Customer Reviews

The Beatles Gregorian Songbook

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

In listening to the first few sounds of this disc, you find yourself immediately in territory that is at once familiar and unfamiliar. The great bell sounds. You are enveloped by the acoustics, solemn and spacious, not unlike the sensation of being in an immense cathedral of a majestic and venerable scope. You allow yourself to be lulled by the voice of the monks,
soothing and profound in their rumblings, instinctively reminiscent of centuries past. The melodies are lovely and sublime -- as you expect them to be.

But it doesn't take long to realize that these melodies are not in fact unknown. By the time you realize what it is you're listening to, you think, "Is that what this is? A clever joke, and that's all?" My feeling is that it is a little more than that.

The idea of giving such ancient treatment to these modern melodies seems to say something important about the songs and their relevance. After all, the Beatles' music has, on its own, endured for over 35 years, a lifetime in the realm of pop music. But with this disc comes this suggestion that they *could* have perhaps been a hit centuries before! The musical styles are
disparate by many centuries, and these simple, elegant melodies seem perfectly at home in one another's company.

Not that this is universally true. For the two styles to merge
successfully, I think things work better when the material used is less well known. "Strawberry Fields Forever," for example, is perhaps a bit too distinctive a song to be donning such different garb. Recognized as a representative anthem of the "Psychedelic Age," the special orchestral effects used in the original remain an integral part of the song. It is a song difficult to manipulate in any genre. On the other hand, less dated songs such as "The Word," and "Mother Nature's Son," work wonderfully well.

It's interesting how one can perhaps unexpectedly grasp a feeling of authenticity in the original august style. The manner of using a small male choir of only a handful of voices, singing monophonic melody with solo interpolations, adheres closely to the qualities that are representative of fourth century chant, and as a result the sense of calm and profundity is successfully duplicated here.

Perhaps just as interesting are the musical notes themselves, constructed adroitly and intelligently -- and not without a sense of humor. By reading them, one learns to what point the creator of this disc, Michel Laverdiere, has been affected, both personally and artistically, by the music of the Beatles. Laverdiere seems to have approached this project with as much
scholarship as mysticism, purposefully choosing songs that deal not with teenage love ("I Want to Hold Your Hand" would certainly not have worked) but with the songs that reinforce themes of nature, spirituality and brotherhood, as the songs of the Beatles often did. Here, perhaps, is the best incentive of all for unifying these two musical styles.

I suspect that perhaps this project was not really supposed to be taken too seriously, and that it began as a playful experiment, realized by a talented and creative producer who happens also to be a sincere Beatles fan. But, the argument that both art forms are supple, enduring, and timelessly relevant -- here is the proof.

I bought this CD at the same time as Joshua Rifkin's "Baroque Beatles Book", which I have adored for nearly 40 years. (I was taken in by Amazon's "It's better together" promo.) The idea of putting Beatles tunes to Gregorian chants seemed as clever as Rifkin's Baroque renditions of them, but the only really clever thing about this disk is its well-thought-out liner notes.

Most of the Beatles' songs rely too much on harmony to be stripped down to Gregorian chant. The exceptions are George Harrison's Hindu-inspired meditations, which really do come across well; and the use of the cantor in songs like "Strawberry Fields Forever" is occasionally striking. Apart from that, this disk is a bit of a yawn.

While the Beatles were active and for many years afterwards, there were hundreds of orchestral or quasi-classical renditions of their tunes. Nearly all of them were absolute Muzaky sludge. This CD rises above that crowd, but I can't say it will be a regular feature on my audio system -- not like Rifkin's "Baroque Beatles Book" which, even apart from the intelligence and humor of its transformation of pop tunes, could stand on its own as Baroque composition.

I love it!

I don't know much about the producers/performers, but this album was superbly produced and the concept, composition, and performance were excellent.

I have heard other Beatles albums that purport to be classical or baroque or whatever and they all tend to be mere elevator music. This album has strength. First, it really sounds Gregorian (and quite earthy). Second, it thoroughly conveys the messages of these spiritually oriented Beatles tunes.

As a bonus, the printed score is available on the CD!

Great but it's hard to distinguish that they are actually Beatles songs

Being a fan of both Gregorian Chant and the Beatles, this album seemed the right fit for me, once I found out about it. Its makers approached the project with obvious reverence for both, and there is a major difference between this recording and the mid-90s tongue-in-cheek offering "Chantmania" in which those performers chanted well-known pop songs to cash in on the current Chant explosion.

This album has a completely different approach. The acapella vocal arrangements are authentic to the Chant tradition, which means varying the length of notes yet preserving the melodies. Divided into sections, the Schola Musica offer groupings of some of the more spiritual and universal Beatles songs, 7 coming from their famed "middle period" (Rubber Soul to pre-White Album): of course, 3 from George; also, 6 from John, 4 from Paul, and 1 from John & Paul writing jointly.

Although this may be considered a "novelty" recording, it's no joke. I could have done without the humourous fictional liner notes in the booklet, but this is a very satisfying project. I hope Schola Musica are working on a follow-up. "Across The Universe", "Sun King", "Flying", "I Want To Tell You" (with a very minor lyrical adjustment), "Good Night", and "Long Long Long" are also ethereal, spiritual songs, and might be considered if Schola Musica are reading this. Funny how George Harrison's and John Lennon's songs are more widely considered. It's only because Paul McCartney most often wrote either about people or romance.

This CD is recommended for anyone -- especially young people -- unfamiliar with the Beatles' music or new to sacred Chant. I believe it will make a fan of both.

...but not to be taken too seriously.

As a would-be musician who sang Gregorian chant when I was in 4th grade, and has loved it since, and who loved the Beatles from the first time I heard them on Ed Sullivan 45 years ago this month (!), I got this gem.

Now, I confess to not being a musicologist. Sometimes I wish I were but that's not been my calling. I know chant didn't allow for ornamentation, e.g., vibrato, harmony...you know musical "complications" brought about by the art's evolution. So whether the Beatles' melodies would have been conceivable in chant I don't know. So in that sense, the merits of the CD may be dubious.

At the same time, the CD starts with bells ringing (not unlike some more traditional chant CDs I've had for years, or unlike the music at the Trappist monestary at which I retreat frequently; they use an Anglicized chant I prefer to guitar music and other modernizations that have never appealed to my religious sentiments, the latter used by some other monestaries I don't attend.) And if you unaware that you were listening to Beatles melodies, you could be convinced that you're listening to a monastic compline or vespers.

In short, if your a musical purist, you'll be disappointed in this as a novelty--or an insult. But if you're into the novelty, AND can appreciate chant and the Beatles, go for it!

"Hey, hey we're the......monks...."

No, that line is from a chant spoof. Sorry.

Sounds great in concept. I couldn't listen through any of the songs. Of note, I love Gregorian chant. It just doesn't seem to work with "Beatles" music.