An Introduction to Gregorian Chant

Rating:
Summary: An Introduction in the Truest Sense of the Word
Review: If a thorough historical description is what you're looking for then this book will provide that more than adequately.

Mr. Crocker places the kind of chant known as Gregorian in its native environment as he takes you along with him from "the back of the cathedral" ever closer to the choir. He goes on to map out the evolution of Gregorian chant in depth, from its beginnings in Roman Catholic liturgy to its termination as part of everyday worship at Vatican II. If it is this kind of extensive historical treatment you seek, then buy this book.

However, be forewarned: if all you want is a better understanding and appreciation of plainchant purely through a knowledge of its mechanics (classification of different types of chant, melodic contour, texts used, etc.) you might come away unfulfilled, if not overloaded. Some time is indeed spent on this, but the focus is mainly a historical one.

Mr. Crocker does speak eloquently, at times almost philosophically. Thanks to this, you not only gain a thorough understanding of where chant "came from," but you walk away from the choir and out of the cathedral with a profound sense of affinity for this old and venerable sound.

You also leave with a strangely immediate awareness of your European roots.

Then again, such is the power of Gregorian chant; that it in some way, somehow, seems "familiar" to us, like something we once knew well but had forgotten. Mr. Crocker delves into this phenomenon, and tries to help us understand why this is -- an account which I personally found fascinating.

The compact disc is unspectacular in itself but a perfect learning companion to the book. No technical knowledge of music is assumed. Whether you buy this book now or later, it is an indispensable addition to any collection of tomes on plainsong, whether you be an enthusiastic novice or a weathered scholar.