Gregorian Chants

By Colin Shearing and Colin R. Shearing

Chanting has been used in religious ceremonies since mankind first learnt to vocalise. All ancient peoples have used chanting as a way of altering consciousness and putting themselves in touch with... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Audio CD
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1904668526
• ISBN13: 9781904668527
• Release Date: January 1
• Publisher: Mercury Books Limited
• Length: 144 Pages
• Weight: 0.25 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.6" x 10.0" x 10.0"

Customer Reviews

A fine and detailed survey of the technical forms of Gregorian chant and its evolutionary process

Anyone with an interest in the powerful religious music of the traditional Gregorian Chant will relish Colin Shearing's strikingly illustrated, informed and informative history, which pairs a music cd with a history of chant from ancient Egyptian times to its heyday in the early 9th century. Religious history, social history, and music history all blend together in a fine and detailed survey of the technical forms of Gregorian chant and its evolutionary process.

popular introduction to Gregorian chants with CD

Most of the content is on the Gregorian chants of the Catholic Church. But there is some material on the precedent of religious chanting in early and classical Mediterranean cultures, and also short sections on chanting in the world's other major religions. Gregorian chants getting their name from Pope Gregory of the late sixth century are regarded as the most mature development of Christian chanting. This Pope is "believed to be responsible for arranging the Gregorian chants which became the central pieces in religious services" with his historic reformation of Roman Catholic liturgy. Shearing puts the Gregorian chants in the context of the history of the Catholic Church, and discloses how spiritual and ecclesiastical concerns shaped them. Some technical, musicological, material on them is also included. This heavily illustrated relatively popular treatment of the chants is fortuitous considering their popularity on CDs, which takes them out of their religious context. The CD with this book contains 16 Gregorian chants. Shearing is a writer and lecturer who has traveled widely in pursuit of his spiritual interests.