These chants are collectively called Gregorian
Chants, named after Pope Gregory I. Pope Gregory created a system of
musical notation, a way to write down notes, so that anyone could read
them. He invented this system way back in the beginning of the Middle
Ages, around 500 CE.
Over the next 500 years, a great many chants were
composed and saved, using the notation system created by Pope Gregory
I. By the time the huge cathedrals were built in the towns, Gregorian
chants had become unbelievably beautiful and eerie.
In the huge cathedrals, chants were sung by
professional choirs or by specially trained, musically talented monks.
Everyone in the choir sang the same note at the same time in a very
even and slow flowing pace. Nothing had changed about the style of
music, but the church musicians had had hundreds of years to write new
music.
To hear a Gregorian chant, click on the links
below.
