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.
The Circle
Gregorian Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Diving into my mind
did I give did I run the course
Did I fall or was it all in vain
Am I blind or do I see the truth
Hanging there in my eyes
Everything I am everything I see
All this joy and pain it will be again
All a part of the circle coming back to me
Life is sweet given what we have
Looking back into time,
I have lived I have tasted love
I give in but was it all in vain
Everything I am everything I see
Is a part of the circle coming back to me
All this joy and pain it will be again
All a part of the circle coming back to me
Everything I am everything I see
Is a part of the circle coming back to me
All this joy and pain it will be again
All a part of the circle coming back to me
Circle coming back to me
Circle coming back to me
Circle coming back to me
Circle coming back to me
Everything I am everything I see
Is a part of the circle coming back to me
All this joy and pain it will be again
All a part of the circle coming back to me
Everything I am everything I see
Is a part of the circle coming back to me
All this joy and pain it will be again
All a part of the circle coming back to me
The song "The Circle" by Gregorian is a somber contemplation of life and the inevitability of the cyclical nature of everything. The lyrics begin by expressing the struggle of self-reflection, wondering if the singer had made the right choices in life, and whether all the pain they experienced was worth it. The verses are filled with questions that are open to interpretation, but they are all connected by the idea of self-doubt and uncertainty.
The chorus, on the other hand, aims to provide some solace to the uncertainty expressed in the verses. The lyrics assert that everything that has happened, every joy and pain, is a part of the circle coming back to the singer. The circle, here, refers to the idea of cycles, the recurrence of events that repeats throughout life, and how every experience is a part of something bigger. The singer finds comfort in the notion that everything they've been through, however difficult or joyful, will come back to them.
Overall, the lyrics of "The Circle" are open to interpretation and can mean different things to different people. However, the idea of cycles and the inevitability of events is a relatable concept, and the song provides a sense of optimism in the face of uncertainty.
Line by Line Meaning
Holding on to the man I was
Holding onto my past self
Diving into my mind
Reflecting on my thoughts and emotions
Did I give did I run the course
Did I try my best and see it through
Did I fall or was it all in vain
Did I fail or was my effort pointless
Am I blind or do I see the truth
Am I aware of the reality of my situation
Hanging there in my eyes
Visible and present in my thoughts
Everything I am everything I see
My entire self and perspective
Is a part of the circle coming back to me
Is part of a cycle that repeats itself
All this joy and pain it will be again
All the positive and negative experiences will happen again
Life is sweet given what we have
Appreciating what we have in life
Looking back into time,
Reflecting on the past
I have lived I have tasted love
I have experienced love in my life
I give in but was it all in vain
I submit to my circumstances, but was it worth it
Circle coming back to me
The cyclical nature of life
Everything I am everything I see
My entire self and perspective
All this joy and pain it will be again
All the positive and negative experiences will happen again
Circle coming back to me
The cyclical nature of life
Circle coming back to me
The cyclical nature of life
Circle coming back to me
The cyclical nature of life
Circle coming back to me
The cyclical nature of life
Everything I am everything I see
My entire self and perspective
All this joy and pain it will be again
All the positive and negative experiences will happen again
All a part of the circle coming back to me
All a part of a cycle that repeats itself
Everything I am everything I see
My entire self and perspective
All this joy and pain it will be again
All the positive and negative experiences will happen again
All a part of the circle coming back to me
All a part of a cycle that repeats itself
Contributed by Hudson O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@bothcarmen9917
VERY BEAUTIFUL AND WONDERFUL!! 🙏❤️❤️❤️🌹🌹🌹 THANK YOU! HAPPY NEW YEAR, TO ALL! 🙏❤️🕊️😘🌹🌹🌹🎀🥂🍾🧑🎄🌲💕🌟
@lauracamarero2988
Maravillosos👏👏👏👏👏💖💖
@rogertemple7193
I really like this song by Gregorian
and Amelia with Gunther and the
band backing them Thank You.
🎵🎶🎼🎸🎸🎤🎹🥁🎼🎶🎵
@user-ys3gu1ne4z
Ви чудоаі. Після перемоги запрошуємо на святкування.. У Київ.
@akikomitani4840
Bravo! Love from Japan 💖
@CabbotSanders-rn3bk
Love you all. -CAS
@stasdubly
i really like this song! the band gives this unique feeling, really stands out on their own!
@timhjelm
Nice hymn, and nice performers. Very beautiful chords.
@user-dl6jp5pd8n
Strepitoso ❤❤❤❤❤❤Awesome
@celestemonteiro6311
Beautiful ❤ great song