The music of the monks
There is a traditional, distinctive kind of music that the monks have used for centuries when singing the Divine Office. It is called variously 'plainchant', 'plainsong' or 'Gregorian Chant' (after Pope Gregory the Great who promoted its use.) Its origins are rumoured to be in the liturgical music of the Temple in Jerusalem.
Nowadays it is written on four line staves (rather than five) with square notes (rather than round ones). The music is modal, rather than in keys, and to that extent is similar to traditional Celtic music. It is always sung in unison and in phrases of a natural breath length, fluidly and without the repeated beat or pulse of later music. It rises above blood rhythm; it is the music of the angels.
Here is an example. It is the first line of the 'Salve Regina', a hymn to Our Lady traditionally sung at the very end of the day, after Compline. You can hear it being sung in the audio clip below.
The Psalms of Compline
Salve Regina
Hymn: "Urbs Jerusalem Beata"
The Magnificat Antiphon from the Feast of St Laurence, our patron
Vision of Peace
The tracks on this page are taken from 'Vision of Peace', the hugely popular CD of Ampleforth monks singing Gregorian Chant, recently re-issued and available again from our online shop. Click here.
The CD as a whole tells the story of a monk's life from vocation and vows to his requiem and his vision of the heavenly Jerusalem. As the words of the hymn, 'Urbs Jerusalem' tell us, 'Jerusalem' means 'Vision of Peace' in Hebrew.
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