GREGORIAN CHANT

Developed during the early Middle Ages and named after Pope Gregory I, Gregorian chant is a form of monophony, unaccompanied sacred song of the Roman Catholic Church. It has also found a place in modern culture, including albums and film soundtracks, where it often evokes a sense of deep calm, spirituality and timelessness. It can be a perfect soundtrack to meditation and mindfulness, too. It is a great genre of music to explore if you`re looking to improve your mental health.

Gregorian chant is a form of sacred song in latin employed within the Roman Catholic Church for centuries. It has had two distinguishing features. Firstly, it is unaccompanied (there are no musical instruments accompanying the singing). Secondly, it is monophonic (there is just one melodic line followed by all the singers).

There are a couple of other key features to Gregorian chant. Firstly, it has been based on Medieval modes. Secondly, it is almost exclusively sung in latin.

The peak period for the development of Gregorian chant was 9th and 10th century Europe.

Gregorian chant was essentially performed either during the Roman Catholic Mass, or during the monastic Office (the sequence of religious services, or times of prayer, among religious communities).

This beautiful and spiritual music form had a profound impact on the patterns taken by both Medieval and Renaissance music.

The album entitled Chant (by Benedictine monks of Santo Domingo de Silos in Spain) became the best-selling album of Gregorian chant of all time.