Next Auditorium: Prof. em. Dr. Franz Karl Praßl on Cistercian Chant

In the next Auditorium on Tuesday, September 22, 2026, at 8:00 PM, at the St. Marien parish hall, the Austrian Gregorian chant expert Prof. em. Dr. theol. Franz Karl Praßl will give a lecture on the topic: "The Chant of the Cistercians: A Choral Reform in the 12th Century". The announcement states: "The repertoire of Gregorian chant – the monophonic liturgical song of the Latin churches – underwent an extensive internal order revision by the Cistercians in the late Middle Ages. The reform was initiated in 1109 by the third abbot of Cîteaux, Stephen Harding: the (predominantly biblical) texts of the chants were to be in the foreground and not dominated by highly developed melodies. In 1134, Bernard of Clairvaux commissioned a second choral reform, which was completed in 1185 with a code of norms. The intentions underlying the reforms (e.g., purity and originality according to the Rule of Benedict, uniformity, simplicity) overall refer to the ideals of the Cistercian movement, which religiously, culturally, and economically shaped the European continent in the 12th century. In musical matters, the reform often followed contemporary music theory and aesthetics." Following the lecture, we always invite you to a small reception. As with all lectures in the Auditorium Kloster Stiepel, there is a livestream on the monastery's YouTube channel.