4. Hymns of the Western Church: Latin.
Two great names are associated with the music of the Western Church: Ambrose, c. 340-97, known as the “Father of Hymnody in the Western Church;” and Gregory the Great, 540-604, the missionary-minded pope, and reformer of church music.
Ambrose, Bishop of Milan, not only composed hymns and music but stimulated others to do the same. Under his leadership there developed a large body of church music based upon four scales, which came to be known as Ambrosian Chant. Although widely known as a scholar, theologian, and preacher, Ambrose’s most lasting influence was upon the music of the church. None of his hymns are found in our collection.
Gregory the Great, two centuries later, carried forward the work of Ambrose. He added four more scales or modes to the Ambrosian system, thus giving to the repertory of church music more definiteness and variety. The music that developed during the papacy of Gregory came to be known as Gregorian Chant, or plainsong, or plainchant. It is “plain” because unadorned, unharmonized and unmeasured. Its rhythm is the free rhythm of speech, the beats falling irregularly. The Gregorian Chant remained the music of the church for a thousand years and forms the basis of all Roman Catholic music today. Some of these chants were adapted by Luther for congregational singing, and set to words in the vernacular of the people. A few of the tunes, usually in a form scarcely recognizable from the original, are used today in Protestant hymnals, as for instance, the tune “Hamburg.” Some of the music in the Amish church services is traceable to the Gregorian Chant.
The singing in the medieval church was liturgical in character and confined to the clergy and trained choirs. This was its weakness. The laity was not expected to sing, neither were they able to do so. Congregational singing, so important in our worship today, had for centuries been unknown in the Roman Catholic Church. Reform was inevitable and it came in due time.
While only remnants of the music survive, many hymns from the Western Church have been translated from the Latin and a few choice ones have found their way into the Hymnary.
Latin Hymns in the Hymnary
Prudentius, 348-c. 413, “Bethlehem, of noblest cities” ([88]) Gregory the Great, 540-604, “Father, we praise Thee” ([24]) Anonymous, 6th or 7th century, “Christ is made the sure” ([277]) “Joy dawned again on Easterday” ([415]) Theodulph of Orleans, 9th century, “All glory, laud, and honor” ([100]) Bernard of Clairvaux, 1091-1153, “Jesus the very thought” ([155]) “O sacred Head, now wounded” ([539]) Bernard of Cluny, 12th century, “Jerusalem, the golden” ([262]-3) Anonymous, 12th century, “O come, O come, Emmanuel” ([67]) Savonarola, 1452-98 (Italian), “Jesus, Refuge of the weary” ([536]) Anonymous, 17th-18th centuries, “O come, all ye faithful” ([80]) “The year is gone beyond recall” ([382])