I've spoken a lot throughout the blog about the customs and singing traditions of the choir, and here are two more which I think are very important for the Escolania: the procession after a monk's funeral and the release of a new piece of music by someone related to the choir.
The funeral processions seem like a dark episode to talk about, but I'm only going to refer to the music aspect. Once the funeral starts, the boys process down the monastery staircase, out through the front courtyard of the abbey, and line up behind the coffin for a few minutes whilst the celebrant appears. This is a great moment for the choir, as it is one of the few times it sings outside the church itself, and the sound being penned up in the small courtyard in front of the church creates a very powerful stirring in the stomach!
The service is much as it is normally. The only difference at the end is the recessional hymn, when the choir sing as the coffin is led out. From this point of the ceremony onwards, the only people to follow the coffin to the Monks' garden are those closely related to the deceased, and the choir.
The Monks' garden is behind the school and monastery, which means it is a long way round the buildings and takes about 15 minutes to reach due to the slope and length of the paths they have to take. The sound which comes out of the choir singing is very surreal, as it becomes a very dry and blunt sound due to the lack of acoustics. But I think this helps the atmosphere a lot, because it turns the mood more sombre as the followers prepare to say goodbye to the deceased.
As soon as the processions reaches the statue and fountain of Benicite, one of the main corners of the Monks' garden, the choir sings one last motet. After this, the procession finished for most of us who didn't personally know the monk, and only the family members are allowed to follow.
I will put up a slideshow with pictures of the Monk's garden shortly.
Another great occasion for the Escolania is the first recital of a new motet. On Sunday 6th March, a new Salve Montserratina was sung in Vespers by the choir. The composer is the father of one of the choir boys and has released musical pieces around the world in major venues. This particular Salve was also sung on this day to commemorate the Vesticio (the ceremony where the younger boys officially become part of the choir, and receive their robes for the first time) of the youngest boys, who were formally accepted into the choir in a big ceremony in the morning.
The funeral processions seem like a dark episode to talk about, but I'm only going to refer to the music aspect. Once the funeral starts, the boys process down the monastery staircase, out through the front courtyard of the abbey, and line up behind the coffin for a few minutes whilst the celebrant appears. This is a great moment for the choir, as it is one of the few times it sings outside the church itself, and the sound being penned up in the small courtyard in front of the church creates a very powerful stirring in the stomach!
The service is much as it is normally. The only difference at the end is the recessional hymn, when the choir sing as the coffin is led out. From this point of the ceremony onwards, the only people to follow the coffin to the Monks' garden are those closely related to the deceased, and the choir.
The Monks' garden is behind the school and monastery, which means it is a long way round the buildings and takes about 15 minutes to reach due to the slope and length of the paths they have to take. The sound which comes out of the choir singing is very surreal, as it becomes a very dry and blunt sound due to the lack of acoustics. But I think this helps the atmosphere a lot, because it turns the mood more sombre as the followers prepare to say goodbye to the deceased.
As soon as the processions reaches the statue and fountain of Benicite, one of the main corners of the Monks' garden, the choir sings one last motet. After this, the procession finished for most of us who didn't personally know the monk, and only the family members are allowed to follow.
I will put up a slideshow with pictures of the Monk's garden shortly.
Another great occasion for the Escolania is the first recital of a new motet. On Sunday 6th March, a new Salve Montserratina was sung in Vespers by the choir. The composer is the father of one of the choir boys and has released musical pieces around the world in major venues. This particular Salve was also sung on this day to commemorate the Vesticio (the ceremony where the younger boys officially become part of the choir, and receive their robes for the first time) of the youngest boys, who were formally accepted into the choir in a big ceremony in the morning.
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