Medieval Chant

The roots of most Western classical music can be found in the medieval chant, which flourished in the 9th century, an era when Catholic Mass music was standardized into the Gregorian chant. For most of us, the chant lives on as the refined soundtrack to Christmas, or perfect meditation music. Discover the genre's masterworks here.

One of the most prolific medieval chant composers was the mystical abbess, Hildegard of Bingen. Around 80 of her works have survived from the 12th century, all of them intended for performance by the nuns at her convent. In the absence of holy women from the Middle Ages, we've included interpretations by the modern group Sequentia.

Of all the late-medieval composers, there was none more famous than Guillaume de Machaut, a survivor of the Black Death and the mastermind behind La Messe de Notre Dame (Mass of Our Lady), the first mass acknowledged to be the work of a single author, here performed by the early-music ensemble the Clemencic Consort.

Possession of a monkish puddin' bowl haircut is not required to fully enjoy the incredible vocal arrangements in our Medieval Chant playlist. Without pioneering composers like Léonin and Pérotin, there would be no refined polyphony, no musical harmony, and the world would have been stuck in mono. This eclectic compilation of key pieces spanning the bulk of the Middle Ages not only brings the past to life, but also confirms the notion that great music is timeless.