Plainchant

Plainchant, also known as plainsong. The term is taken from the Latin cantus planus, and is usually associated with the Latin chant of the Western Church. It has a wide stylistic remit, from simple psalm recitation sung by the whole monastic community to virtuosic solo and choral chants such as offertories. All plainchant is monophonic — that is, it consists of an unharmonized line of melody. ‘Plainchant’ also encompasses a wide chronological range, from the core repertory of Office and Mass chants, whose origins lie some way before the earliest surviving notated manuscripts of the 9th century, to chants newly composed for saints’ offices into the 15th century and beyond. Many chants use...