Gregorian Chant is named after St. Pope Gregory I (540-604) who is said to have promoted the use of western plainchant in Christian liturgy.  It is a simple and elegant style of unison singing, often unaccompanied, and strongly linked to Latin.  Its roots actually go back to vocal styles before the time of Christ, but took form as a documented liturgical form in the first millenium.

Gregorian Chant predates our modern musical notation, but is similar and simpler.  Sometimes called "square note notation" or "four line notation," it is especially tuned for vocal singing.  It is based on the familiar "do-re-mi" eight tone scale.

Over the centuries, chant has been integrated so deeply into our Catholic Mass that it's proper to say that with chant we "sing the Mass," rather than "sing during the Mass."  Used in both the Ordinary Form of the Mass (which we are using at SEAS) and the Extraordinary Form or Traditional Latin Mass, it's an especially beautiful integration of voice and spirit to raise our hearts in worship.

More generally, sacred music is “that which, being created for the celebration of divine worship, is endowed with a certain holy sincerity of form,” according to the Sacred Congregation of Rites in its Instruction on Music and the Liturgy, Musicam Sacram (1967, ¶4). As defined by the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, Sacrosanctum Concilium (1963), sacred music surpasses merely religious music when it is joined to the liturgical rite to become “a necessary and integral part of the solemn liturgy,” whose purpose is “the glory of God and the sanctification of the faithful” (¶112).  “As a manifestation of the human spirit,” said John Paul II in 1989, “music performs a function which is noble, unique, and irreplaceable. When it is truly beautiful and inspired, it speaks to us more than all the other arts of goodness, virtue, peace, of matters holy and divine. Not for nothing has it always been, and will it always be, an essential part of the liturgy.”

The quick answer is: No.  Very few members of our schola (choir) start out knowing any Latin at all, and many don't know how to read music.

We provide translations for all the Latin we sing, both the parts of the Mass and other hymns and anthems.  Over time, you'll find that you're able to recognize key words and phrases.  More important is the consistent pronunciation of Latin (or English!) when singing, and for that purpose we provide a pronunciation guide.  Latin pronunciation isn't nearly as complicated as English, and is picked up quickly.

Gregorian Chant uses a musical notation which is a bit similar to our normal modern music, but you don't have to have any experience with it.  We provide education in how to read the notation, as well as recordings of the songs that you can use for practice.  Some schola members start out learning the songs more by rote than by reading, which works just fine.