Abstract

This paper describes the experience of a classical composer involved in the liturgical chant of the "Comunione e Liberazione" movement (founded by Don Luigi Giussani), whose choir he teaches. It is explained the type of repertoire used in the Masses of this movement and in the meditative encounters and Holy Week celebrations. On the one hand it is characterized by a reassessment of tradition, on the other by new productions. In every case they must match the profoundest expectations of contemporary man. From this need arises a preference for certain musical genres: firstly, the medieval monophonic lauda, primarily the early sources of MS 91 (Cortona) and Banco Rari 18 (Biblioteca Nazionale of Florence); then the polyphonic lauda of the 15th-16th centuries, above all in the forms perfected by the Oratory of St Filippo Neri; then Gregorian Chant and the examples of the great vocal polyphony, especially that of the late 16th century, with a preference for De Victoria, but also for the main composers of the 17th and 18th centuries. In any case, the choice is guided by an attention to community singing, involving close attention to the monody of different traditions and a special appraisal of the psalms of Joseph Gelineau. Illustrated are examples of music, conducted and sometimes composed by Molino, aimed at giving expression to the life and prayer of the Church, in the conviction that shared singing is an indispensable factor in educating the individual to an understanding of the reality surrounding us.