What is the Gregorian chant?

The Gregorian chant is the most important and for many centuries the only kind of liturgical singing used in the Roman Catholic churches. It has a special magnificence and beauty. The word "Gregorian" is formed in the name of one pope of Rome. You can already guess what his name was. This is Gregory I, who was often called the Great. This person lived in the 6th century AD. He did not even suspect that the Gregorian chant of descendants would be associated with him. Although not everyone remembers about it.

Canon of chants, old records of chorals

However, the Gregorian chant appeared much earlier. His roots stretch from the synagogue singing. And it arose a long time ago. Pope Gregory the Great was the first to record and collect synagogue monologues. Later he composed a canon of chants based on them, which was performed in Latin. Ancient records of Gregorian singing (they are designated by nevms - predecessors of modern notes) are dated to the 9th century. As it was a long time ago ... People already knew what the Gregorian chant was.

The popularity of Gregorian singing and Umberto Eco

It is curious that the Gregorian singing, which for a long time was performed only within the walls of churches, it was in the twentieth century that it became popular among a wide range of listeners. It would seem that in the last century simple pedigree music was penned on the pedestal, but this is only at first glance ...

The ubiquity of the Gregorian hobby started about 30 years ago. This may seem strange, but it was initiated by the cinema, or rather - the adaptation of the work of Umberto Eco, entitled "The Name of the Rose". It suited many fans of good films. A composer named James Hornor and director Jean-Jacques Hanaud used the Gregorian singing as the soundtrack of a picture about the mysterious events in an ancient monastery, and they did not spoil it by excessive processing. Some directors took note of this coup, and soon Peter Jackson included similar chorals in his film The Lord of the Rings, the same thing was done by George Lucas in the tape Star Wars. Perhaps, in part, therefore, these pictures became cultic. The Gregorian chant ensured success for these films.

Gregorian Pop

In the distant 1990 there was a significant event: in popular music a new style appeared. Which one? Of course, the Gregorian pop. He had many followers. But the most famous are collectives "Gregorian", as well as "Enigma", firmly entrenched in the charts and in the hearts of fans of popular music, impregnated with a kind of mysticism. However, in their songs, a distorted single-voiced vocal was often replaced by a synthesizer. Honestly, it was not quite a real Gregorian chant. But this did not detract from the merits of the compositions of these groups.

Natives of the monasteries

And in the next decade, a large number of choirs came out of monasteries, as well as churches. Some of them began to be attributed to popular music. The example that first comes to mind is a group of Cistercian monks who left the monastery, named after the Holy Cross of the Lord, which is in Vienna. They became famous in 2008. Correspondents wrote that this is a typical "battle group", which differs from other similar collectives only in that its participants are dressed in cassocks. In a couple of years, the same popularity was won by Benedictine monks who lived in Avignon.

Gregorian chant after school

Curiously, most of the Gregorian fans are teenagers. Such a conclusion can be made on the basis of research and surveys. In addition, to be sure of this, you can simply read the comments left on the sites of the teams by their fans. Young people admit that such music is the best thing in their life.

Probably, Gregorian allows teenagers to open the door to another, mysterious world, get aesthetic pleasure. Apparently, the charm of chorals lies in their simplicity. At the same time, it seems that this is music from another, mystical and mysterious dimension. These are the features of the Gregorian chant. Perhaps the number of his fans will increase, because this, at first glance, calm singing can cause a storm of emotions, and many that's what they need.