Beyond the Spire

E01 • What is Gregorian Chant?


Listen Later

This opening episode draws you into the world of Gregorian chant, the Church’s own voice, a living breath of prayer. Through candid conversation, two young parishioners explore the sacred stillness of chant, and describe how, in their own experience, this sacred song rises out of silence, unites many voices into one, and gently pulls the soul out of noise back to God. 

Content

  • Gregorian chant is the Church’s sacred music. Rising from silence, it expresses interior prayer and returns to silence.
  • It is monophonic and unified, with many voices blending into one, leaving no room for performance or showmanship.
  • It is integral to the liturgy, with the melody shaped by sacred Latin text that is distinct from everyday, informal speech.
  • Its free rhythm and eight modes offer a deeper spiritual 'colour' than standardised major/minor music.
  • Thanks to Guido of Arezzo, a benedictine monk, the authentic melody was transmitted from oral tradition to written notation. This notation is still in use today.
  • It is a living prayer that orients the soul towards God, setting it apart from the noisy, shallow music of the secular world.

Guests

  • Mr. Kieran O’ Riordan
  • Miss Amira Zięba

Sponsors
National Lottery Heritage Fund: tnlcommunityfund.org.uk
Global Sound Movement: globalsoundmovement.com
University of Lancashire: lancashire.ac.uk
Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest: icksp.org.uk & icrsp.org

External Links

Available on all podcasts platforms
Watch on YouTube @Beyond_the_Spire


More about St Walburge’s Shrine

  • ⁠⁠⁠⁠Website⁠⁠⁠⁠
  • ⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠
  • ⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠
  • ⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠
  • ⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok
...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

Beyond the SpireBy ⁠Canon Antoine Bunnens - ⁠⁠St Walburge’s Catholic Shrine