Gregorian Chants 

There was a special kind of music sung in the church, a chant. Monks sang chants without harmony. These were single tone, slow moving, mystical sounds. Typically, there was no instrumental accompaniment. This music was vocal. 

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.   

 
Gregorian chants

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