Florence, San Miniato, Gregorian Chan

The daily prayer of the religious order is not an entertainment. The fact that it is open to the public is part of the monk's mission of hospitality. Perhaps this should be made clearer in the guidebook.

Sorry you were disappointed, but glad you posted for others who might be interested in listening briefly.

Does the book really say "Gregorian chants"? What we witnessed was the monks doing their regular chanting of Vespers (evening prayers) which was not intended to be a performance or in the Gregorian style. In fact the monk in charge seemed to be exasperated that so many tourists were hanging around. Probably of marginal interest to non-Catholics.

Apparently Rick attended Vespers and you attended a Mass - two different forms of daily liturgy. Vespers - as well as the other canonical hours - are celebrated and sung by all monks present at the time. Still, they are monks, not a professional choir; it is not a show, it is a prayer and I am not sure that sending up tourists that consider the service as a quick refreshment is really respectful to the monks.

Gregorian chants have no "lovely harmonies" - it is so old in its forms that when its melodies were sketched, the very concept of harmony (persons singing different lines at the same time) did not exist.

What you heard was Gregorian chant -- mostly psalms, with an OT or NT canticle and the Lord's Prayer -- as it has been chanted for centuries. And it was Vespers (assuming you went at the sceduled time); Vespers is longer on solemnities, Saturdays, and Sundays. Evening Mass at that church is later, and in a different area. You heard one of the seven daily periods of prayer that are chanted in monasteries worldwide.

"Harmony" is not really relevant to the ancient form Gregorian chant, although you'll find it in very late embellishments of chant. If you want that, buy a ticket to Chanticleer (amazing singers).

The 2013 book says "Gregorian Chants", so the OP was misled.

I agree with your above description. We went to hear chant just in June. We, too, thought it would be a group of monks chanting. However, we did have a positive experience. My husband is a choir director and is very much into monks. He really enjoyed singing along with the Mass parts. In fact, he was the best singer. He liked the atmosphere - initimate and acoustically live. I think it's fair to say that this Mass should be attended by those who want to go to Mass for religious reasons or by someone like my husband. For the rest of us - it can be tedious. I have zero regrets visiting San Miniato. It's an impressive site. Just don't go out of your way for Mass. If you simply want to attend Mass - you may want to try another Church, closer to your hotel. Also, we heard some Gregorian chant at Santa Croce. Not by monks. But, by a choir.

I should have added - Tuesday night at 5:30 pm is a Mass in the lower chapel where the remains of San Miniato are. There are only a few people. The service is provided to the public by one priest and one religious brother. This is what my family attended. As previously mentioned, this is an act of hospitality by the brothers for traveling Catholics and the public in general.

Thanks for all the replies. I should clarify that it was the 5:30 service I attended, the service described on the church's website as "in Gregorian chants." Since I knew it was a service, I certainly didn't expect entertainment. But, unfamiliar with Catholic services and the role of chant in those services, I just expected something a bit different from what I got (complete with a homily in Italian - definitely not chanted). And, though I didn't detect any problem with being a tourist at the service (there were probably around 10 of us, I'd guess), it was clear that once things got started, this was not an event one was free to come and go from as one wishes. So we stayed in our seats for the whole thing out of respect. Hence, for those of us who do not wish to attend an entire mass, I would suggest listening to the service in the main area of the church where there would be no problem, as far as I could sense, staying for a while and then leaving.

And, of course, the church is well worth a visit if only for the amazing views.

It was good of you to post this as info. for others. The Mass is in Gregorian chant. However, there is not a group of monks positioned in a choir stall, chanting. It's a small, simple service. What makes this service awkward is that the space is acoustically live and there are only a few people present. It's quite intimate. The live acoustics magnify every little squeak, foot step, and sneeze. Once you are there and the service starts, you must remain seated and completely quiet. Of course you can join in the singing if you know the Mass parts - many Catholics do.