We hope you find the Schola Gregoriana website useful. By using the tabs above, you will be able to access any posts of forthcoming events and also read accounts of past activities.
Sacred Triduum with Tenebrae in Hampshire
The complete liturgy for Holy Week, with plainchant and polyphony, will take place in the new church of St Michael the Archangel in Burghclere this year.
For full details click on the Events tab above
St Dunstan Chant Day, Saturday 17 May 2025 St Mary’s church, Iffley
To book a place on this course, please email info@scholagregoriana.org
As part of his studies, one of our younger Associates (Henry Darlison) presented a Paper on a section of the beautiful 13th Cent. Worcester Antiphonary, looking particularly at the hagiography, Lessons, and Chant surrounding St Dunstan. He has put forward a fascinating and convincing hypothesis regarding the monks’ emotional experience during a particular section of the Office (which we shall hear more about on the day), and we shall be singing some of this to explore it in practice.
We believe this Antiphonary to be the sole surviving receptacle of the Office of St Dunstan, one-time archbishop of Canterbury, and one of the best-known and popular English saints before the time of St Thomas Becket.
Our Regional Director Matthew Ward already has a warm relationship with St Mary’s Iffley, and we are holding a Chant Day under his direction at this stunning church on Sat 17th May (nearest day to St Dunstan’s feast day, patron saint of bell-ringers etc).
To book a place on this course, please email info@scholagregoriana.org
Cost
Owing to the generosity of a number of people, the cost of this event is £15, which includes course materials, a ‘thoroughly 21st Century tea in a 12th Century setting’, and other light refreshment during the day.
Students on student loan, please contact us; we’d prefer your musical contribution to your financial!
Lunch – we need to bring our own, or use the nearby pub ‘The Prince of Wales’ (booking strongly advised) https://www.princeofwalesiffley.co.uk/
Travel
Leave plenty of time for your journey!
St Mary’s church, Church Way, Iffley, Oxford, OX4 4EG
Public Transport; train to Oxford station (not ‘Parkway’), then bus:
https://www.rome2rio.com/map/Oxford-Station/Iffley-Turn#r/Bus
eg 6-minute walk from railway station to Westgate Shopping Centre, the nearest stop for 3 and 3A buses (every 7 minutes) ; catch one in the Rose Hill direction, taking about 12 minutes to IFFLEY TURN; then it is a good 13-minute walk along Church Way to Iffley Church.
By Car; parking is difficult!; in the lane leading to the church, parking is limited to 3 hours.
Park&Ride is a good option; https://www.rome2rio.com/map/Thornhill-Park-and-Ride/Iffley-Turn
People who book to have lunch at Prince of Wales pub https://www.princeofwalesiffley.co.uk/ in Iffley village can leave their cars in the pub carpark all day until 4.30 or 5pm. By then the early evening pub-goers start arriving but we can then move our cars onto the controlled parking zone along Church Way. But PoW pub does urge people to share lifts if possible as the max space is for 12 cars.
| Timetable for the day
1) Arrive 10:45 at the church for session 11am-12.30pm Simple refreshments provided during this session 2) Lunch 12.30pm-1.45pm; we bring our own lunch. Or nearby pub The Prince of Wales, Church Way, Iffley (booking strongly advised) https://www.princeofwalesiffley.co.uk/ 3) 1.45pm-4.15pm Afternoon session in the Church Hall. 4) 4.15pm-5.30pm ‘Thoroughly 21C tea’ with scones and cake in the Hall, optional tours of the church and/or the newly opened up land to the west of the church on the slope down to the river and/or the belltower. The bellringers will ring a quarter peal from 5.15pm. 5) 6:00pm-7.00pm Presentation / service |
To book a place on this course, please email info@scholagregoriana.org
Palestrina Quincentenary Vespers 1592
Saturday 29th March 2025 at 6 to 8 pm
New College School, Oxford presents a concert to celebrate the quincentenary of
Giovanni Pierluigi ‘da Palestrina’ (c.1525-1594).
The programme is structured as a service of Vespers for the feast of The Annunciation.
For further details click on the Events tab above
The History and Future of Gregorian Chant
a Talk on The History and Future of Gregorian Chant in the Roman Liturgy
by Thomas Neal, MA (Cantab), MPhil (Cantab), MEd (B’ham), FRSA,
Director of Music at New College School, Oxford and organist at
St Michael the Archangel, Burghclere
Friday 7 February, 7:45pm, at Blessed Hugh of Faringdon Parish Hall,
Marlborough Street, Faringdon, SN7 7JE
ADMISSION FREE
For further details click on the Events tab
St Dunstan Chant Day, St Mary’s Iffley, Oxford, Saturday 17 May, 2025
More details later, but a day in honour of St Dunstan (feast day 19 May), based on research by one of our younger Associates Henry Darlison, working from the beautiful Worcester Antiphoner, containing (we believe) the sole surviving example of the Office of St Dunstan. Before St Thomas a Becket, St Dunstan was perhaps the most popular saint in England. This will be a joint project in association with St Mary’s church, a most enthusiastic and welcoming community, working in a stunning 12th Century building.
Evening workshops London Spring 2025
Very often we are asked when these workshops will resume – and it has been a continual frustration to us that we have been unable to provide this help to singers. Laus Deo, that is going to change! Our Trustee and ex-Director Jeremy White is shortly to retire from the Royal Opera House, and is willing to take this on – we’re most grateful to him! More news shortly…
Can we arrange a Chant Day in your area?
“The chant should be given pride of place in liturgical services”. (Vat.Council II Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy No.116).
Do you know of a suitable venue for us to hold a Chant Day in your area?
Are there people in your area who might be interested in taking part?
If so, do please get in touch so that we can see if it is possible to put on a suitable event!
info@scholagregoriana.org
Associates: are you receiving our messages?!
Dear Associates, you should be receiving regular emails from us about our activities. If that is not the case it looks as though we don’t have your correct email address!
Do please send us your correct email to info@scholagregoriana.org
A Century of Chant Recordings
Having recently drawn attention to the new recording of music for Christmas Matins, Sancta Nox, it seems appropriate to take a look at the evolution of Gregorian Chant recordings generally.
Click on News and Opinion tab above for the full story
Sancta Nox: Matins for Christmas
A new recording of chant and polyphony for Christmas Matins by The Seminarians of Saint Peter, Wigratzbad, has almost sold out! There are still a few copies of the CD available in the UK and the tracks are also available as a download. Click on ‘News & Opinion’ tab above for more information.