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Part of a liturgy or religious ceremony that is sung rather than said. "Chant" as a noun simply means song. "Chant" as a verb means to sing. Any part of a religious event can be sung, and the effect is probably heightened by that singing.

In a narrower sense, "chant" refers to the sung liturgy of the early Christian church, the parts of the Mass and the Offices that were (and still are) sung to Gregorian chant. These single-line melodies with no instrumental accompaniment have an almost mystical quality for the modern ear. They use "modes" that are unlike our major and minor scales. In the Solemnes style of the Roman Catholic Church, they have no regular metrical rhythm, but rather are based on a very sophisticated expansion and enhancement of the flow of the Latin text.

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14y ago

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