Gregorian chant, Europe’s oldest music form, is experiencing a revival, challenging its musty image and demonstrating its enduring appeal. Despite persistent clichés, Gregorian chant is finding new life in churches, films, and even pop music, proving its adaptability and historical significance.
The Dutch Gregorian Festival in Den Bosch highlights this resurgence, showcasing courses, concerts, and sing-ins. Rens Tienstra, a passionate “Gregorianophile,” leads the Schola Cantorum Amsterdam and directs the festival, aiming to share his love for this ancient music. He emphasizes that Gregorian chant is not just medieval church music but the foundation of Western musical tradition, with traces of its DNA present even in modern pop chords.
Laine Tabora, who leads the women’s choir in the Nicholas Basilica, dismisses the cliché of Gregorian chant being solely the domain of old men. She highlights the historical presence of women’s monasteries where Gregorian chant flourished and emphasizes the recent appointment of a woman to oversee Gregorian chant at the Pontifical Institute of Sacred Music in Rome. Tabora discovered her passion for Gregorian chant during a course in Riga and now seeks to inspire others with its beauty and depth.
Singers like Juliet Oldenburger and Katherina Ohm-van der Leeden express the spiritual and musical appeal of Gregorian chant. Oldenburger was moved by the role of church song in practice after visiting the Abbey Sint Benedictusberg in Vaals, while Ohm-van der Leeden appreciates the subtlety and complexity of the rhythms and accents in Gregorian chant. The texts, largely derived from Biblical psalms, explore themes of faith, love, life, and death.
Tienstra emphasizes that Gregorian chant serves as a form of meditation on Holy Scripture, providing a connection to faith that is often inaccessible today. He explains that the Gregorian corpus, a collection of texts and melodies, emerged around the 9th century. He also challenges common misconceptions, clarifying that Pope Gregory I did not invent Gregorian chant and that the tradition underwent a significant restoration in the 19th century by monks in Solesmes.
Tabora notes a crisis in Catholic church music since the 1960s, attributing it to decisions made by priests without musical training. However, this has led to a resurgence of interest in Gregorian chant among dedicated enthusiasts, with numerous choirs and scholas forming in the Netherlands. The digitalization also facilitates global connections and the rapid dissemination of new insights among Gregorianophiles.
Tabora and Tienstra express hope for the future of Gregorian chant, noting that many young people are drawn to its authenticity and content. Tienstra also points out that Gregorian chant is now a “tabula rasa,” allowing for experimentation and innovation.
While some find Gregorian chant bloodless, conductors like Marcel Pérès draw inspiration from Mediterranean and Byzantine traditions, creating a more vibrant and virile sound. Ultimately, the appeal of Gregorian chant lies in its ability to evoke deep emotions and connect listeners to both history and spirituality.
The Dies irae, a melody frequently used in requiems and film scores, illustrates the enduring influence and adaptability of Gregorian chant. Its angular notes, composed in the 13th century, have been used to convey themes of horror and the Last Judgment in various musical and cinematic contexts.