02 March 2010

Lentorama 2010: Two Millennia of Pointy Hats

Day 12: Gregory I (590-604)

The first monk to become pope, Gregory earned quite a few titles - Doctor of the Church, Latin Father, saint - thanks to his skills as a diplomat, theologian, writer and caretaker for poor Romans, who were helped by his almsgiving. He's best known to the average person today for music, as the Gregorian chants, the earliest organization and recording of sacred music, was attributed to him.

Not that he had anything to do with it. The entire enterprise seems to take hold in the 9th century, with the attribution to Gregory a fabrication. If nothing else, it likely helped the system gain acceptance, though it doesn't really explain how it made a popular comeback in 1994. And I'm sure his estate didn't get any of the royalties, which is more the pity.

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