Tantum Ergo (Gregorian chant, mode I)

What it is

This is a modern audio recording of the Latin hymn Tantum Ergo, sung in Gregorian chant in mode I. The recording was uploaded in July 2010 and is credited to Gareth Hughes. It is a performance made today, not an original manuscript or an earlier recording. The hymn is linked to Aquinas's Eucharistic writing, and the recording lets students hear how it was sung.

Why it matters

Aquinas wrote hymns for the feast of Corpus Christi, celebrating the Eucharist. Gregorian chant was the central sung tradition of the Western Church for centuries. Listening to a chant today shows how a medieval text was carried forward through performance, and how modern singers interpret it.

Look closer

• How would a listener know this is a sung prayer rather than a spoken text, and what does the melody suggest about its purpose?
• Who recorded this performance, and why might a modern singer's choices differ from those of medieval singers?
• This is a recording made in 2010 of a hymn from the 1200s. What can it tell us about the hymn, and what can it not tell us?