Gregorian Chant is the music of the Western Christian Church, and since the Reformation exclusively of the Roman Catholic Church. Named after Pope Gregory the Great (d.604), it cannot be claimed for certain that the plainchant that has been handed down over the centuries originates that far back in time. We do know that between the death of Gregory the Great and the pontificate of Gregory II (715–31), Mass Propers were supplied for the Thursdays of Lent, and that the majority of the chant that has survived dates from the 8th to 11th centuries.
This release provides a selection of chant depicting the perception of Christ according to the Church in the 1st to 6th centuries. The relationship between Roman Chant and Gregorian is a close and complex one; from research we do know that the earliest plainchant dates back to the late period of the Roman Empire (which had by then adopted Christianity), and the pontificate of Pope Vitalian (657–72).
Other information:
- Recorded in 2005.
- Booklet notes, source details and sung texts included.
