Hymns

Ancient Greek music refers to the musical practices of the Greek world from the Archaic period through the Hellenistic and early Roman eras (roughly 8th century BCE to 3rd century CE). It was primarily monophonic, often performed by solo singer-instrumentalists or choruses, and closely tied to poetry, ritual, theater, and civic life. Its sound world was shaped by modal systems (harmoniai), tetrachordal structures, and three genera (diatonic, chromatic, enharmonic), with tuning and intervallic ethos discussed by philosophers and theorists. Rhythm followed poetic meters (e.g., dactylic, iambic, paeonic), not modern bar-based accentuation. Instruments such as the lyre, kithara, and aulos dominated, with occasional percussion and later the hydraulis. Surviving notated fragments (e.g., the Seikilos epitaph, Euripides’ Orestes chorus, hymns by Mesomedes) and treatises (Aristoxenus, Aristides Quintilianus, Ptolemy) guide modern reconstructions. Beyond entertainment, music framed worship (hymns and paeans), athletic and civic festivals, tragedy and comedy, and education. It profoundly shaped later Mediterranean liturgical chant and European music theory.

Ancient music refers to the musical practices of the literate civilizations of antiquity (e.g., Mesopotamia, Egypt, Greece, Rome, the Levant, Persia, India, and China) before the medieval period. It is largely monophonic, text-driven, and modal, and survives today through a small corpus of notated fragments, theoretical treatises, iconography, and instrument remains. Its sound world is characterized by modal pitch systems (e.g., ancient Greek harmoniai built from tetrachords), rhythm tied to poetic meter, and timbres from lyres, harps, auloi (double-reed pipes), flutes, rattles/sistra, frame drums, and early lutes. Because authentic performance practice must be reconstructed, modern revivals rely on scholarship in archaeology, philology, and organology as much as on musical craft.

Byzantine chant is the monophonic, a cappella liturgical music of the Eastern Roman (Byzantine) Church, sung primarily in Greek and organized around the octoechos (eight-mode) system. Its melodies are modal rather than harmonic, unfolding in one line supported in later practice by a sustained drone (ison). The repertory sets biblical psalms and hymnic poetry (e.g., troparia, kontakia, stichera, and canons) to melodies that follow textual accent and rhetorical pacing rather than strict meter. Notation employs neumes that encode melodic direction and ornate formulae, preserving a highly codified oral tradition. The sound is characterized by free rhythm, microtonal inflections in certain modes, and an austere, prayerful timbre designed for resonant ecclesiastical spaces. Byzantine chant remains central to the worship of the Eastern Orthodox Church and has shaped a wide family of chant traditions across the Mediterranean and Slavic worlds.

Gregorian chant is the central tradition of Western plainchant, a monophonic, unaccompanied sacred song of the Roman Catholic liturgy. Sung in Latin (and occasionally Greek), it employs modal melodies that flow with the natural accent of the liturgical text rather than a fixed meter. Characterized by stepwise motion within a narrow range and by free rhythm guided by the syllabic and melismatic shapes of the text, Gregorian chant aims to create a contemplative, prayerful atmosphere. Its melodies are organized by the medieval church modes and are transmitted in neumatic notation—first adiastematic (height-indeterminate) neumes and later square notation on a four-line staff. Although named after Pope Gregory I, the repertory crystallized during the Carolingian era as a synthesis of Roman and Gallican practices, and it became the foundation for much of Western sacred music and the development of early polyphony.

Ambrosian chant is the liturgical plainchant of the Ambrosian Rite, practiced primarily in and around Milan, Italy. It is one of the few non-Gregorian Latin chant traditions to survive in continuous use, and is closely associated with the legacy of St. Ambrose (4th century). Like other plainchant, it is monophonic, unaccompanied, and sung in Latin, but it has its own melodic idioms, modal organization, and liturgical genres distinct from the Roman (Gregorian) tradition. Its rhythms are free and speech-like, designed to carry sacred texts clearly and reverently rather than follow metrical patterns. Ambrosian hymnody, often in iambic dimeter, is a hallmark, reflecting the formative influence of early Milanese practice and Eastern antiphonal singing.

Old Roman chant is a Medieval Latin plainchant tradition associated with the papal liturgy in Rome before the universal adoption of Gregorian chant. Preserved in 11th–12th‑century manuscripts yet reflecting much earlier practice, it represents a distinct Roman repertory rather than a mere variant of the later Gregorian standard. It is monophonic, a cappella, and modal, typically more melismatic and ornate than most Gregorian melodies. The chant follows the accent and syntax of sacred Latin texts with a flexible, speech‑like rhythm. It was performed by trained clerical choirs (scholae cantorum) within the Mass and Office, using formulaic melodic patterns (centonization) and the eight ecclesiastical modes.

Gallican chant is the body of liturgical plainchant associated with the Gallican rite practiced in early medieval Gaul (roughly modern France and adjacent regions) before the Carolingian reforms. It is monophonic, unaccompanied sacred vocal music in Latin, intended for the Mass and Office. While only fragmentary musical sources survive, contemporary accounts and later comparative musicology suggest a highly ornate, melismatic style with certain Eastern (Byzantine) inflections and distinctive local liturgical usages. Gallican chant is historically important because its encounter and fusion with imported Roman chant in the late 8th–9th centuries helped give rise to the repertory we now call Gregorian chant.

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.

Syriac chant is the ancient monophonic liturgical singing tradition of the Syriac-speaking churches of the Near East, centered historically in Edessa (Urfa), Antioch, Nisibis, and the wider Mesopotamian region. Sung in Classical Syriac, it forms the musical backbone of worship in both the West Syriac (Syriac Orthodox, Syriac Catholic, Maronite) and East Syriac (Assyrian Church of the East, Chaldean Catholic) rites. The repertoire is modal, responsorial or antiphonal, and text-driven, prioritizing the intelligibility and prosody of biblical and hymnographic texts. Over centuries it absorbed Near Eastern modal aesthetics while maintaining a fundamentally unaccompanied, single-line texture designed for prayerful contemplation.

Plainchant (cantus planus) is the monophonic, unaccompanied chant of the Western Christian liturgy. Sung in Latin (with occasional Greek), it uses modal scales rather than major–minor tonality and unfolds in flexible, speech-like rhythms shaped by the sacred text. Melodically, plainchant ranges from simple syllabic formulas for reciting psalms to ornate melismatic lines for processional and festal moments. It is performed in unison by a schola or congregation, often organized antiphonally or responsorially across the liturgical actions of the Mass and the Divine Office. Its austere sonority, modal color, and text-centered phrasing give it a contemplative, timeless quality.

Traditional Black Gospel is a sacred African American musical tradition that crystallized in the early 20th century and reached a "golden age" from the 1930s to the 1950s. It pairs blues-inflected melodies and jazz harmonies with congregational call-and-response, handclaps, and testimonies of faith, hope, and deliverance. Rooted in spirituals, ring shouts, hymns, and Holiness-Pentecostal worship, it features powerful lead vocals, responsive choirs or quartets, and driving rhythmic feels (often 12/8 shuffle or swung 4/4) supported by piano or Hammond organ, tambourine, and later rhythm sections. The style is performance-centered and participatory: songs intensify through vamping, ad‑libs, modulations, and dynamic swells, transforming devotional texts into communal, ecstatic praise.

Gospel is a family of Christian sacred music that emerged from African‑American church traditions in the United States. It centers the voice, communal participation, and a message of faith, hope, and testimony. Musically, gospel is characterized by call‑and‑response, powerful lead vocals answered by choirs, rich harmonies, handclaps, and a propulsive backbeat or 12/8 shuffle. Typical ensembles include voice, piano or Hammond organ, drums, bass, and guitar, with occasional horns. Harmonically it blends simple I–IV–V frameworks with blues inflections and sophisticated chord extensions, turnarounds, and modulations that heighten emotional intensity. The genre encompasses several streams, notably traditional Black gospel, Southern (white) gospel rooted in shape‑note singing, and contemporary/urban gospel that integrates R&B, soul, and hip‑hop. Its sound and spirit have profoundly influenced American popular music—from soul and R&B to rock and roll.

Southern gospel is a Christian vocal music tradition rooted in the American South that centers on close-harmony ensembles—most famously male quartets—singing testimonies of faith, hope, and salvation. It is typically piano-led, with supportive acoustic or electric guitars, bass, and light drums, and it emphasizes rich, stacked harmony parts (lead, tenor, baritone, bass) and memorable, congregational choruses. Musically, it blends the harmony craft of barbershop and shape-note/Sacred Harp singing with the tunes and storytelling of early country and Appalachian folk. Songs often feature clear verse–chorus forms, dramatic dynamic builds, and a signature last-chorus key change. Lyrically, the style is explicitly evangelical, focusing on redemption, heaven, personal testimony, and encouragement.

Urban contemporary gospel is a modern, radio-friendly form of Black gospel that fuses the core church traditions of call-and-response, choir vamps, and faith-centered lyrics with contemporary R&B, hip hop, funk, and pop production. It features polished vocals with melismatic runs, stacked harmonies, and tight choir arrangements over drum machines, live drums, electric bass, keyboards (piano, EP, synths), and often 808s. From new jack swing grooves in the late 1980s–1990s to trap-tinged beats in the 2010s, its sound adapts mainstream Black popular music while keeping overt Christian themes, praise, and testimony at the center.

Praise & worship is a strand of contemporary Christian music designed for congregational singing in church services, conferences, and worship gatherings. It typically features a modern band (vocals, acoustic/electric guitars, keyboards, bass, and drums), singable melodies within a comfortable range, and lyrically direct, "vertical" address to God. Songs favor clear hooks, memorable choruses, and simple harmonic movement (e.g., I–V–vi–IV) to enable wide participation. Stylistically, it draws on gospel, contemporary Christian music, and pop/rock balladry, often building dynamically from intimate verses to anthemic, hands-raised choruses. The genre has spread globally through church movements, recordings, and licensing (e.g., CCLI), shaping the sound of modern worship across denominations.

Pop worship is a strand of contemporary worship music that adopts the songwriting, production sheen, and hook-forward formats of mainstream pop. It is written for congregational singing yet packaged with radio-ready arrangements, memorable toplines, and modern electronic or pop-rock sonics. Stylistically, it favors anthemic choruses, simple and declarative “vertical” lyrics (addressed to God), and dynamic builds designed for collective participation. Production often includes warm pads, shimmering synths, dotted‑eighth delay guitars, four‑on‑the‑floor drums or halftime grooves, and wide, reverb‑rich vocals. Tempos typically split between mid-tempo ballads and energetic, dance-leaning tracks. The genre thrives in both church services and streaming environments, bridging the intimacy of worship with the immediacy and polish of contemporary pop.

Contemporary Christian music (CCM) is a broad umbrella of popular music that expresses the Christian faith using the sound, structures, and production values of mainstream pop, rock, and singer‑songwriter styles. Emerging from the late‑1960s Jesus Movement, it pairs radio‑friendly hooks and polished arrangements with explicitly Christian lyrics—ranging from personal testimony and devotion to congregational praise. Over time, CCM has absorbed elements from soft rock, folk, country, and modern pop trends, and it now includes both artist‑driven radio pop and church‑oriented worship music.

Christian rock is a family of rock styles whose lyrics and outlook are explicitly Christian, ranging from evangelistic and testimonial songs to social commentary filtered through a Christian worldview. Musically, it spans the same breadth as mainstream rock—soft rock ballads, heartland and country-tinged rock, pop-rock, alternative, hard rock, and even metal—while keeping melodies and hooks accessible for radio and congregational settings. Typical instrumentation includes electric guitars, bass, drums, and keyboards, with production that varies from raw garage energy to polished arena-sized anthems. The genre coalesced out of the late-1960s Jesus movement and the early-1970s "Jesus music" scene, later developing a robust industry of labels, radio, and festivals. While purpose-driven in its message, Christian rock has produced artists who crossed into the mainstream and influenced modern worship’s arena-rock sound.

Christian alternative rock blends the sound and ethos of alternative rock with explicitly Christian lyrical themes. It favors guitar-driven textures, dynamic contrasts, and a focus on authenticity and doubt/faith narratives rather than overtly worship-oriented forms. Stylistically, it borrows from post-punk, new wave, indie rock, and later grunge and post‑grunge, often presenting introspective lyrics that wrestle with belief, identity, and social issues. Compared with mainstream CCM, Christian alternative rock typically adopts edgier tones, less polished production, and more metaphorical, poetically coded faith language.

Christian hip hop (also called holy hip hop or gospel rap) is a form of hip hop whose lyrics explicitly reflect the Christian faith, including themes of scripture, testimony, hope, social justice, and discipleship. Musically it spans the same spectrum as mainstream hip hop—from classic boom‑bap to Southern trap and melodic pop‑rap—often blending church-leaning elements like gospel choirs, worship-style hooks, and positive, exhortative messaging. While it shares the rhythmic, vocal, and production grammar of hip hop, its center of gravity is theological and pastoral, aiming to edify believers and engage broader audiences without resorting to profanity or nihilism.