Cours
et sessions

The contemplation of God and the meditation on His Word indeed awaken in us the desire to praise God with our whole being through singing in the liturgy. Gregorian chant, in fact, is par excellence the chant in which the soul of the faithful, in unison with the whole Church, beautifully and humbly expresses its fervor, its emotions, its praises, and its petitions.

For this reason, we will give major importance to this dialogue between the creature and its Creator within the liturgy, which will stand at the heart of our days (Mass and Offices). We wish to continue the work of Dom Guéranger, who enabled many of the faithful to rediscover the meaning of the liturgy, the source of the true Christian spirit.

For this reason, we will devote ourselves to the practice and study of psalmody; we will examine the foundations of the liturgy and the liturgical forms of Gregorian chant. We will explore the close relationship that unites the melody to its text. Workshops on the spirituality of Gregorian chant will also be offered.

In addition, Dom Guilmard will give theoretical and practical instruction on the rhythm of the sung Word. A new and dynamic approach to modality will be presented by Dominique Crochu: the question of B-flat and the problems of melodic restitution will be addressed in the light of recent discoveries.

The Abbey of Solesmes possesses a Workshop of Musical Paleography, where there is an abundant collection of documents providing access to the oldest manuscripts. In this way, we will deepen our understanding of the different notational systems.

We will also take an interest in the historical context in which Gregorian chant was born. Dom Guilmard will present the role of Saint Chrodegang in the creation of Gregorian chant. This bishop of Metz sought unity with the Apostolic See, and he established what would become the liturgy and chant of the Church throughout the entire Middle Ages.

This was a decisive event, situated between the work of Saint Gregory the Great and the liturgical renewal brought about by Dom Guéranger a millennium later.

The spirit of unity with the whole Church, the desire to renew our approach to Gregorian chant, and a return to what is essential—this will be our ideal throughout this Session, which will be placed under the patronage of Saint Gregory the Great, Saint Chrodegang of Metz, and Dom Guéranger.