The Synagogue's Influence in Early Medieval Christian Music

In the beginning of Music in the Medieval World, Albert Seay writes about music's role in early Christianity. Many of the early Christian's liturgical practices were inspired by elements in the Jewish temples and synagogues. On the first page of the book Seay writes, "As Jews, the Apostles had been accustomed to a certain succession of liturgical acts; after their conversion, their major goal was not the construction of a completely new order of services but rather the addition of purely Christian elements to an already existing Jewish framework" (7). Early Christians were influenced by the temples' liturgical arrangement and ritual. But as important as the temple was to the early Christians, the synagogue's influence became paramount. Music in the early synagogue services was important, "for music had long been a traditional way to set apart the religious act and its texts from the every day" (9). This continued to be true in Christian services as well.

As aforementioned, the Church was influenced by the synagogue service's emphasis on liturgical organization. Certain days of the year were more important than others in the Church, just as they had been in the synagogue, and the service was shaped to fit the particular day. And like the synagogue, the Church used psalms, Biblical readings, sermons, and prayers and songs. Many of the melodies used by the early Church were heavily inspired by melodies from the Jewish faith. Other elements of synagogue musical performance-such as responsorial, direct, and antiphonal singing-were incorporated into Christian services. And Christians, like the Jews, limited singing to vocal only, for they both associated instruments with paganism. Christian services, however, did grow to differ from Jewish services in some ways. The biggest difference was the addition of the Eucharist. By the third and fourth Centuries, the Christian service was divided into two parts, the Synaxis, which was open to everybody, and the Eucharist, which was reserved for Christians only. At this time the congregation still took part in psalm singing, singing the Synaxis psalms responsorially and the Eucharist psalms antiphonally. As the Church grew, though, music became more and more reserved for the clergy. Music schools, called schola cantorum, were established.  Popes Leo and Gregory are credited in particular with organizing music in the Church, with Gregory composing many of the chants used later on.