The appearance of choral music in the churches: a Roman story.
“God respects me when I work; He loves me when I sing.”
R. Tagore
Humans sing in groups since they started gathering around the fire at night, chasing away obscure enemies back in the woods. That is, since the beginning of time.
They felt warm and close to each other. They shared homesickness or the longing for love. The loss of a child became everybody’s, like the fear of the unknown or the joy of being back. Singing together meant working through sorrow and memories. It still does. Over the centuries, the heart-warming power of chorales has never faded.
Choirs accompany rituals and festivals as they used to thousands of years ago. Singing is essential in every culture, just like religion, where temples are oriented toward the East everywhere. The chorus is found in Greek theater, the Iliad, the synagogues of ancient Israel, and among the Pygmies, whose highest cultural exhibition it represents.
Individuals who stand and sing at once are an immortal image. They could be in a church or at a pop concert. We could see them on the streets, harmonizing their voices into one unique sound. Be it Gregorian chants, gospel, Christmas Carols, or refrains in a parade song, the purpose never changes. Voices in an ensemble allow us to envision shared emotions. Single melody lines stand for personal feelings. The universal human aspiration toward hope and happiness resounds in the musical chord they form.
We hear choirs during religious services, recitals, or even on the street. Our ancestors feared passing and invented practices and celebrations to avoid thinking about it. Science still hasn’t defeated death, and so we follow their path. Society celebrates events that, in origin, were related to solstices and equinoxes. Even now, birth, entry into adulthood, and family define substantial steps in people’s lives. For all these chapters, a choir could sing a hymn.
We keep forgetting that, as humans, we are nothing but an animal species with a developed cerebral cortex. Nesting is one of our ancestral needs. Nothing resembles a nest more than a choir. Its members often describe themselves as part of a family. The sense of belonging to a group makes people feel safe. In ancient times, the threat could be the beasts in the forest, a thunderstorm, an earthquake, or a fire outburst. Today, it is a frantic world based on the cult of work and competition. Very little time is left for relations. We might produce dopamine almost exclusively through eating and compulsive online shopping. We developed avoidant personalities. These are the monsters we must fight against. Western society has never been this shattered; people feel lonely as rarely before. Community life is getting replaced by individual life.
Each rule wants its exception, however. Choirs still exist, meaning that some people choose not to stay away from emotions and to express them collectively. The time spent with fellow members and the audience becomes precious. A special moment, which the Greeks called Kàiros. In this case, it is a shared exchange of feelings. The longing for beauty has never been so alive as in our day. Choral singing secures a lifeline for some.
I have been singing in a polyphonic choir in the churches of Rome, Italy, for many years. As an art history major and Tourist Guide, I visit St. Peter’s Basilica almost daily. What a thrilling moment it was when I discovered that Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina, one of the most significant composers of polyphonic music, is buried in the left transept. Yet, I shouldnìt have been surprised. The Eternal City has a choral singing tradition among the most ancient in the world.
Let's say we visit St. Peter's Basilica one day. Since the church was built, about a thousand people have been buried there: popes, cardinals and clerics, royal families, and Catholic aristocrats. Among these tombs, one in particular is noteworthy for our story. In the left transept, right next to the altar of St. Joseph, lies Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina (c.1525-1594), a leading Italian composer of Renaissance polyphony. As a boy, he took the first steps of his musical career in a choir as one of the putti cantori (children's choir) of the Basilica Santa Maria Maggiore. Later in life, he published various Misse Cantate (sung masses) and was admitted among the papal choristers in the Sistine Chapel. After that, he became a choirmaster in St. John Lateran and then again in Santa Maria Maggiore. Together with other choir directors, singers, and performers in Rome, he founded the Accademia di Santa Cecilia, which is today among the world's most prestigious music schools. During his life, Palestrina has been celebrated as the greatest and most famous composer of his time.
St. Peter’s basilica. View from the dome.
Following the Council of Trent, Palestrina’s music became the benchmark for future composers because of its interpretation of the sacred texts. The excellent clarity of its melodic line and the transparency of the counterpoint were not in conflict with the words of the liturgy. Instead of overriding the text, as occurred in most music productions of the 15th century, Palestrina's compositions were at the service of the word and instead commented on it. As in visual arts in music, the Counter-Reformation also demanded a direct, intelligible, and evocative transmission of the holy message. Palestrina was a reference point for authors such as Johann Sebastian Bach and Ludwig van Beethoven. Even today, we turn to his work regarding the counterpoint technique. The life and works of this great composer are inextricably linked to Rome and vocal polyphony. It is no coincidence that, centuries earlier, Gregorian chant originated essentially in the same basilicas he attended his entire life. Regarding vocal polyphony in sacred music, Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina undoubtedly represents the most important Italian composer. His works are among the most beautiful ever written.
In Europe, Christian choral music has played a vital role in the evolution of Western musical culture. Heir to ancient Mediterranean traditions - mainly Hebrew - it was in choral music that the oldest known form of musical notation (neume) appeared around the 9th century AD. Consequently, the Catholic liturgical chant has age-old roots. This is a story of Jews in exile spreading their customs, Eastern saints traveling to remote regions to convert pagans, precious illuminated manuscripts disappearing into thin air, popes desperately trying to preserve their independence, and rulers longing to legitimize their power.
In the imperial age, secular songs accompanied religious celebrations and games. The organ, an instrument of Persian origin, announced the emperor at the Colosseum. Nevertheless, the Christian chant derives from Jewish psalmody. The beginning of this narrative is lost in the roaming of Jews after the temple's destruction in Jerusalem, the first time by Nebuchadnezzar II (587 BC) and again by Titus (70 AD). With the collapse of Solomon's Temple, musical instruments accompanying ceremonies gradually disappeared in favor of the exclusive use of human voice as a sign of mourning for the fall of Jerusalem. The destruction of the second Temple led to the Diaspora in the Mediterranean and beyond. It was the Jews who spread the message of Christ throughout the Roman Empire, and it is therefore reasonable to assume that early Christianity was influenced by synagogal liturgy. Cantors are the direct heirs of psalmody soloists in the synagogues.
According to an ancient legend, Pope Sylvester I, or Pope Damasus, is believed to have founded the first Schola Cantorum - a choir school - inside San Giovanni in Laterano in 4 th century AD. Along with St. Peter's Basilica and San Paolo Fuori le Mura, the Lateran church represented a magnet around which Rome’s reputation as a sacred center grew since early Christianity. We know virtually nothing about this first institution, mainly because, at that time, the melody of chants was transmitted orally from master to disciple. The classical world had known a graphic notation of music, which unfortunately went lost in the Middle Ages. In the 6th century A.D., St. Isidore of Seville said: "Unless the memory of man holds sounds, they perish because they cannot be written down."
The four papal basilicas were associated with certain celebrations and traditions during the early Middle Ages; St. Peter's Basilica and San Paolo Fuori le Mura became essential places of attraction for pilgrimages, given the presence of the Apostles' tombs. Santa Maria Maggiore became the church where the Pope celebrated Christmas Mass, while Easter Mass was held in St. John Lateran.
St. John Lateran. View of the cathedra.
In origin, the schola cantorum assembled in a fenced area - identically named - at the end of the central aisle, just in front of the main altar. At times, such an area could be slightly elevated and connected to the sanctuary by a small gate called porta santa (holy door). The enclosure was wooden or made of marble, with relief or Cosmatesque decorations. Here stood the choristers, intoning the first part of the psalms, followed by the faithful singing. There are specific hymns for each holy feast, and in the Middle Ages, they were kept in illuminated manuscripts displayed on the focal point of the choir. From the pulpit, the deacon showed the images to the faithful every time the scrolls were unfolded.
A magnificent medieval schola cantorum can still be admired in Rome's Basilica of San Clemente. Furthermore, the inscription on the mosaic-decorated triumphal arch derives from an antiphon of the Christmas service and was sung aloud at the altar during the first part of Mass. Also, in S. Maria in Trastevere, the inscription in the apse concerns the service of the First Sunday of Advent and the Annunciation.
St. Clemente. Schola cantorum in the central aisle.
Thus, Gregorian chant was born in Italy, accompanying the Catholic liturgy for over a thousand years. The name goes back to Pope Gregory I (6th century AD). During his pontificate, the Roman liturgical tradition acquired a rather precise structure; a cantorial school was founded, intended for boys with beautiful voices. Pope Gregory I donated land to the new organization and two houses were built, one in the Lateran area and the other in the Vatican. The purpose of such an institution was to impart singing techniques and repertoire, which survived through word of mouth. Supposedly, the entire training lasted nine years.
Pope Gregory I led an ascetic life and founded several monasteries. Monasticism, a religious way of life of Asian origin, began to appear in Europe around his time, following the chaos generated by barbarian invasions. Monasteries played a crucial role in propagating sacred choral music. It was the monks who hand-transcribed traditional chants in the manuscripts. The copying rooms producing codices were called scriptoria. Since the 9th century, there was an essential scriptorium in Rome, near the Basilica of Santa Cecilia in Trastevere. By sheer coincidence, St. Cecilia is also the patron saint of music. Outside Rome, the most crucial scriptorium of the region was at the Monte Cassino Abbey, where Abbot Desiderius came from (11th century). At some point, he became Cardinal of Santa Cecilia in Trastevere, moved to Rome, and promoted new forms of liturgical chant, influencing, among other things, the realization of the Gradual of Cologny.
Gregorian chant has preserved to this day the sacred atmosphere of its origins when choristers intonated austere, magnificent lauds to the Lord in ancient basilicas. The magic of declaimed words, combined with melody, resounded in the vast mosaic-covered vaults, giving uniqueness and clarity to the message conveyed. From the apse, the apostles Peter and Paul watched over the choir and Rome with stern looks. Choir members performed anonymously. Singing was seen as a way to serve the Lord.
Through the establishment of monasteries and abbeys, church architecture also developed; in important churches, from the 12th century onwards, the area between the main altar and apse began to be called “choir” and to be furnished with inlaid wooden chairs, which choir members and clergy occupied.
A beautiful legend tells of a manuscript with a golden chain attached to the main altar of Old St. Peter’s Basilica. Known as Antiphonarius Cento and allegedly assembled by Pope Gregory I, this collection of chants turns out to be the core of the repertoire of Gregorian chant. It is not clear whether Gregory I actually wrote or put together traditional chants into a collection. Hidden behind a drape, the legend reads that Pope Gregory dictated the manuscript to a monk. Because of the long breaks the pope took while dictating, the monk became curious and discovered that once he pulled aside the drape, a dove- the Holy Spirit himself - whispered the chants into the pope's ear. The Antiphonarius would thus be divinely inspired. Such a mythical collection was lost later, presumably during an unidentified military siege in medieval times. Most of this fascinating story seems to have been made up by John the Deacon from Montecassino (8th century), biographer of Pope Gregory I and historian.
Realistically, this collection of chants seems to date back to the 8th century, as Pope Stephen II traveled to Gaul to validate the coronation of Pepin the Short, King of the Franks, in exchange for military protection against the Langobards. Once at the court of King Pepin, the pope discovered a completely different musical tradition of Eastern origin. This could be due to Irenaeus of Lyon (2nd century AD), an influential theologian from Smyrna who had relocated to Gaul and converted the country to Christianity.
After the fall of the Roman Empire, contact between European cities and the Mediterranean area was significantly reduced. As a result, the Christian liturgy lost its unity. In the Eastern regions of the Mediterranean, Greek emerged as the official language of the Orthodox Church, while the Catholic Church in Western Europe adopted Latin. However, we know the service was held in Greek until the 4th century in Rome. As for chants, several independent traditions formed. In the early Middle Ages, Greek and Latin hymns were sung in Rome.
Due to Pope Stephen II's journey, Pepin the Short adopted a Roman liturgical chant, perhaps to legitimize his power through the Pope's endorsement. As we know it today, Gregorian chant grew out of this Roman-Gallic fusion. Charlemagne continued the work of his precursor and spread this rite throughout the Holy Roman Empire.
This is the kind of Gregorian chant that, centuries later, has been renewed in its essence by Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina. A harmony that touches us genuinely. A message of eternity, whose purity and gravity we perceive unchanged. Today, this message is still alive and meaningful. The charm of Gregorian chant lies precisely in its timelessness. In other words, man is always the same: a miserable, lost creature who fears death and takes comfort in a deep sense of beauty. For this reason, today, as in the past, the perfect place for choral singing remains the church. Or, to be even more precise, the chapel.
The first known schola cantorum in the Basilica of St. John Lateran still exists today and is called Cappella Musicale Pia Lateranense. This polyphonic choir has been reformed several times over the centuries, and since the 16th century, it sings accompanied by the organ, therefore no longer a cappella. This term refers to polyphonic singing without musical accompaniment, as it happens for the choir of the Sistine Chapel. The vocal group Cappella Musicale Pontificia Sistina adds background to the papal liturgies and embodies the heritage of Palestrina’s tradition. In the past, papal masses were mainly held in the Sistine Chapel. However, nowadays, St. Peter's Basilica is preferred. The chorale comprises twenty singers, thirty-five pueri cantores, or a boy’s choir.
Now, let’s go back to St. Peter’s Basilica. We could admire the sunlight shining through the stained glass windows if we entered the church on a summer day, around five o'clock in the afternoon. The rays would remind us, more than anything else, that we are in the house of God. The shimmering gold leaf would make this feeling even more intense. From the Catholic perspective, the home of the Lord had to be magnificent. It is an ancient concept expressed over the centuries through sublime architecture, multicolored marble decorations, intricate mosaics, and sunlight streaming in from windows. The golden tiles always symbolized divine light. And then, there is the beauty of chants. More than anything else, choral music represents man's invocation to God.
“To sing is to pray twice.”
(St. Augustine)
