The great music tradition of today that we so often take for granted is actually rooted in the most unlikely of places: sacred chant music. Undoubtly used by various pagan religions in early Europe, it became the only authorized form of music under the Catholic church. In the early middle ages, music was primarily monophonic and any deviation outside of such a practice was considered too temporal. Later, organum was introduced, adding the first form of "texture" to chant and would later evolve into a complex polyphonic form. What is produced is something of startling beauty, and I have only recently taken it upon myself to discover this often ignored style of music. Gregorian chant is very minimalistic and serene, but becomes rather tedious and boring after a few listens, and it wasn't until I stumbled upon Perotin that I discovered something outstanding. Perotin was a mysterious figure who re-composed the Magnus liber some time around 1200, a work originally attributed an earlier monk, Leonin. There is not too much known about Perotin aside from the fact that he was believed to have dwelled in Notre Dame and created the first form of polyphonic chant. Perotin's music is something worth noting as you can not only trace an embryonic form of early classical within it, but also because of its stark and trance-like beauty. Examples of Perotin: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/t..._2_1/002-6829700-3017658?v=glance&s=classical
Parallelorganum was present 900AD. Basic Gregorian structure accompanied by a melody floating on a kvart or on a kvint. To say “embryonic form of early classical in it” is redundant. After quadratic notation gregorian music is completely traceable and far from obscure. Neum notation does not require very much deciphering, either. I wouldn’t discover Gregorian music with tools in mind that are present in you because of your era. Minimalistic? It is a choir, after all, with a single goal in mind: praise to god (the holy trinity can be seen in the use of triads, for example). Gregorian modes: doric, lydic, mikso-lydic... etc - there are more musical aspects than the eye can see present in Gregorian. Though, it is restricted with a religious dogma – church had a monopoly on these things. I don’t know why I’m babbling. Perotin, cool.
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