Schola Antiqua, Juan Carlos Asensio Palacios

Mozarabic chant (also called Old Hispanic or Visigothic chant) is a monophonic, unaccompanied liturgical repertory that served the Old Hispanic (Mozarabic) rite of Christian worship in medieval Iberia. It features free, speech‑like rhythm, modal melodic formulas, and a mix of syllabic, neumatic, and highly melismatic passages tailored to Latin liturgical prose and poetry. Its melodies were preserved in non‑staff neumes (Visigothic notation), which transmit contour and nuance but originally lacked precise pitch, making modern performance partly reconstructive. The sound is austere yet ornate, with solo cantors and a small schola alternating antiphons, psalm verses, and long responsories within a distinctive Iberian liturgical calendar and order.