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Gregorian Chant

(choral works, c. 580)

In what can only be described as the most unexpected musical hit in history, a 1993–94 recording of Gregorian chants by the Spanish Benedictine Monks of Santo Domingo de Silos topped the charts in Europe and the United States. In the United States the album was number one on the classical music charts but also, more surprisingly, number three on the pop charts. The serene melodic tones of their recording, simply entitled Chant, reawakened interest in Gregorian chant and sold millions of copies—over four million units in forty-two countries. It was an overnight hit that was a thousand years in the making! Perhaps it is a sign of our stress-laden modern age that these simple and mysterious musical compositions from the Middle Ages would speak to us in such a fresh way, calling us toward stillness, inner quiet, and peace. They are, in that much-overused term, timeless.

Gregorian chant has demonstrated a peculiar power to help its hearers quiet the mind and bring about an inner quietude and stillness. The gently rising and falling tones are sung in unison to a simple melody and without any instrumental accompaniment, showcasing the strength of voices joining together in praise. Gregorian chant is spacious, transcendent, and mysterious in its sound, and produces a calming and focusing effect. Perhaps that is why it is even embraced by those who do not readily assent to the truths it proclaims in its biblical texts. It is music that inexplicably arouses spiritual longings, and some have even been set upon the path toward faith by first being drawn to the beauty and mystery of Gregorian chant.

It must always be remembered, though, that however beautiful or relaxing it might be to listen to, Gregorian chant exists for the purpose of proclaiming the sacred texts it illumines. These chants were not created to be artistic masterpieces but rather vehicles for communicating Scripture. The chant is a heightened form of speech, existing in service to the words it expresses. As Bernard of Clairvaux wrote of the ideal chant, “Let it be sweet, but without levity, and while it pleases the ear, let it move the heart. . . . It should not contradict the sense of the words, but rather enhance it.”1 Chant gives musical emphasis to each of the words in the text, and expresses their meaning. Those singing must concentrate on every word, and those listening are invited to focus not only on the beauty of what is being sung but also on its message aimed at the heart of the hearer. Through the rising and falling tones, both singer and listener are drawn into prayer, a state of worship, and an experience of the presence of God.

Ultimately chant is praying with the aid of song. Both singers and listeners are drawn into a unified prayer directed toward God. In its native state in the monasteries, there are no listeners per se, for all are expected to join into these prayers of praise and contemplation. Nor are there soloists in chant, as every singer is an anonymous voice joined together with other voices to create a greater whole. Chant, therefore, requires humility, obedience, and finding one’s own small place in the choir.

There are fundamentally three different types of chant, each adding a bit more complexity to the structure of the singing. The first is syllabic, where there is one note for each syllable. In the neumatic there are groups of notes for each syllable. And in the melismatic there can be lengthy passages of music for each syllable, stretching out a word such as “alleluia” by adding drama and flourishes to the singing. But in all cases it is important that the text be clearly understood, no matter how complex the music that carries it.

The origins of chant can be found in the Jewish tradition, where psalms and other Scriptures were chanted aloud, both to emphasize the dignity of the texts and to aid the listener in remembering them. So it was natural that such traditions would carry over into the fledgling Christian movement. In the early churches, lessons were chanted instead of being read so that they could be heard more easily. Otherwise Scripture readings might have been inaudible in larger worship spaces.

As Christianity spread, differing styles of chant began to develop throughout the Christian world. Between the fifth and eighth centuries, chant developed its own regional peculiarities that were characteristic of the musical traditions of the local areas and their own respective pronunciations of the Latin texts. The Roman chant came to be known as Gregorian chant, named after Pope Gregory the Great, though scholars doubt he actually had any role in the composition of the chants themselves. More likely it is connected with him because he was responsible for important liturgical reforms that had far-reaching influence throughout the medieval church. But legends don’t die easily, and during the Middle Ages he was sometimes pictured as receiving chant music directly from the Holy Spirit, who whispered in his ear in the form of a dove perched upon his shoulder. He is famous for calling Gregorian chant “the song of the angels.”

Three Clerics Singing Before a Lectern, c. 1300–1325, artist unknown, Walters Art Museum, Baltimore [Walters Art Museum/Wikimedia Commons, CC-PD-Mark]

When Charlemagne came to power in the Frankish Empire, he imposed Roman-style Gregorian chant upon the far-flung populations he ruled as part of an attempt to unify the territories over which he held sway. He desired cohesion and stability in his realms, and saw unity in liturgical style as one of the ways to achieve that. He convinced Pope Stephen III to send out cantors to teach the same chants to monasteries throughout his empire. Although other stylistic traditions have lived on, it is Gregorian chant that has remained the standard form. There have been many developments and innovations throughout the centuries, but the basic structure of the chant remains unchanged and continues to be practiced in monasteries throughout the Christian world. Though contemporary chants may be a bit more complex and polyphonic, they are still recognizable to the ear as the kind of singing that has been practiced for so many centuries.

Chant has always been the primary music of the monasteries. When Benedict created his Rule for monks, he made the singing of psalms a central part of the life of the monastery. Usually the monks of his order would chant through the entire book of Psalms during the course of every week. Each day was, and still is in most orders, punctuated by voices raised together in unison toward God, speaking his own words back to him in the form of prayer.

Modern medical experts have done studies on the effect that this ancient form of singing has on the modern listener. They have found it has what they call an interiorizing effect. Though it is light and calming, the music of the chant is also passionate and strong. This combination seems to create very positive physiological effects on those who hear it. Dr. Alan Watkins of Imperial College in London has discovered such effects as lowered blood pressure, increased levels of DHEA, and a reduction in anxiety and depression in those who listened to chant. Ruth Stanley, a Benedictine nun who heads up the complementary medicine program at Minnesota’s St. Cloud Hospital, has found it useful in easing chronic pain in her patients. Other studies have even suggested that the sound of chant can aid in communication between the right and left hemispheres of the brain by creating new neural pathways.

The gathering of human voices lifted in song toward God that is the heart of Gregorian chant is a way of offering praise and worship to God, and of contemplating his glory. It is also a sound that is aesthetically beautiful and healing to those who incline their ear toward its soothing cadence. Perhaps that is why the fascination with Gregorian chant continues to this day.