St. Gregory and the Gregorian Music

The author presents a concise biography of St Gregory, outlining his aristocratic upbringing, monastic retirement, service as papal envoy, reluctant election to the papacy, and vigorous administration and pastoral reforms. He recounts episodes of civic crisis management, the dispatch of missionaries to England, and disputes with eastern church authorities and imperial power. The work surveys the origins, notation, liturgical function, and melodic characteristics of Gregorian chant, drawing on medieval manuscripts and contemporary scholarship. Final chapters analyse tropes, illustrative chant examples, and practical concerns in plainsong performance and restoration.