What is a Gregorian Chant?

It was one of the earliest forms of music that set the bar for all modern day music.

When was it invented?

Gregorian chants were used at their highest during the period knows as, “The Dark Ages”, so most chants are spiritual in nature and quite dark sounding.

Design

Gregorian chants were the design for all modern day

music accept for some noticeable differences in the bar

staff and note structure.

Design

Gregorian chants were designed on a 4 bar staff which is different from our modern day music staff. The Gregorian Notes also looked quite different from modern day notes.

Notes

Unlike modern day notes, Gregorian chant notes were squares on a line that would either move up or down at a diagonal or vertical angle

Notes

Most notes were generally tied or separate (All songs always started and ended on the same pitch.)

Number Count

Notes were all given a separate number count, some notes counted from anywhere between 1-4 beats

Punctum and Virga

• These are just a single note looking structure which is equivalent to modern day 8th notes

Punctum & Virga = 1/8 Note

• =

Podatus

• When one note is written above another, the bottom note is sung first and is equivalent to the modern day 8th note tie

Podatus = 1/8 Note Tie

Clivis

• When the higher note comes first, it is written like this

• Clivis = 1/8 note tie

•

WHAT’S WITH THE WEIRD NAMES!?• In early music and history

everything was in LATIN!• Confusing… Yes• Irritating… Yes

Scandicus

• Three or more notes going upward

• Scandicus = Three 1/8 note tie

•

Salicus

• Three or more notes going upward, but the middle one has a vertical episema: that note is slightly lengthened.

• Salicus = 3 1/8 note (8th half)

Climacus

• Three or more notes going downwards.

Climacus = 3 1/8 notes descending

Still more weird names…

Om-nom-nom-nom-nom-nom-nom

Torculus

• Three notes that go up and then back down

• Torculus = 3 1/8 note “down up down”

Porrectus

• A high note, a low note, and a high note. The line starts at the first note and goes down to the middle note

• Porrectus = 3 1/8 notes “up down middle”

Scandicus Felxus

• Four notes, going up and then dropping down

• Scandicus Felxus = 4 1/8 notes ascending, drop

BUT WAIT… There's still More!

Crying face! =..(

Porrectus flexus

• A porrectus with a low note on the end.

• Porrectus Flexus = 4 1/8 notes

Climacus resupinus

• The opposite of a scandicus flexus

Torculus Resupinus

• “Low-up-down-up” 4 8th notes

Pes Subbipunctus

• One note up, and two notes down, equivalent to 4 8th notes;

Virga Subtripunctis

• 4 notes in a row going down ward, equivalent to 4 8th notes going down

Virga Praetripunctis

• 4 notes in a row going up, it looks different then described, equivalent to 4 8th notes going up

BAD NEWS!

What was just shown was only about ½ of the notes in the actual Gregorian Music!

GOOD NEWS!

• It would take far too long to show and explain all of them- Moving on!

Lyrics

Lyrics for Gregorian chants were mainly written in Latin.

Lyrics

Rhythm and notes were also predicted by the amount of syllables

What did they sound like?Gregorian chants are something

that are used at church and temple.

BUT WAIT!

• What if you don’t go to church or temple or any religious ceremonies?

Well..

• To describe it to any person in general it simply sounds like chanting, a long continuous chain of chanting in one specific Key.

Who was the inventor of it?Well its hard to really say who Was the specific Inventor. What is known is that it was mainly a group of catholic priests who started to use it instead of saying prayers in speech,

they could chant it chorally.

What Keys were they written in?These chants were written in all

8 keys of the musical scale

:Those keys Are

The Key of C,F,G: a relatively happy key used tin generally happy/ holiday chants. These keys were more common over all in church ceremonies and modern day

The Minor Keys

The keys of D,E, and A: all minor keys that are more commonly used in funerals today or in some video games. The most common minor keyed song that I guarantee almost all of you know, is the original Halo Theme Song

Aren't We Missing Something?Now you may have noticed (if u are a music wizz) I neglected to mention one

specific key. That key was the key of B

The Key of B

Gregorian chants back in the days of old were NEVERwritten in the key of B for many reasons

Reason 1The Key of B, when compared to with all other keys on the piano(in this case Organ/Chorus) for one thing has no melodic or harmonic tune that sounds pleasant to the ear

Reason 2

The key of B was thought to be evil and cursed and was forbidden to be written for any chant whether it be for the Catholic church or not

Reason 3

The Key of B was thought to be the key of the Devil and if played would bring death or Curse all Mortals

Halo_Soundtrack_-_halo_theme.mp3

C__DOCUME~1_TEMP_Desktop_HALO_S~1[1].MP3

FIN!

Zzzzzzzzzzzz