Gregorian Chants: Easter Vespers

On Easter evening, the cathedral is lit by candles, shadows dance on the walls as the congregation gazes towards the altar and the intricate, illuminated stained glass above it. An atmosphere of joy fills the sanctuary: it is the feast of Easter, the highest point of the church calendar. Up in the choir gallery, the choir sings in the ancient plainchant—Alleluia, Alleluia!, words of praise deemed too joyful to be heard during the season of Lent.

Lent commemorates the 40 days that Jesus Christ spent fasting in the desert in preparation for his ministry. The Eastern Orthodox Church describes Lent as a period of “bright sadness”, where the church community fasts and contemplates Christ’s death on the cross. Lent ends with Easter Sunday, a joyful celebration of Christ’s triumph over death. Easter vespers (evening prayers) are sung: texts describing the miraculous resurrection of Christ interspersed with Psalms 109–113, each ending with Alleluia.

These vespers follow the liturgical calendar of the Church, where Gregorian chants of different texts are sung depending on the time of year. The Gregorian chant, a form of plainchant that originated in Rome in the seventh century, marginalised the other indigenous plainchant traditions of the Christian West in the eighth and ninth centuries to become the official music of the Roman Catholic liturgy. Saint Gregory was the patron saint of choirboys and singers, and the name ‘Gregorian Chant’ stemmed from paintings made to honour Gregory. These paintings depicted him with the dove of the Holy Spirit perched on his shoulder, singing God’s authentic form of chant into his ear. 

Set in the cavernous Concert Hall with the acoustics adjusted to replicate that of a cathedral’s, experience Easter vespers sung by the Schola Cantorum Sancti Gregorii Magni in a novel way: feel free to sit, stand, or wander around silently, and let the music stir the soul.

For a fuller experience, oil sampling by The Naturalist Grandeur with Frankincense and Myrrh with Grapeseed Oil, will complement this programme. The fragrance has been appropriately diluted in the carrier oil so that patrons are able to apply them onto their skin safely.