An English Choir Visits Fontgombault

by The Director - Dominic Bevan

Editor’s note: The Latin Mass Society supports two musical groups in London, which overlap in membership. The first is the Houghton Schola, an all-male chant schola named after the Cistercian martyr St John Houghton (d. 1535); the other is the Southwell Consort, a polyphonic group named after the martyr priest St Robert Southwell (d. 1595), a collaborator of the recusant Catholic composer William Byrd (d. 1623). These groups take turns accompanying regular Masses at the church of Corpus Christi, Maiden Lane, in central London, where the Traditional Mass has been celebrated without interruption since its foundation in 1873. Both groups are characterised by young singers, including both professionals and amateurs.

For the first time, a group of them visited the traditional Abbey of Notre Dame at Fontgombault in France, a visit combining devotion also with a deepening of their appreciation of Gregorian chant. We hope this will the beginning of a fruitful relationship between the singers and the Abbey.

It was an unforgettable experience in one of the most beautiful places I have ever been.

The gentlemen were able to stay within the abbey itself and benefit from the traditional Benedictine hospitality. We were given unique access to the abbey for offices, and ate our meals alongside the monks. We even had our hands washed before meals by the Father Abbot, Dom Jean Pateau.

The ladies and families stayed in the abbey guesthouses nearby.

On Saturday morning, we were treated to a Gregorian chant seminar from Frère Jean-Baptiste de Cazelle, involving an introduction to the method of Dom Gajard. It was eye opening for me, and the principle of praying the chant, observing the sense of the text while respecting the melodic line, suddenly made sense.

That afternoon we rehearsed and performed a recital of Byrd’s music with historical notes. The enormous abbey was completely full, with a third of those present made up of all eighty monks and the Abbot. Although clapping was not allowed, outside the church the Abbot did not hide his pleasure, and neither did the monks. The following morning, we sang more Byrd at Mass, and waved goodbye.