Here, plainchant and polyphony are preserved in both sound and on paper. The physical library will be expanded in 2021 with the addition of three remarkable collections, as the Gregorian chant libraries of Frans Mariman, Bart Guns, and the Académie de Chant Grégorien are added to the library’s Plainchant Collection. This expansion will add some 5,500 new plainchant books, complementing the existing collection. The personal library of the late Frans Mariman, conductor, teacher and driving force behind the Centrum Gregoriaans Drongen, represents a rich treasury of scholarly literature, important plainchant editions, and facsimiles that are difficult to find elsewhere.

This donation is very special as it brings a wide range of source material together into one extensive collection. The private collection of Bart Guns, former chair of the Centrum Gregoriaans Drongen, represents a second important acquisition. More than 500 scholarly books, periodicals, facsimile editions, and liturgical publications form the heart of this donation. The Collection is being further broadened with the collection of the Académie de Chant Grégorien. The continued expansion of our library as the reference for vocal and instrumental music of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance continues apace!