The chants of Taizé – on the road to hesychasm and ecumenism Cover Image

Śpiewy z Taizé – na drodze ku hezychii i ekumenii
The chants of Taizé – on the road to hesychasm and ecumenism

Author(s): Wojciech Stępień
Subject(s): Christian Theology and Religion, Theology and Religion
Published by: Księgarnia Świętego Jacka
Keywords: Taizé; community singing; perpetual prayer; ecumenism; Jacques Berthier

Summary/Abstract: In his study about the liturgical music after the Second Vatican Council Ireneusz Pawlak calls songs from Taizé „poor artistic music” (2001: 42). My article proves that songs of this French ecumenical community are based upon the rich music tradition and mostly of them are based on basso ostinato which was very popular in baroque (passamezzo, folia, chaconne). Texts of these songs use only a few, several times repeated words taken from the Bible and the Fathers of the Church. The melodic and harmonic repetitions have common roots with the practice of the incessant Jesus prayer in the East Church, described amongst others by John Cassian. This prayer generates the prayer of the heart which consequently gives hesychia: spiritual calmness and union with the God leading all believers to true ecumenism.

  • Issue Year: 2016
  • Issue No: 12
  • Page Range: 61-74
  • Page Count: 14
  • Language: Polish