Taizé

The term “Taizé -style” refers to a particular form of worship practiced by the Taizé Community, an ecumenical Christian group in Taizé, France.  This community consists of “over a hundred brothers, Catholics and from various Protestant backgrounds, coming from around thirty nations.” The community was formed in the 1940’s by a man named Brother Roger, and it originally existed to meet the needs of refugees from the Second World War.  Over time, the Taizé Community has become internationally known as a place of pilgrimage and peace by people of faith from around the world.   

 

Welcoming all regardless of religious or ideological point of view; In this, Taizé and Unitarian Universalism share a significant worldview. For the brothers of Taizé, this was a practical problem in the late fifties and sixties, when more and more people flocked to them. At that time, their services and prayers were largely in French, their native language. It was at this time that the music became a central entry point for Taizé practice. Jacques Berthier, a “friend of Taizé,” helped the brothers develop songs. …“different methods were tried out, and a solution was found in the use of repetitive structures, namely, short musical phrases with singable melodic units that could be readily memorized by everybody... The use of some very simple words in basic Latin (a language without allegiance to any particular culture or tradition), to support the music and the theme of prayer was also dictated by pastoral reasons."

 

For more information on the Taizé Community, visit: http://www.taize.fr/