Gregorian Chant and Holy Week

As a lover of music and tradition--and as Holy Week is upon us--I wanted to do some research on the types of music that would have been sung for Holy Week masses during the Middle Ages. I searched for some of the Gregorian Chants specific to these days--here's what I found:

Click here for a website with recordings from St. Benedict's Monastery in São Paulo, Brazil. This has a number of recordings of all the masses during Holy Week; although sometimes the sound quality is not perfect, I think it's kind of interesting to hear birds chirping in the background.

Below are two links to the abby of Solesmes, in France. The first gives a decent description of Gregorian Chant (as a subject), the second describes the order of the mass (for those who may not be familiar with the service).
Gregorian Chant
Order of the Service

Gregorian Chant was recorded in one of the earliest forms of written music called neumes: click here for a description of them and how to read them.

Finally, this is a link to a youtube video I found. It is described as an "old Roman chant" for "Easter Sunday Service." The organ pedel that you hear in the background is called a "drone," which did often accompany Gregorian Chant when it was sung.

Happy Easter!

~C. Erba

Crusades Songs and Troubadours

After reading The Song of Roland, I was interested in the kind of music that was popular during the time of the Crusades. As it turns out, the crusades were actually seen as a catalyst for music in Europe, partially because it increased contact with Islamic culture and music which influenced European artists, but mostly because of the rise of the troubadours. Before the crusades, the most common form of music was church-related, either being Gregorian Chant, a Sequentia or other similar forms. About the time of the Crusades, however, individual musicians began to rise. Many journeyed with the crusaders and wrote of their adventures, while more remained behind either in the service or a lord or as travelers. With the rise of chivalry, tales of honor, love and courage became very popular.

This website lists some details on the more famous of the troubadours, and even has some samples of their work.

-Peter C.