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Preface

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 October 2014

David Hiley
Affiliation:
Universität Regensburg, Germany
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Summary

This book tries to answer some of the questions which are often raised about Gregorian chant: what is it about and why is it the way it is? where does it come from, who composed it, and for whom? These are questions about its history, and the book is orientated towards historical matters. Thinking about the nature of Gregorian chant may nevertheless help explain why so many are interested in it and like to listen to it. For it may very well be that more people listen to Gregorian chant today, or have heard it at some time or other, in some form or other, than at any time in history. In sheer numbers, that is, not as a percentage of the population in lands with a Christian heritage. Every so often a recording of Gregorian chant climbs towards the top of the sales charts (as I write these words, the singing of the monks of the Cistercian Abbey of Heiligenkreuz in Austria is making the running). No beat, no harmony, such simple note patterns! Sung quietly, free from tension, it is far removed indeed from modern music of almost every kind, and a welcome respite from the haste and clamour of everyday life. Its ‘other-worldly’ character appeals to esoteric movements, and it has been thoroughly exploited in branches of the entertainment industry.

By contrast with this popularity of Gregorian chant outside the church, things are less happy in the original home of chant, the worship of the Christian church.

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Gregorian Chant , pp. xvii - xix
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2009

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  • Preface
  • David Hiley, Universität Regensburg, Germany
  • Book: Gregorian Chant
  • Online publication: 05 October 2014
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511807848.002
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  • Preface
  • David Hiley, Universität Regensburg, Germany
  • Book: Gregorian Chant
  • Online publication: 05 October 2014
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511807848.002
Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • Preface
  • David Hiley, Universität Regensburg, Germany
  • Book: Gregorian Chant
  • Online publication: 05 October 2014
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511807848.002
Available formats
×