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This Gregorian chant, Hodie
Cantandus (“today we must sing”), by
St. Tuotilo, a 10th-century Irish monk,
has neumes on the upper lines and
Latin script underneath.See also: Micrologus 24–25 ■ Magnus liber organi 28–31 ■ Messe de Notre
Dame 36–37 ■ Canticum Canticorum 46–51 ■ Great Service 52–53EARLY MUSIC 1000–1400
followed the ancient Greek modal
system of seven-note octaves made
up of five tones and two semitones,
and consisted of two types of
chant: the responsorial and the
antiphonal. The former involved
more elaborate, solo chants, with a
response from the choir. Antiphonal
chants, where singing alternated
between choir and congregation,
consisted of simpler melodies.
These forms were shared by
Roman and Ambrosian plainsong,
but Ambrosian chant was smoother
in its note progression and more
dramatic than Roman chant. It also
made greater use of melisma, in
which a string of notes was sung
on one syllable—a style still used
in Middle Eastern and Asian song.
By the middle of the first
millennium, thousands of chants
existed across the different rites.
The sheer variety of unique styles
and traditions was addressed by
Gregory I (Pope 590–604 ce), who
wished to unify liturgical practice.Gregory consolidated the music of
the Roman rite and is said to have
instigated a papal schola cantorum
(“choir school”) to do justice to the
evolving repertoire.Expanded repertoire
Under the rule of Charlemagne
(742–814), the first Holy Roman
Emperor, Roman chants were
synthesized with elements of the
Gallican style, which was also
in common use. This expanded
collection formed the basis of
Gregorian chant, which remains at
the heart of Catholic Church music.
Plainsong was also the foundation
for medieval and Renaissance
music and its notation, based on
the staves and neumes, or notes,
of written chants. ■The Mass
It took until at least the 11th
century for the Mass to reach
a final form. Its music became
known as the Gradual, a book
divided into the Ordinary (the
elements that remain the same
every week) and the Proper
(the parts that are particular
to the time and day in the
Church calendar).
The Ordinary of the Mass
has five parts. The first, Kyrie
eleison (“Lord, have mercy”),
is an ancient text in Greek (the
language of Roman services
until about the 4th century);
the second, Gloria in excelsis
Deo (“Glory to God in the
highest”), was introduced
in the 7th century; the third,
the Credo (“I believe”) was
adopted in 1014 (though is
believed to date from the
4th century); and the fourth,
the Sanctus (“Holy”), rooted
in Jewish liturgy, had become
part of the Roman rite before
the reforms of Pope Gregory I.
The fifth section, Agnus Dei
(“The Lamb of God”), was
added to the Roman Mass in
the 7th century, originating
from a Syrian rite.The ritual of the Mass was
based on the Last Supper, shared
by Christ and His disciples,
seen here in this detail from
a 6th-century manuscript.US_022-023_Plainchant.indd 23 26/03/18 1:00 PM