for good blend (vowel formation) – as any other group singing.
ComplineSanFran said:
Chant is intended for use in the Divine Office, which is usually prayed in Monastic houses. It doesn’t fit so well in the context of the Mass.
Click to expand...
I completely disagree with this!
  • We chant the parts of the mass in Latin.
  • We chant the Simple English Proper (communion antiphon) at the beginning of communion every Sunday (one or two people chant while the rest of our little group receives Holy Communion).
  • We sing a Marian antiphon (e.g., Salve Regina, Alma Redemptoris Mater) at the end of communion every Sunday.
  • We often include a chant as one of our hymns (e.g., Parce Domine, Pange Lingua, Veni Creator Spiritus) during mass.
And except for the Simple English Proper, the congregation absolutely sings along!

For complete disclosure, our parish celebrates the Novus Ordo mass in English, and our mass is attended by our group of middle and high school students (100+) preparing for Confirmation, and their families

And we also sing hymns accompanied by organ, piano, violin, and/or cello – our choice, depending on the style of the hymn and season of the Church year. 👍

In our parish at least, it’s these young people who are leading the way, and the older choirs following their example.
 
Gertabelle said:
I completely disagree with this!
  • We chant the parts of the mass in Latin.
  • We chant the Simple English Proper (communion antiphon) at the beginning of communion every Sunday (one or two people chant while the rest of our little group receives Holy Communion).
  • We sing a Marian antiphon (e.g., Salve Regina, Alma Redemptoris Mater) at the end of communion every Sunday.
  • We often include a chant as one of our hymns (e.g., Parce Domine, Pange Lingua, Veni Creator Spiritus) during mass.
And except for the Simple English Proper, the congregation absolutely sings along!

For complete disclosure, our parish celebrates the Novus Ordo mass in English, and our mass is attended by our group of middle and high school students (100+) preparing for Confirmation, and their families

And we also sing hymns accompanied by organ, piano, violin, and/or cello – our choice, depending on the style of the hymn and season of the Church year. 👍

In our parish at least, it’s these young people who are leading the way, and the older choirs following their example.
Click to expand...
👍👍

Gregorian chant is, indeed, the music which should have pride of place in the mass.
 
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