Gregorian Chant: Bridge-builder to Ecumenism

Gregorian Chant: Bridge-builder to Ecumenism

Gregorian chant was the musical lingua franca of Western Christian worship for the first 1500 years of Christendom. Even after the Reformation, chant continued to make its presence known in music composed for Protestant worship. This paper examines examples of chant-embedded music, as well as examples of Gregorian chant present in all current Protestant hymnals, as evidence of a mutually shared musical heritage.

Armand Di Scenna

Armand Di Scenna received a Bachelor of Arts in religious studies from Oberlin College, a Bachelor of Arts in music from the Crane School of Music, and a Master of Arts in music history from the State University at Buffalo. His organ teachers have included James Autenrith, David Enos, Dr. David Fuller, Roland Martin, and Allison Evans Henry. In 2002, he was hired as Director of the Syracuse Diocesan Office of Liturgy and Music. He has offered numerous workshops on the practice of Gregorian chant in the service of worship, and has taught a course in chant at SUNY Oswego through the auspices of Dr. Karen Nicholas, chair of the school’s Medieval and Renaissance Studies Department. He has also taught music history at SUNY Oswego, as well as Italian at LeMoyne College in Syracuse. He is currently music director and organist at historic St. Mary’s Church in Cortland, New York.