2 early christianity and chant

8/13/2019 2 Early Christianity and Chant

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Ancient Rome146 BCE: Romans conquer Greece, absorbing

much of the culture, but retain the Latin languageThey establish an empire: 31 BCE-5th century CELike the Greeks, they developed advancedsystems of government and laws

No ancient Roman music survives; we know it onlyfrom other types of sources.


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New Religionsc.700 BCE-700 CE: Many of the worlds majorreligious & philosophical figures emerge

Buddha: c.634-543 BC

Confucius: c. 551 -579 BCJesus: 4 BC - c. 30 CEMuhammed: 570 AD-632 CE

After the death of of Jesus, Christianity spreadsslowly through the Roman Empire.

Paul (Saul of Tarsus) helps to formulate Christiantheology and spread the Gospels, c.10 CE-67 CE


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Early Christianity Christians were persecuted by the Romans, withtorture, death, loss of property, esp. in the 3rd c The situation improved under Emperor Constantine

I, c. 306-36. 313 Constantine wins a battle after seeing the sign ofthe Cross. He adopts Christianity.

Issues the Edict of Milan, legalizing Christianity

325: The Council of Nicea resolves theologicaldisputes over the nature of Christs divinity The Nicene Creed results, as contained in the Mass

Credo.


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Early Christianity, continued 380: Roman Emperor, Theodosius I makes Christianity the

state religion for all Romans Theo was the last emperor to rule a united Roman Empire.

When he died, he divided East and West between his sons. By the 5th c., the entire Roman world was formally Christian While the western portion of the empire developed a Latin

form of Christianity, centered at Rome, the eastern portion

developed a Greek form, centered at Constantinople, andcharacterized by Byzantine chant. The eastern forms persist today in the Greek Orthodox

Church, among others.


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The Influence of Judaism onChristianity

Much of the Christian Mass, the central worship service of themiddle ages, includes rituals derived from Jewish practice.

Jesus Last Supper, commemorated in the Mass, is a symbolicsacrifice and related to the Jewish Passover meal. Singing psalms is a central element of both Jewish and

Christian observances. Melodic formulae used for singing psalms in the Christian

Church derived from Jewish cantillation. Specific texts from the Jewish liturgy appear in the ChristianMass (translated from Hebrew into Latin), such as the firstpart of the Sanctus of the Mass.


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Within Latin Christendom, the Christian Church was the mostcentralized and powerful institution

Rome was its center; its bishop had political power Monasteries emerge across the West, beginning 500 St. Benedict (480-543) established the dominant rule of

Christian monasticism:

The Rule of St. Benedict Specifies rules for monastic living, including hours to pray,

duties, meals, etc. Values humility, obedience, perseverance and a love of

silence Monasteries became important centers of knowledge, culture,

and local authority Utilized the churchs wealth, education, and resources Psalm Singing was a key component of Christian monastic

worship. The root of this practice lies in the Bible itself

Image source: http://www.worth.org.uk/

guides/m6.htm

The Church & The Monastery


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We believe that God is present everywhere and that theeyes of the Lord behold the good and the bad in every

place. Let us firmly believe this, especially when we takepart in the Work of God. Let us, therefore, always bemindful of what the Prophet saith, "Serve ye the Lordwith fear. And again, "Sing ye wisely. And, "I will sing

praise to Thee in the sight of the angels. Therefore, letus consider how it becometh us to behave in the sight ofGod and His angels, and let us so stand to sing, that ourmind may be in harmony with our voice.

From the Rule of St. Benedict:On the Manner of Reciting the Psalter:


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Early Church Fathers on Music

(is music appropriate for worship?) Music has spiritual power, as seen through chant Chanting brings one closer to God, imparts

wisdom from the Holy Spirit Promotes a sense of community and harmony Emphasis on chanting Biblical Psalms

Instruments are licentious, idle, unproductive(but some disagreement exists--why?)Again, what Greek ideas do we see here?


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Augustine (354-430) Pagan father, Christian mother A professor of rhetoric in Milan Converted to Christianity, c. 387, founded

a religious community in Hippo (N. Africa)

He became a bishop and a saint. Hiswritings are considered fundamental toChristian theology

Music is a vehicle of profound expression,not just mathematical calculation.

Music is also dangerous, sinfully beautifuland distracts from words of worship Promoted hymn singing for God See TEXT BOX, p. 27.


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From Augustines autobiographical work,Confessions, Book X, 33:

I realize that when they are sung these sacredwords stir my mind to greater religious fervor andkindle in me amore ardent flame of piety than if

they were not sung. I also know that there areparticular modes in song and in the voice,corresponding to my various emotions and able tostimulate them because of some mysteriousrelationship between the two. But I ought not toallow my mind to be paralyzed by the gratification

of my senses which often leads it astray So Iwaver between the danger that lies in gratifying thesenses and the benefits which, as I know fromexperience, can accrue from singing.

Augustines Ambivalence


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From the 4th c. forward, sung chant pervades medieval Christianworship (in addition to speaking)

Many regional liturgies and chant styles existed throughout

western EuropeFor example: Old Roman Rome Mozarabic Spain Celtic Ireland Ambrosian Milan Gallican France/GermanyOverall, chant practice varied widely across western Europe.

Chant: Variety & Regionality


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Charlemagne, as well as his father Pepin, attemptto standardize the variations in chant practices intoa single, unified, authentic liturgy.

They suppressed the local Gallican liturgy(associated with Frankia), intending toreplace it with Old Roman chant, which theysaw as most authentic and original type.

786: Pope Hadrian sent Roman singers from theschola cantorum and liturgical books to teach theirchant to the Frankish kingdom

The singers taught Old Roman Chant to the

Frankish citizens, largely through oral transmission,then went back to Rome.

Charlemagne insisted that all Christian regions inhis reach adopt Old Roman chant in place of theirown local versions.

Old Roman Chant Comes to Frankia

Charlemagne with

his advisor-scholarAlcuin


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But, something changed in the transmissionprocess: As the Frankish citizens learned the Old Roman

chant, the tunes shifted and varied, andcombined with local Gallican chant practices.

The result was a chant that had elements ofRoman and elements of Frankish, but wasultimately neither.

This new chant (combining elements from bothRoman and Frankish styles) was calledGregorian.

The Birth of Gregorian Chant


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There are several different ideas about this:The mixup was just a normal byproduct of the learning &

oral transmission processThe Franks were reluctant to give up their own traditionsJohn the Deacon, a Roman, said: The Franks werebarbaric and crude; They were too primitive a people tolearn the great chant of Rome properly

Notker Balbulus, a Frank, said: The Romans purposelytaught the chant to the Franks incorrectly. They wantedthe glory of God all to themselves.

What happened?(Why, or how, did Old Roman and Frankish chant

practices get mixed up?)


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Legends circulated during the middle ages thatPope Gregory the Great (r. 590-604) composedthe Roman chant liturgy, with the help of somedivine intervention.

Legend said the Gregory I was inspired by the

Holy Spirit (in the form of a dove) who perchedon his shoulder and sang the tunes in his ear. Ascribe copied them down. (See Text Figure 2.5, p.31) (What is wrong with this picture?)

It is true that Gregory I likely promoted the use ofold Roman chant, but he did not compose orinvent the corpus.

Still, medieval western Christians tended toaccept the story as fact.

Image source:http://

www.hymnsandcarolsofchristmas.com/images/

Gregory_1.JPG

Why is Gregorian Chant called Gregorian?

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