A Tapestry of Sacred Music: Sacred Songs of Occitan by Lo Còr de la Plana

PUBLISHED February 23rd, 2015 10:08 am | UPDATED July 1st, 2020 01:00 am

Their music is a raucous ritual of singing, chanting, hand-clapping, knee-slapping and percussions, brimming with influences from the Mediterranean, Arabia, Africa, and Gregorian chants. They sing in Occitan, a little known language unique to France’s Provence region. Hailing from the city of Marseille, all-male polyphonic ensemble Lo Còr de la Plana (pronounced “loh quar dey la plahna”) is known for reinventing the ancient sounds of the Occitan, vacillating between the violent and the sacred, the popular and the obscure.

In Sacred Songs of Occitan, they return to their roots with narrative songs from the Early Christian period of the 10th and 11th centuries. Still smouldering from the battles between the pre-Christian pantheons and the new monotheistic order, many of these sacred songs depict stories of Christ through metaphor and allegory. Others humanise him, recounting stories of him in wretched clothes, riding a donkey into the night while mingling human fate with the destiny of the stars.

With their raw vocals and rousing percussions, Lo Còr de la Plana’s repertoire of songs transcends both performance and ritual to conjure up a world of noisy carousing, imaginary paradises, deafening silence and the chaos of daily life.

About A Tapestry of Sacred Music:

A Tapestry of Sacred Music invites you to seek fulfilment through paths illuminated by the sounds and voices of devotion. Immerse in sacred music from around the world as well as from different religious communities within our shores at this festival, and be moved by the beauty of these spiritually inspired traditions. Be it through the grandeur of the Concert Hall or the intimacy of an outdoor performance on the Courtyard lawn, soul-stirring encounters can be experienced throughout the centre.

Lo Còr de la Plana will be performing live on Sunday, 19 April at 5pm at the Esplanade Recital Studio.

To purchase tickets, please click [here](http://www.sistic.com.sg/events/occitan0415).