Taizé (USA)

Judith M. Kubicki

https://doi.org/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.A2252419
Published in print: 26 November 2013
Published online: 16 October 2013

A term that refers both to a village in the Burgundian hills of France and to the corpus of music
composed specifically for worship at an ecumenical pilgrimage site there which has become popular in
US churches. The 232 musical pieces that originally comprised Taizé music were composed by the
Parisian layman Jacques Berthier (1923–94) between 1974 and 1993 in close collaboration with Brother
Robert Giscard (1922–93), a member of the Taizé community. One of the main goals of the songs has
been to enable all of the community’s guests to participate in the worship that has taken place at the
Church of Reconciliation three times each day.

1. History.

Brother Roger Schutz (1915–2005), the founder of the monastic community at Taizé, arrived there from
his native Switzerland in 1940. During World War II he assisted Jewish refugees seeking asylum until
he was forced to leave France. After he returned in 1944, he created a small community of prayer that
worked for reconciliation, not only among all Christians, but also among all those who were separated
and alienated. Gradually the community grew and eventually attracted visitors who came to pray with
them. In the early 2010s the community was continuing Brother Roger’s vision of being witnesses in a
torn and individualistic world to a mutual Christian and human unity that overcomes all barriers. Taizé
prayer and chants were created to promote this mission.

The composition of chants began in 1974 when Brother Robert was preparing to lead Taizé’s first
Council of Youth. He realized the need to provide a form of sung prayer that could adequately promote
the active participation of large, diverse gatherings of polyglot youth. He turned to Berthier, a
classically trained musician with whom he had previously collaborated, for assistance. In addition to
promoting active participation, the brothers were equally interested in employing liturgical songs of
textual and musical excellence.

2. Musical forms and structures.

The music Berthier composed for Taizé falls into four genres, with some special cases. These include
ostinato responses and chorales, litanies, acclamations, and canons. All compositions include basic
harmonic support provided by keyboard and/or guitar or synthesizer. Some include verses for one or
more cantors. Most also include options for instrumental verses written for a variety of melodic
instruments. The assembly’s part functions as the foundation of the performance; the vocal and
instrumental verses function as counter melodies.

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(i) Ostinato response and chorales.
Berthier’s idea for creating the ostinato chant came out of his work with canons. The ostinato bass as a
compositional technique developed from early 17th-century efforts to negotiate a reconciliation of the
old counterpoint technique with the new monody. The Taizé ostinato is a musical unit sung in
continuous repetition by all. The short ostinatos are designated as responses and the long ones as
chorales. Solo vocal and instrumental parts variously accompany these ostinatos. Berthier’s
employment of the ostinato for liturgical song is unique because of the foundational role he assigns to
the assembly.

(ii) Litanies.
These pieces include invocations sung between very short phrases that act as refrains. The cantor
sings the invocations and the assembly sings the refrain. Some of Berthier’s litanies are designed to
accommodate spontaneous verses. A simple harmonic accompaniment is written out which allows for a
variety of possible texts.

(iii) Acclamations.
This musical form entails a formula pronounced or sung by a group, expressing a common sentiment.
Acclamations can be defined as shouts of joy sung by the assembly of worshipers as forceful and
meaningful assents to God’s word and action. They are usually brief, rhythmically strong, and
melodically engaging. Berthier most frequently set the Alleluia and Amen as acclamations.

(iv) Canons.
The musical term “canon” originally referred to a formula whereby a single melody, through strict
(canonic) repetition in successive voices, created a polyphonic musical texture. The structure of the
canon, sometimes referred to as the round, employs a melodic theme based on simple harmonic
patterns. Canons can be performed in a variety of ways, ranging from the simple to the highly complex.

3. Compositional and performance techniques.

Berthier’s Taizé music is aleatory in both conception and performance. The term refers to the
characteristic whereby the score provides for numerous choices in the combination of individual parts
and also a certain element of chance in its performance. The element of chance may occur in the
number of repetitions, the voice parts taken, the verses created, the time taken between the entrance
of additional parts, the combination of instruments, and more. This dimension of choice and chance is a
defining characteristic of Taizé music, enabling it to be versatile, dynamic, and provisional.

(i) Instrumentation.
The instrumental parts function as either accompaniments or solo parts. As accompaniments they
provide harmonic support for the voices. As solos they can be used in a variety of ways in conjunction
with the vocal parts or they may be arranged to form independent instrumental pieces.
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(ii) Texts.
For the most part, texts are taken from the Scriptures and liturgical books. The brothers have
composed additional texts in order to provide verses, intercessory prayers, or invocations for the
responses or litanies. The choice and arrangement of the texts was the work of Brother Robert with
other brothers.

(iii) Languages.
Several different approaches to language have been employed. At first Taizé prayer was conducted in
French. However, concern to enable active participation and offer hospitality inspired efforts to ensure
the accessibility of language. A little later Latin was chosen for the songs in an attempt to respond to
the international makeup of large groups of visitors. Gradually, music was composed for specific living
languages, and some music was set to more than one language. By the early 2010s the music of Taizé
had been set to more than 20 different languages, including German, Italian, English, Polish, Slovak,
Spanish, Korean, Hindi, and Japanese. Berthier worked closely with native speakers to rewrite or
adjust the music to a particular language. As a result texts are not literal translations from one
language into another.

4. The influence of Taizé in the United States.

Since Berthier’s death in 1994, new compositions have been added to the repertoire of the Taizé
community. These include pieces composed by some of the brothers imitating Berthier’s style and
other works by Joseph Gelineau, among others.

The same characteristics that contributed to the original success of Berthier’s Taizé chants have
contributed to its widespread usage in worship in the United States. Indeed, Taizé chants have been
enthusiastically embraced by Christian churches throughout the United States. Their accessibility and
excellent craftsmanship are major factors accounting for this popularity. In addition, their scripturally
based texts have served as common ground for ecumenical worship. Furthermore, the aleatory nature
of the music has enabled adaptation to a variety of ritual settings.

Although the music was created specifically for Taizé, many churches, including those in the United
States, have regularly celebrated Taizé prayer rituals, adapting them to their local contexts. This has
been particularly the case with the traditional Prayer around the Cross, celebrated on Friday nights.
Many contemporary hymnals of various Christian denominations include Taizé music. These songs
have becomes standard favorites in American congregations, even those that have little knowledge or
experience of Taizé itself. GIA Publications in Chicago is the sole agent of Taizé music in the United
States.

Editions

Song and Prayers from Taizé (Chicago, 1991)

Christe lux mundi: Music from Taizé (Chicago, 2007)

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 Chants de Taizé 2011–2012 (Chicago, 2011)

Bibliography
Brother Robert, ed.: Music from Taizé, 1 (Chicago, 1981) [vocal edition]

P. Faure and D. Rimaud: “Jacques Berthier: un serviteur de la musique liturgique,” Célébrer, no.
236 (1994), 3–16 [interview]

J.M. Kubicki: Liturgical Music as Ritual Symbol: a Case Study of Jacques Berthier’s Taizé Music
(Leuven, 1999)

More on this topic

Taizé <http://oxfordmusiconline.com/grovemusic/view/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.001.0001/
omo-9781561592630-e-0000046767> in Oxford Music Online <http://oxfordmusiconline.com>

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