Cheironomy as a Modern Pedagogical Tool in the Teaching of Monophonic Church Music. An Example from the Gregorian Chant

Gregorian Semiology is the way of Gregorian chant interpretation based on the oldest musical manuscripts. This approach has been very popular in Germany since 1968, when the book of Dom Eugene Cardine Semiologia Gregoriana was published. One of most important elements of this interpretation is the cheironomy (a special way of conducting choral chant) both in the liturgy (or concert) and the lessons. In the didactical process, this special gesturing is not only used from the group coordinator but also from each student who sings and conduct themselves at the same time. The combination of voice and hand movement was proven as a very effective method and applied not only during the middle ages but also in 20th century Gregorian chant bibliography. The aim of this paper is to show the steps of learning a piece by means of cheironomy which has benn introduced by Godehard Joppich and his students in Germany, so that it can be usuful for teachers and choral singers in their daily learning process.