The “Schola Gregoriana” Choral Scola
Members of the Schola Gregoriana choral school focus on Gregorian chant repertoire, based on the neume manuscripts of the 10th and 11th centuries and the German liturgical chants of the Gotteslob songbook and other volumes associated with it.
Since 2003 the School has performed in mixed configurations under the direction of the Cathedral’s director of music, Thomas Viezens. It was founded in 1982 by Viezens’ predecessor Hermann Bode as a school for men only. Its main function is to provide the liturgy of the Cathedral chapter and the bishop, and here primarily to hold a regular solemn Vespers in German. Gregorian chant, the cultivation of which the musicians of the Cathedral are particularly dedicated to, is sung primarily in the Sunday celebrations of Mass.
For a number of years the Schola Gregoriana has also appeared as a concert performer. Away from Hildesheim the group has given concerts at Ratzeburg (Cathedral), Schwerin (Priory Church of St. Anna), Magdeburg (Cathedrals), Königslutter (Imperial Cathedral), Mariental (former Cistercian monastery) and Vechta (Priory Church of St. Georg). Rehearsal weekends have recently taken the School to the Benedictine abbey of Herstelle, the Benedictine arch-abbey at St. Ottilien and at the Königsmünster Benedictine abbey at Meschede. One of the School’s recent journeys took them, together with the Chamber Choir and the Cathedral Choir, to northern Italy (Pavia, Milan and Genoa).
In October 2011, Schola Gregoriana recorded the Choral Proprium of the 31st Sunday in the liturgical year, taken from a 13th-century manuscript in the Monastery of St. Mary Magdalene in Hildesheim. These pieces can be heard on the double CD “Heavenly Jerusalem: Music from the Mediaeval, Renaissance and Romantic eras”, alongside English, French and German Romantic works (performed by the Cathedral choir), the Renaissance (Chamber choir) and Romantic-era solo Lieder (by soloists from the Hildesheim Cathedral ensembles). An excerpt of this proprium is the communio “Notas mihi fecisti” (mp3, 4 MB).
Interested singers of both sexes who can read music are warmly welcomed. Experience of choral singing is an advantage but not necessary. Please contact us by telephone in the first instance.
Schola Gregoriana Rehearsals
1st Tuesday of the month,
19:30 – 21:30
plus one Friday every two months, 17:30 – 20:00