Little Book of Angels by Christine Barrely

Author:Christine Barrely
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Chronicle Books LLC
Published: 2011-02-14T16:00:00+00:00

THE MASS OF THE ANGELS

Gregorian chant, a form of sacred singing, is inherited from several traditions. The early Christian communities, both Eastern and Western, freely invented their ritual chants. Beginning in the fourth century and through the sixth century, the Roman repertoire differed from the one in Gaul; in the seventh century, the two cultures intersected in Metz, where a famous school for cantors created the cantilena metensis, also known as “Metz chant.” A century later, this intonation came to be called the “Gregorian chant.”

Legend attributes the chant’s creation to Pope Gregory the Great, but historians assert it was an encounter between a Frankish king, Pepin the Short, and a pope residing in Gaul under his protection that led to the cultural exchange. In 745, Chrodegang, the bishop of Metz, had the Roman ritual adopted, adjusting it as he did so. Charlemagne, Pepin’s son, brought it into his empire. The patronage of Gregory the Great lent this new chant the prestige it enjoys today. The repertoire of Gregorian chant includes the very famous Mass of the Angels (Missa de angelis), said to go back to the twelfth century. The chant is performed a cappella, without musical accompaniment; that way the singer is freed to absorb the angelic chant in continuous praise of God.

The term “Mass of the Angels” was also traditionally used to refer to the solemn funeral rites held over the coffin upon the death of a child under seven years of age.

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