Originally, Gregorian was conceived as a more pop-oriented group in the vein of Enigma. Under this concept, they recorded the 1991 album Sadisfaction, with lead vocals provided by The Sisters of Oz: Susana Espelleta (Peterson's wife at the time) and Birgit Freud. However, this was the only album in that style.
In 1998, Peterson and his team Jan-Eric Kohrs, Michael Soltau and Carsten Heusmann re-invented the project to perform popular songs in the Gregorian style. The criteria for song selection were strict; in order to be considered, a song needed to be translatable into the 7-tone scale. For each album, songs were carefully chosen in addition to original songs written by Jan-Eric Kohrs, Amelia Brightman and Carsten Heussman. Twelve vocalists - previously acclaimed session and choir singers - were then hired to record the tracks.
Each Gregorian album is initially digitally tracked at Nemo Studios, Peterson's Hamburg studio. The vocalists then record their parts in a church atmosphere with dimmed lights and candles, in order to escape what Peterson referred to in a 2001 interview as the "cold and technical" studio atmosphere.
The concept proved to be successful, and the group proceeded to record several more Masters of Chant albums in the same style. Their 2004 album, The Dark Side, was a slight departure from the others, featuring a darker repertoire consistent with the title.
In 2005, The Masterpieces, a compilation album with a live DVD, was released. A fifth Masters of Chant album was released on 31 March 2006. In 2006, a festive album was also released, titled Christmas Chants. A sixth Masters of Chant album was released on 28 September 2007. In 2009 a seventh Masters of Chant album followed.
Gregorian in 2009
On 8 September 2010 the next album, titled The Dark Side of Chant, was announced to be published on 15 October 2010.
The members of the Gregorian choir group are Richard Naxton (Naxos), Johnny Clucas (Johnny), Chris Tickner (Chris T.), Richard Collier (Rich), Gerry O'Beirne (Gerry), Lawrence White (Lorro) and Rob Fardell (Rob F.).
Others who contribute to the vocals or sound of Gregorian are Sarah Brightman (under the pseudonyms Hepsibah or Sarah Hellmann), Amelia Brightman (Sarah Brightman's younger sister), Frank Peterson, and staff of Nemo Studio among others.
Hide and Seek
Gregorian Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Nothing at all, just a distant hum
There was a being and he lived on his own
He had no one to talk to, and nothing to do
He drew up the plans, learned to work with his hands
A million years passed by and his work was done
And his words were these...
Hope you find it in everything, everything that you see
Hope you find it, hope you find it
Hope you find me in you
So she had built her elaborate home
With its ups and its downs, its rains and its sun
She decided that her work was done, time to have fun
And she found a game to play
Then as part of the game
She completely forgot where she'd hidden herself
And she spent the rest of her time
Trying to find the parts
Hope you find it in everything, everything that you see
Hope you find it in everything, everything that you see
Hope you find it, hope you find it
Hope you find me in you
There was a time when there was nothing at all, nothing at all
Just a distant hum
The lyrics of Gregorian's "Hide and Seek" paint a picture of two beings existing in a universe where there was initially nothing but a "distant hum." The first being learned how to create and build, and after a million years of work, had nothing left to do but hope that others could find meaning in their creations. The second being, a female, built her own home and decided to play a game, ultimately forgetting where she had hidden herself and spending the rest of her time trying to find her own parts.
The song possibly alludes to the creation story in the Bible, as the first being seems to represent a divine creator who created the universe with an ultimate purpose in mind. In this interpretation, the second being represents humanity, who often creates and builds their own lives and homes, but can easily lose sight of their own purpose and meaning. The lyrics also suggest a theme of interconnectedness, as the first being hopes to be found within everything that is created, and the second being hopes to find herself within the universe.
Overall, "Hide and Seek" provides a thought-provoking commentary on the relationship between creators, creations, and the overarching meaning of existence.
Line by Line Meaning
There was a time when there was nothing at all
In the beginning, there was absolute nothingness.
Nothing at all, just a distant hum
Only silence existed, a hum so faint that it was barely noticeable.
There was a being and he lived on his own
Eventually, a solitary being came into existence.
He had no one to talk to, and nothing to do
This being was alone with no means of communication or purpose to fulfill.
He drew up the plans, learned to work with his hands
Despite his isolation, the being spent eons creating ideas and honing his craft.
A million years passed by and his work was done
After an immeasurable amount of time, the being had completed his creation.
Hope you find it in everything, everything that you see
The being hoped that humans would find something meaningful in everything they encountered.
Hope you find it, hope you find it
The being desired for others to find a deeper understanding of their world.
Hope you find me in you
Ultimately, the being wished for humans to uncover a piece of himself within themselves.
So she had built her elaborate home
In the present time, a female character had fashioned a life for herself.
With its ups and its downs, its rains and its sun
Her life was comprised of various experiences, both positive and negative.
She decided that her work was done, time to have fun
After a lifetime of dedicated work, the female character determined it was time for leisure.
And she found a game to play
She chose to engage in a game for amusement.
Then as part of the game
During the course of the game,
She completely forgot where she'd hidden herself
The female character became so caught up in the game that she became unaware of where she was.
And she spent the rest of her time
After the game had ended, the female character dedicated the remaining time of her life to this endeavor.
Trying to find the parts
She desired to piece together the fragments of the life she had lost track of.
Contributed by Lincoln Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@elizabethryan556
Just watched Howard Jones sing this.. wow
@cayleb101
♫♫♫hope you find me in everything...everything that you see. hope you find...me. hope you find...me. hope you find me in you....there was a time when there was nothing at all...nothing at all....just a distant hum...♫♫♫
@jerryhaydel5172
There was a time when there was nothing at all
Nothing at all, just a distant hum
There was a being and he lived on his own
He had no one to talk to, and nothing to do
He drew up the plans, learned to work with his hands
A million years passed by and his work was done
And his words were these...
Hope you find it in everything, everything that you see
Hope you find it in everything, everything that you see
Hope you find it, hope you find it
Hope you find me in you
So she had built her elaborate home
With its ups and its downs, its rains and its sun
She decided that her work was done, time to have fun
And she found a game to play
Then as part of the game
She completely forgot where she'd hidden herself
And she spent the rest of her time
Trying to find the parts
Hope you find it in everything, everything that you see
Hope you find it in everything, everything that you see
Hope you find it, hope you find it
Hope you find me in you
There was a time when there was nothing at all, nothing at all
Just a distant hum
@wannamlwithu
have you tried Amazon yet? I have this CD but i bought it like at a CD store almost 8 years ago. :)
@KinyoobiYoru
I tried to buy this song. It's definitely worth the money! But iTunes only has albums V and up, for some reason. Where can I get this music while legally supporting the artists?
@reddevil9554
Nowhere near as ethereal as the original.
@NateDemerest
à 1:21, pour les francophones, le chanteur avait un problème avec son chien, c'est pour cela qu'il dit "Bijou à ta place", merci je sais où c'est -> [ ]
@tmvideoproduktionen
Not every song has to be covered.