Bose, April 2006

A choir repetition

Come in ogni vita monastica, nella vita comune a Bose, è la preghiera a ritmare i giorni e i tempi As in every monastic life, in the common life at Bose the liturgical prayer marks the rhythm of days and times of the liturgical year. The common prayer – during which the community gathers together with guests in the morning, at noon, and in the evening – is sung, because

“it is natural to praise God with all our being,
with our voice, and full of joy” (Rule of Bose 35).

The singing of the liturgy wishes to be sober, but dignified, in order to manifest the beauty of the praise to God in simplicity. The melodies and the tones take inspiration mostly from different repertories of French monasteries, where a great and meaningful work of musical research has been carried on during the years after the Second Vatican Council. The monastic singing at Bose tries also to show the ecumenical dimension of the community, by means of melodies taken from different Church traditions. Most of the liturgy is sung in unison, with the voices of brothers and sisters alterning one after the other, but some parts of the the liturgy are sung in four mixed voices.