Schola cantorum (papal choir)

The Schola Cantorum was the trained papal choir during the Middle Ages, specializing in the performance of plainchant for the purpose of rendering the music in church. In the fourth century, Pope Sylvester I was said to have inaugurated the first Schola Cantorum, but it was Pope Gregory the Great who established the school on a firm basis and endowed it. The choir ranged anywhere from twenty to thirty boys or men. Only the most skilled in singing were selected to participate in the Schola Cantorum.

Due to the lack of a system of notation and theoretical writings, there is very little known about the musical systems prior to the Greeks. Musicians of the middle age did not have a single example of Greek or Roman music. It was not until the Renaissance that historians discovered only a few ancient songs and hymns of the classical era. From these surviving specimens, we can see that primitive music developed in two major ways. The first was that singing was primarily monophonic – that is, melody without harmony or counterpoint. The soloist would sing based on the repetition of two neighboring tones with no accompaniment. The second was of an improvisatory style where the melody and rhythm were intimately bound up with the melody and rhythm of poetry.

To the west, the Romans left very few traces of musical development partly because it was deliberately suppressed during the persecution of Christians during the first two centuries. Leaders of the early Christian church wanted to exterminate music which had memories associated with the revels and rituals with Roman music. However, it was during this period that art, architecture, music, philosophy, new religious rites, and many other aspects of Greek culture were brought in from the Hellenistic world. It is uncertain whether or not Romans made any significant contributions to the theory or practice of music, but historians are certain that their music was derived from the Greeks.

Singing is so basic to man that its origins are long lost in antiquity and predate the development of the spoken language. We do know however, that music of the early Middle Ages in Western Europe was derived from the ancient Greeks in terms of form and concept. The singer would sing improvised or monophonic melodies with the rhythm, accent, and movement according to the text. This ancient heritage would greatly influence development of music in Western Europe through the Christian Church.

Peace between the Church and the Roman Empire greatly effected the liturgical life and musical practice of Christians. In the fourth century AD, Constantine became the first Roman emperor to convert to Christianity. This conversion led to the proclamation of the Edict of Milan, which decreed religious tolerance throughout the empire. With more and more converts, it was clear that services could no longer be conducted in the informal manner of the early days. This freedom in religion allowed the church to build for large basilicas which made it possible for public worship and for Christians to finally assume a new dignity. Music, in particular had its own place in these newly constructed basilicas. As the early church of Jerusalem spread westward to Western Europe, it brought along musical elements from diverse areas. It was during this time that the Schola Cantorum made its first appearance at the service of liturgical celebration.

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Wikipedia