The Music of the Taizé Community

Taizé is a worship renewal community in France that has developed a style of music and Scripture song for all parts of worship. The article below introduces the community, its worship, and song.

In a tiny village in the south of France lies a religious community that has become a focus of spiritual renewal of the young and a center of reconciliation among Christians. A young Protestant layperson had the vision of a community where one’s denominational identity would not matter. What would matter would be one’s ability to welcome the stranger and pilgrim, no matter who they were, in the name of Christ. Initially, a refuge, sanctuary, and shelter for those burdened with the horrors of World War II, the community under the leadership of Brother Roger nearly half a century ago began welcoming others who would help establish communion amidst division.

Today people come from every corner of the world to irenic Taizé. Three times a day the pilgrims join the brothers in common prayer in order to deepen their inner lives so as to live in solidarity with the whole of humanity. Simple accommodation and food is the venue, with Bible study and questions and answers completing the day’s activities.

A week at Taizé reflects the themes one finds in the celebration of Holy Week—the suffering, passion, death, and resurrection of Jesus. At the foot of the cross, prayers and chants flow for the wounded people and places of the world. The sheer numbers of worshipers and their youthful vitality create a spirit of prayer that brings one in touch with the heart of God.

In such a diverse group—usually in the thousands—it was thought necessary to bring a unity to the worship. Jacques Berthier, a trained musician, and member of the ecumenical order, developed a style of ostinato chant (repetition of a persistent phrase of music and text) that was simple, short, and direct. Various languages are used because the worship is always international. Most often Latin is used as a “common expression and liturgical language.”

The result is a style of sung prayer that can transform and inspire worship. Translated to the local church situation, it is particularly suited for the Communion service. The actual distribution of Holy Communion, whether formally at an altar rail or served in the pew, can be a time of awkward silence or scattered wanderings of mind and eyes. Looking at people coming to the rail or watching deacons collect empty cups hardly makes for a worshipful experience. Rather than dealing with a complete hymn text, choir anthem, or solo, the use of these chants can capture the solemnity and intimacy of meeting the Lord in Holy Communion through their haunting repetition. The use of these Scripture phrases and liturgical prose forms the chants that are sung repeatedly. Using a simple music line (though often four-part harmony), the worshiper can fix his or her heart and mind on such phrases as

Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom
OR
Bless the Lord my soul, and bless his holy name
Bless the Lord my soul, he rescues me from death
OR
O Lord Jesus Christ (O Christe Domine Jesu)
OR
We adore you Lord (Adoremus te Domine)

At Taizé, with its hillside scenery, all join in such sung prayer; it is simple, easy to remember, and lends itself to a focus that is shaped in prayer and meditation rather than complication. It is an acquired taste that can become a powerful expression of prayer in any gathering large or small.

The music is substantive; for most chants there are cantor parts using psalms and canticles for the text set to easy-flowing melodies with parts provided for a host of instruments including oboe, guitar, piano, organ, strings, flute, and brass. Because many classify Taizé music as “modern,” they, in turn, forsake the use of the organ. This is most unfortunate. A well-registered organ can be a perfect way to keep the ostinato going. The initial chant can be sung by a cantor, repeated by the choir, and then joined by all in singing (praying). After the ostinato is firmly established by the assembly, a cantor and/or instruments can augment the prayer with an obligato text, litany, descant, or instrumental embellishments.

There are also chants for the ordinary (unchanging parts) parts of the Eucharist rite, Kyrie (“Lord, have mercy”), Gloria (“Glory to God”), Sanctus (“Holy, Holy, Holy”), and Agnus Dei (“Lamb of God”).

Monks at Taizé come from Anglican, Lutheran, Reformed, and Roman Catholic backgrounds representing twenty nations of the world. Since its founding in the 1940s, popes and archbishops of Canterbury have been among the visitors. The ministries of prayer and reconciliation override the need for strict denominational labels. Brothers also live in North and South America, Africa, and Asia. They live on the income from their work alone; they do not accept donations. Pilgrims from Western countries, by the fees asked for accommodation and board, help pay for visitors from poorer parts of the world. The common prayer of Taizé is one of the gifts the young take home with them wherever they happen to live. Prayer cells and groups are often established at home to maintain a connection with the order.

Each Christmastide an international Taizé gathering is held in a major city, with usually over 50,000 attending. No one Christian tradition can claim this unique musical offering as their own; it belongs to the worshipful Christian willing to use it.