Gregorian Chant: Perfect Music for the Sacred Liturgy

Below is an excellent lecture on the history, characteristics, qualities, and purpose of Gregorian Chant. I too have a love for Gregorian Chant and I sing it as part of a men’s Latin Schola in my parish for the 7:30 AM Sunday Mass, which is Novus Ordo, but is more solemn and traditional. I view it as a step to help our parish move towards traditional Catholicism — or just Catholicism. However, although my love for chant continues to grow, I am rather ignorant of its true riches.

Dr. Peter Kwasniewski is incredibly knowledgeable on the subject, as well as on the Traditional Latin Mass that Gregorian Chant serves. His book, Noble Beauty, Transcendent Holiness: Why the Modern Age Needs the Mass of Ages , is excellent.

Gregorian Chant Today

Catholic News Service recently did a series of video reports on Gregorian Chant, what it is, and how it’s making a comeback in the Church. This is a great introduction to the music of the Church, in essence an ancient form of prayer that seemed at times to have been lost, but has been with us all along.

This last video is somewhat interesting in that the music in it is mostly not chant at all. Still, beautiful music.