Gregorian Chant

What is Gregorian chant, and where does it come from? What purpose does it serve, and how did it take on the form and features which make it instantly recognizable? Designed to guide students through this key topic, this book answers these questions and many more. David Hiley describes the church services in which chant is performed, takes the reader through the church year, explains what Latin texts were used, and, taking Worcester Cathedral as an example, describes the buildings in which it was sung. The history of chant is traced from its beginnings in the early centuries of Christianity, through the Middle Ages, the revisions in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, and the restoration in the nineteenth and twentieth. Using numerous music examples, the book shows how chants are made and how they were notated. An indispensable guide for all those interested in the fascinating world of Gregorian chant.

Author: David Hiley
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Published: 12/17/2009
Pages: 272
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.50lbs
Size: 9.70h x 6.80w x 0.70d
ISBN: 9780521870207

About the Author
Hiley, David: - David Hiley is Professor in the Institute of Musicology at the University of Regensburg, Germany.