Gregorian Chant

Gregorian Chant, monophonic, or unison, liturgical music of the Roman Catholic Church, used to accompany the text of mass and the canonical hours, or divine office. Gregorian chant is named after St. Gregory I, during whose papacy (590-604) it was collected and codified. Charlemagne, king of the Franks (768-814), imposed Gregorian chant on his kingdom,where another liturgical tradition the Gallican chant was in common use. During the 8th and 9th centuries, a process of assimilation took place between Gallican and Gregorian chants and it is the chant in this evolved form that has
Come down to the present.

Gregorian chant is the central tradition of Western plainchant, a form of monophonic, unaccompanied sacred song of the Roman Catholic Church. Gregorian chant developed mainly in western and central Europe during the 9th and 10th centuries, with later additions. Although popular legend credits
It is the music of the Roman Rite, performed in the Mass and the monastic office. Although Gregorian chant supplanted or marginalized the other indigenous plainchant traditions of the christian west to become the official music of the Christian liturgy. Although Gregorian chant is no longer obligatory, the Roman Catholic Church still officially considers it the music most suitable for workship. Music was an essential part of civic, religious, and courtly life in the Renaissance. The rich interchange of ideas in europe, as well as political, economic, and religious events in the period 1400-1600 led to major changes in styles of composing, methods of disseminating music, new musical genres, and the development of musical instruments. The most important music of the early Renaissance was composed for use by the church polyphonic( made up of several simultaneous melodies) mass and motets in latin for important churches and court