09/03/2025
“GREGORIAN” CHANT // Today, September 3, we remember Pope Saint Gregory the Great, the 63rd successor to the chair of Peter. A studied lawyer and prefect of the City of Rome by his early thirties, he gave everything up to become a monk. He was later elected abbot, and before long became a trusted adviser to the pope.
On September 3 in 590 A.D., he himself was elected pope, and in spite of ill health, worked tirelessly for the remaining 13 years of his life. In addition to his primary role caring for souls and instructing in the Faith, he also corrected abuses and enforced discipline in the Church, commanded the military successfully against a Lombard invasion of Rome, freed monasteries from overbearing bishops, and many miracles are attributed to his intercession. He is considered to be the father of the medieval papacy.
What was his influence on the chant named after him? In the eighth century, a poem is found which begins with the words, “Gregorius Praesul”:
“Bishop Gregory, illustrious in merits and name,
rose through his noble birth to the highest honour.
He renewed the works of the Fathers of old and, being younger,
compiled this little book for the papal school of singers….”
More than 200 years after Gregory’s death, Agobar of Lyons refers to a book of chants bearing an inscription beginning with the words, “Gregorius Praesul”, leading some people to “imagine that the work was composed by the Blessed Gregory, Pope of Rome and illustrious doctor.” A few decades later, John the Deacon wrote in his 4-volume biography of Gregory the Great:
• in his own time, the schola cantorum (“school of singers” tasked with singing the liturgical chants) attributed its founding in Rome to Gregory
• Gregory was the father of the Antiphoner (book of chants arranged for the liturgical year) named after him
• the schola cantorum still had in its possession Gregory’s original Antiphoner.
Many others in a similar time frame attest to the attribution of the liturgical chants to Gregory.
A form of the verse above was fashioned into a trope (i.e. text added to an existing prayer and/or melody) leading into “Ad te levavi", the very first chant of the liturgical year. The trope concludes with the words “Eia, paraphonista, dic cm psalmista:” (Quickly, you chorister, say with the psalmist) and proceeds with the singing of the introit (entrance chant) for the First Sunday of Advent:
“Unto thee, O Lord, will I lift up my soul; my God, I have put my trust in thee: O let me not be confounded, neither let mine enemies triumph over me. For all they that hope in thee shall not be ashamed.”
Listen to this trope leading into the introit, Ad te levavi, here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QoLwvM3Czoo&list=RDQoLwvM3Czoo&start_radio=1
Will you be singing a Gregorian chant in honor of his feast today?
Pope Saint Gregory, pray for us!
Black and white photo image of trope is from an 11th century original. See comments for full image.
www.chantacademy.com
