Some people might be very surprised to know how different our current version of Gregorian Chant differs from Old Roman Chant. When Charles the Great was attempting to consolidate his kingdom and make everything Roman-like, he sent some musicians to Rome to listen to how they sung at their masses. They brought back the sounds, and also texts. Over time, though, they simplified the chants, and added Gallic and Frankish styles, and also developed the 8 modes. The original Roman Chant, however, was eventually replaced by the Carolingian chant.
When I first heard this Roman Chant, I thought it was Byzantine, or even some middle Eastern music. It's really interesting, because you can compare the recordings from below with the current Gregorian chant music, here.
That sounds so awesome!
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