RITUALS

In Occitan, the word “rituals” refers to a ritual—that is, what connects humans to the invisible and brings a community together. As far back as the Middle Ages, music served a functional purpose through the repetition of a text, the rhythm of a step, or the interweaving of polyphony; the voice chanted beliefs. Whether it resounds in an abbey, along the roads, or within fortresses, music creates ritual. This program explores its many facets.

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The ritual of the sanctuary unfolds between monastic solemnity and popular exaltation. On the one hand, the intellectual hub of the School of Saint-Martial in Limoges (11th–12th centuries) saw the birth of the first Latin-Occitan polyphonies: by embellishing Gregorian chant, the monks there crafted true sonic incantations for the first time in the history of Western music. On the other hand, the far-reaching pilgrimage of the Black Virgin of Montserrat invites participants to a collective rite. The “Livre Vermeil” (14th century) compiles these pilgrims’ songs, which, through the use of canons and circle dances, bring their journey to a close in fervent communion.

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Finally, the ritual becomes an act of resistance and remembrance through oral transmission. During the Albigensian Crusade, the troubadours of Occitania served as the voice of Cathar beliefs in the face of the Inquisition, weaving a liturgy of the shadows. This deep-rooted popular tradition has endured through the centuries via the traditional polyphonic chants that have come down to us. Pilgrims’ songs and devotional practices passed down by word of mouth perpetuate this unbroken ritual: that of a culture and a faith preserved by the sheer power of the voice.

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From the earliest polyphonic chants to pilgrim dances and songs of the oral tradition, RITUALS revives the original purpose of this music from Occitania. A vocal experience in which each piece becomes an act once more: a prayer, a cry, an offering.