Gregorian Melodies: Popular Chants, Vol. 2

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• Gregorian Melodies, Volume 2

About Gregorian Melodies: Popular Chants, Vol. 2

Product Description This album is Volume 2 in a two-release set that contains the best of the Monks of Solesmes- including the Te Deum, Stabat Mater, and Ave Maria, chants for the Liturgical Year from Advent to Pentecost, hymns from the service of Compline, chants devoted to Our Lady and the Blessed Sacrament as well as the Mass of the Angels. Sung with grace and style, the chants on this release are ideal for those who are familiar with the chant liturgy, as a collection of familiar melodies, as well as those wanting to become familiar with Gregorian chant. "The program offers alternate settings... of the sprinkling of water, the Ordinary of the Mass, Benediction hymns, and the most familiar pieces marking the liturgical year... exactly what is needed for those who long to hear the familiar chants again." (Fanfare) "Setting the standard for Gregorian performance." (American Record Guide) Review The program of the two discs (Gregorian Melodies I and II) are similar, offering alternate settings on each disc of the sprinkling of water, the Ordinary of the Mass (two cycles on the first disc, another on the second), Benediction hymns, and the most familiar pieces marking the liturgical year. The final antiphons of Our Lady are sung in the simple (more modern) tone, two on each disc. Sung so superbly as they are here, these two discs are exactly what are needed for those who long to hear the familiar chants again. --J. F. Weber, Fanfare Here we have clean, sensibly phrased performances of 29 Gregorian melodies taken from the Liber Cantualis, each with its corresponding number in the Liber and respective place in the service and/or liturgical calendar. This recording contributes and intriguing strain to the debate over historical performance. The Monastic Choir of St. Peter's Abbey in Solesmes sings in a different dimension. Their tone is essentially clean, and their intonation impeccable. The result is a focused, calm, and consistent performance. They sing in a historically authentic mindset. This is a wholly satisfying offering, and a fine supplement to the body of recorded Gregorian chant. --Kate Grossman, Early Music America This collection, under the direction of Solesmes' new Chantmaster reflects the new, graceful chanting developed over the past several years by Dom Gagne. The fact that the melodies are drawn from the Liber Cantualis and that they are beautifully performed make them a valuable teaching aid. --Charles Chapman