Chant represents the oldest surviving large musical repertoire of the Western world, with an enduring cultural footprint. While many people today encounter chant in movie and video game soundtracks, or even in humorous videos on social media platforms, for over a millennium chant has been (and continues to be) the ubiquitous accompaniment to the rituals of the Christian church. Over this time, it has served as a shared lexicon of melody that has informed sacred and secular music alike.
Throughout this period, however, performance of chant has varied considerably, and there is significant evidence that the style of modern performances of chant—the sound we know from soundtracks, videos, or even modern religious or secular performances—does not reflect the character of earlier performances of the same repertoire.
In this workshop, we will explore some of the oldest manuscripts containing chant notation and use them to inform a highly nuanced performance of this remarkable music. There is a unique thrill that accompanies looking at a 1200-year-old manuscript and translating it into sound. And this won’t be a purely academic exercise—we will sing the results of our explorations together!
This workshop will focus on the historical musical content of chant instead of the theological, so all faith backgrounds are welcomed. In addition, no ability to read modern musical notation is required for this workshop, and we welcome singers of all abilities and experiences. If you can talk, you can sing. Come sing with us!
