what is gregorian chant

Gregorian chant is a form of sacred song in Latin (and occasionally Greek) that has been employed within the Roman Catholic Church for centuries. It is monophonic, meaning there is only one melodic line followed by all the singers, and it is unaccompanied, meaning there are no musical instruments accompanying the singing. Gregorian chant was originally used for singing the Office (by male and female religious) and for singing the parts of the Mass pertaining to the lay faithful (male and female), the celebrant (priest, always male), and the choir (composed of male ordained clergy, except in convents) . The text, phrases, words, and eventually the syllables can be sung in various ways, with the most straightforward being recitation on the same tone, which is called "syllabic" as each syllable is sung to a single tone. Gregorian chant was named after Pope Gregory I, during whose papacy (590–604) it was collected and codified.