CD: Gregorian Chant Vespers and Compline by the Monastic Choir of St Peter’s Abbey, Solesmes, France

Description CD Over 46 Minutes The great bell of Solesmes calls the listener to the complete Office of Sunday Vespers and Compline on this exquisite chant recording. Includes Gregorian antiphons, psalms, hymns and the Angelus. These recordings are not available digitally or on streaming services. The musical highlights of the Gregorian church year sung under the direction of Solesmes choir director Dom Gajard have been digitally remastered. This recording reflects the unmatched authenticity of Gregorian chant by the Monks of Solesmes. Perfect for learning chant with the Liber Usualis! “The most famous and ‘authentic’ recordings of Gregorian chant for generations have been those made by the Solesmes monks.” —The Boston Globe Sunday Vespers Track 1-Tolling of the Bell Track 2-Antiphon and Psalm 109 Track 3-Antiphon and Psalm 110 Track 4-Antiphon and Psalm 111 Track 5-Antiphon and Psalm 112 Track 6-Reading and Brief Response Track 7-Hymn and Versicle Track 8-Antiphon     Si Offers and Magnificat Canticle Track 9-Litany and chanting of Our Father Track 10-Collect and Conclusion Compline Track 11-Ringing of the Bells Track 12-Introduction Track 13-Psalm 4 Track 14-Psalm 90 Track 15-Psalm 133 Track 16-Hymn Track 17-Conclusion Track 18-Antiphon     Salve Regina Track 19-Chiming of the Angelus Since the re-founding of the monastery of St. Peter of Solesmes in 1833 under Dom Prosper Gueranger, this Benedictine monastery on the River Sarthe in western France has set the world standard both for the performance of Gregorian chant and the authenticity of the music itself. Commissioned by Pope Pius X to research the role of chant in liturgy and to edit books on chant that reflect this research, Solesmes enjoys an enviable reputation. Its work in liturgical reform and in the current revival of Gregorian chant has been likened to that of the great abbey of Cluny in the Middle Ages. These recordings incorporate new understandings of ancient manuscripts and represent a distillation of nearly 200 years of scholarship in the chant: musical paleography, semiology, and modality. The groundbreaking work by the monks of Solesmes has contributed to today’s resurgence of interest in Gregorian chant as the foundation of Western music. Spread the love