Any observable revival of Gregorian chant?

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GloriousOrder

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Dear friends :),

This being the Traditional forum, I think it isn’t intolerant of me to pronounce my belief that only Gregorian chant should be used in the celebration of the Mass. This is my opinion - yes, even to the exclusion of Dufay, Josquin, and Palestrina! My ‘feeling’ in this matter is entirely based on a very moving experience I had with chant. I suppose the mood can be slightly recollected by this video:

youtube.com/watch?v=9EQbnGi6NCI

The simple, humble sound of one line echoing through the church really makes me shiver. It’s so much more conducive to a sense of wonder, awe, and prayer for me to hear this as the priest incenses the altar. Ancient qualities of the music, the simple lack of harmony, and the single reverberation of God’s voice sounding through the ages… it’s so wondrous and different, no matter the age we live in.

Have any of you older (perhaps 50-60+) parishioners and congregants noticed a revival or rebirth of Gregorian chant in your dioceses, or not? I’d really like to see just how it’s going, especially since our current Holy Father has been making himself clear. 😃
 
Hello there,
Gregorian chant. Well, I’m 49 and an Englishman living in Normandy, France, now into my sixth year and got together with a small group of people three years ago to implement the wishes of the Holy Father. The priest who celebrates the Mass loves the Tridentine Rite and has perfect pitch. So, he wanted to start a choir. There were about six or seven of us who were willing and after the most dreadful start we are making headway. I must say, Abbé is very patient with us, but we are definitely better three years on. It’s not easy. We practice once a fortnight and sing the Mass every Sunday according to the Paroissien Romain No.800 from the Benedictines of Solesmes. That means learning different Introits, Alleluias, Offert, Communions, plus for each Sunday or Feastday.
And our Diocese of Sees now has the youngest Bishop in France who has accepted to come to our little church of St.Michel for sung High Mass, verily endorsing our little community which is such a blessing after the lukewarm previous Bishop.
By the way, we can’t be that bad. Our first year had an average attendance of 45, the second year 55 and last year 60 faithful!
This is the Sacred Music of the Most Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and it will always remain so.

Still practicing fervently,

Simon
 
I sing in a choir in Sherbrooke, Quebec, and we bring Gregorian chant to different parishes once a month. Only OF Mass though, using the current Graduale Romanum. I’ve been with this choir for 8 years. We also do the odd concert.
 
Chant in my parish is virtually non-existent except for the Sanctus and Agnus Dei on the Sundays of Lent. It is pretty much this way in most other parishes I have attended in my diocese.
Short answer - I see no revival here, unless you consider that we now have two SSPX chapels within the territorial boundaries of the diocese which use chant extensively.

Our bishop comes across as pretty much hostile to Latin and the Traditional Mass. He seems to have pretty much put the skids under two of the three parishes which used chant regularly. The third parish is run by a religious order and to the best of my knowledge he has left them alone.

Since he reaches 75 next year, I wish him the very best in his coming retirement, and I pray for a successor who values and will encourage the liturgical traditions of our Church.
 
GloriousOrder said:
Have any of you older (perhaps 50-60+) parishioners and congregants noticed a revival or rebirth of Gregorian chant in your dioceses, or not? I’d really like to see just how it’s going, especially since our current Holy Father has been making himself clear. 😃
Click to expand...
I’m only 16 but I have never heard Gregorian chant in any close parishes. I would love to see the day that chant makes a revival. In today’s Mass, I find it hard to be sacred even though we are there with the Blessed Sacrament. Christ in the Eucharist deserves more sacred music. Let’s just pray that the will of Pope Benedict XVI (and hopefully God’s) to revive the sacredness of the Mass.
 
When we can afford the gas to drive the 120 miles to Seattle for the North American Martyr’s parish Masses, we get to listen to all Gregorian Propers and some Sacred Polyphony. Yesterday was a great example of what the EF Mass can be. Fr. John Berg, Superior General of the FSSP was the celebrant and he gave first communion to 10 children. It was a beautiful Mass and the choir was superb.

Take a look at the web site. There is a slide presentation of the Easter Vigil.
www.northamericanmartyrs.org/

God Bless
 
I run a schola in my parish, but the parish refuses to allow Gregorian chant (or polyphony) at Masses – though it still gets in there. 😉
 
The parish by my school, I only heard Latin in Lent as well…even then it was limited…if the organ is lucky, it get’s played for one song at Mass. Then it’s back to bongo drums and gongs…
 
In my regular Church the 8 o’clock Mass is plain Gregorian chant, then 9:30 Mass is polyphonic Latin music, the 12:15 TLM is mixed. The most attended Mass is the always polyphonic 9:30 Mass, apparently people like that most.

I personally like the plain chant.
 
Last year, our choir experienced a few months in flux when our permanent director had died. We had a few temporary directors in a row. Our typical repertoire is directly from Gather or Choral Praise exclusively. One of our temporary directors decided to try Gregorian chant for communion. It seems that the parishioners HATED it. I got one direct complaint, and nobody sang along at all. That temporary director left soon thereafter and the experiment was never repeated. I am very sad about that.
 
Elizium23 said:
Last year, our choir experienced a few months in flux when our permanent director had died. We had a few temporary directors in a row. Our typical repertoire is directly from Gather or Choral Praise exclusively. One of our temporary directors decided to try Gregorian chant for communion. It seems that the parishioners HATED it. I got one direct complaint, and nobody sang along at all. That temporary director left soon thereafter and the experiment was never repeated. I am very sad about that.
Click to expand...
Culture is too ingrained with the inferior music. It will take good priests and music directors…along with supportive laity to bring about a better practice of Gregorian Chant. Many are still in the mindset that we are at a play. I’ve actually heard two people refer to the Mass as such recently.
 
ajpirc said:
Can you just ask for chants in a parish?
Click to expand...
Yes, you can. But it’ll depend on the choir, the music director, etc. In my parish, the worship director (we have no music director) is completely against Gregorian chant and polyphony. The music in my parish is heavily OCP/GIA (both publishers actually have chants in their hymnals and other hymnals devoted to chant). Our choirs play the kind of music that folks feel like they must applaud afterwards. One choir has a drum machine.

But, by all means, request chant in your parish. Pray for it.
 
GloriousOrder said:
Dear friends :),

This being the Traditional forum, I think it isn’t intolerant of me to pronounce my belief that only Gregorian chant should be used in the celebration of the Mass. This is my opinion - yes, even to the exclusion of Dufay, Josquin, and Palestrina! My ‘feeling’ in this matter is entirely based on a very moving experience I had with chant. I suppose the mood can be slightly recollected by this video:

youtube.com/watch?v=9EQbnGi6NCI

The simple, humble sound of one line echoing through the church really makes me shiver. It’s so much more conducive to a sense of wonder, awe, and prayer for me to hear this as the priest incenses the altar. Ancient qualities of the music, the simple lack of harmony, and the single reverberation of God’s voice sounding through the ages… it’s so wondrous and different, no matter the age we live in.

Have any of you older (perhaps 50-60+) parishioners and congregants noticed a revival or rebirth of Gregorian chant in your dioceses, or not? I’d really like to see just how it’s going, especially since our current Holy Father has been making himself clear. 😃
Click to expand...
I agree the Holy Father is supportive of Gregorian chant 🙂

I prefer Gregorian chant in the Mass also. I think it’s much better for the liturgy. Having gone to an FSSP parish for a while, I can see how it helped me to focus on the Mass better.

i dont know if there’s a revival of Gregorian chant since I’ve only been Catholic for around 2 years, but I do see people having an interest in it 🙂

God bless
 
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