The figure of Hildegard
of Bingen appeals to people's imagination,
and many ensembles have performed and
recorded her music. This disc presents
music related to another woman who played
an important role in the Church of the
Middle Ages, in Finland this time: Birgitta
Birgersdottir (1303 - 1373). She was
of noble birth, raised eight children
and was socially active. Only after
becoming a widow in her forties she
turned to her religious calling. She
founded a monastic order and was canonised
in 1391. The foundation of the order
of the Brigittine sisters was based
on Birgitta's spiritual visions. She
in particular wished to honour the Virgin
Mary and put together an order of offices
to be sung every week, which is known
as 'Cantus sororum' (The song of the
sisters). In creating these offices
she worked with her confessor Petrus
Olai of Skänninge, who translated
Birgitta's texts into Latin, wrote some
texts of his own and also some of the
music.
The chants on this
disc are all of the kind we use to call
'Gregorian'. Birgitta was strictly opposed
to polyphonic singing, and also gave
clear and strict instructions as to
how the sisters should be singing. The
ensemble Vox Silentii aims to follow
those instructions as closely as possible.
From that perspective it is a little
odd that in some items they add a drone
"to underline the simple beauty of the
melody". But that wasn't what Birgitta
was aiming at, was it?
Since the 1950s and
1960s when the monks of Solemnes started
to record the traditional Gregorian
chants, a lot has changed. Over the
years more attention has been paid to
the different traditions of liturgical
singing in the Middle Ages - before
the 'Gregorian' style became dominant
- and to the regional differences within
the 'Gregorian' style. This disc is
another interesting addition to the
growing number of recordings with that
kind of repertoire. Therefore it is
a little disappointing that the performance
isn't ideal. First of all, the singing
is generally very slow. It may be true
that - as the booklet says - the sisters
were instructed to sing somewhat slower
than the monks, but has it really to
be that slow? Secondly, the view given
in the booklet that Latin chant is non-rhythmic
music is certainly not shared by everyone
in the field of ancient liturgical music.
And then something
about the ensemble. In 1992 the singers
came into contact with Iegor Reznikoff
and took lessons from him in France.
Afterwards they founded the ensemble
Vox Silentii. This name is a kind of
programme: "The silence included in
our name refers not only to silence
as the starting point for all music
but to the silence of the heart - a
space for listening, a prayer". Here
we find the influence of Iegor Reznikoff,
who is known for his mystical approach
to liturgical music. As much as I agree
that the liturgical music in the Church
of the Middle Ages, and especially in
the convents, has strong mystical elements,
I smell a lot of 'New Age' thinking
here, in particular when it is said
that the singers were seeking "a voice
to touch one's inner self". A little
more down-to-earthness had perhaps done
this recording a world of good.
Johan van Veen
Vox Silentii: