Learn Gregorian chant

1/10 — Let's sing psalmody together (15 min)

In this video, I introduce myself, and I show you the basics of psalmody.

2/10 — What are the rules of psalmody? (18 min)

In this video, I give you the traditional rules of psalmody: the alternation of choirs, the role of the stressed syllables, the rhythm of the text, and what pronunciation to go for. Then we sing two psalms on different tones.

3/10 — Hymns and their rhythm (12 min)

Hymns are poetry, and poetry follows traditional rules that are rarely observed today. I talk about iambic meter, trochaic meter, and we sing two hymns together.

4/10 — How to understand a Gregorian score (10 min)

Gregorian scores do not resemble modern scores. I teach you everything you need to be able to understand one: the clef, the staff, the notes, the groups, the text… and then we sing one piece.

5/10 — What are antiphons? (14 min)

To understand what the rhythm of Gregorian chant can be, we need to understand what are antiphons, and how they come to be in response to psalmody. I teach you one rhythmical approach, and we sing three antiphons together.

6/10 — Why did we sing like that in the previous video? (12 min)

In this video, I detail the choices that I made in singing those three antiphons. The choices are linked with text and modality.

7/10 — A bit of history (12 min)

We take a short break from music theory to talk about history: what is the origin of Gregorian chant? What does its history help us understand about chanting? Then, we sing the Magnificat in the 6th tone.

8/10 — A lesson about modes (21 min)

At last, we talk about something that is rarely studied today: modality, and what it means for chanting. I tell you the four elements that make a mode, in light of ethnomusicological reseach, and then I detail what that helps us understand about the first mode.

9/10 — What about ornamentation? (21 min)

It’s one of the hottest topic of Gregorian chant. Are there ornaments in chant? Yes. Who talks about it in medieval times? I give you some sources, and I detail how they happen. I teach you one that you can easily practice. Then we sing an antiphon in 7th mode with its appropriate tone.

10/10 — Some advice for your practice (9 min)

Before we conclude this introduction, I give you some advice: what book should you use? What resources are there online for scores and studying? How can you improve your individual and collective singing? I give you the names of the ensembles I listen to the most. And I explain the point of my research.