Gregorian Chant: A Form to Worship God

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Of all ways to worship God, perhaps one of the greatest methods is through music. From the beginning of salvation history, music has been utilized by all the faithful and perhaps one of the greatest expressions of musical worship in the church would be Gregorian chant. Having roots back to the ancient Hebrews, and having been refined throughout the church’s history, Gregorian chant is arguably the highest point in unified Christian music, taking a central role in Catholic worship. It is still considered to be a great experience for all to enjoy, yet contains the words of the Lord in an elegant manner. Throughout the Church’s history, Gregorian chant grew to become one of the most important forms of worship the church has through its constant influence from the past, its development from entire nations that adopted it, and its spread and revisions from the ever-changing church.
Chant has been developed over many years, beginning with the ancient Hebrews, and, through these different expressions of Chant, Gregorian chant developed, from the first to sixth centuries, reaching its peak in the fourth century. It became the standard for all musical worship in the Catholic Church, and was picked up by a school of Frankish monks that documented and notated many chants in the ninth centuries. It is still used today, albeit rarely, for it has been in decline after the rulings of Vatican II. Despite all we do know about Gregorian chant, there is not a complete consensus regarding its history, due to a “… scarcity of factual information regarding the development of chant” (Apel 33). This leads many historians to take different sides on its development; so much of the history is left to conjecture.
Perhaps one of the greatest examples of a l...

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...ccupying a complete central role in the mass, often still takes part. Although Gregorian chant is no longer a common occurrence in Mass, it can still be easily found in popular culture, such as serving as inspiration for many modern songs, as well as being easy to find at any store.
As one of the Church’s most iconic and important forms of worship, Gregorian chant is the product of centuries of development from past music, revisions through the ages, and its spread and assimilation of other forms of chant. Gregorian chant, although no longer vogue, still serves an important role as a method of worshipping God with Heavenly beauty through music. Just as King David played music to please the lord, all the faithful should as well, and in doing so, they will be united into one community singing together, and Gregorian chant is perhaps one of the best methods to do it.

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