Customer Reviews

Eternal Chants

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

 

 

i am doing a performance art work based on umberto eco's "the name of the rose." the novel takes place in an abbey, and the story is structured around the daily pattern of prayer observed by the monks. i was hoping to find some nice recordings of gregorian chant, but i wasn't prepared to find EXACTLY what i needed! what a nice surprise -- not everything in life has to be suffering and pain i suppose... i digress. the quality of the recordings is excellent, and i really appreciate the abient noises in the background (bells, doors opening, birds, wind, etc). these sounds are proof of the authenticity of the experience -- you are hearing the monks as they progress through their day -- it is so nice to hear something that wasn't constructed electronically in a sound studio. the collection is great for people who want relaxing and/or spiritual music, but it is also very important to those students of monastic life who want to understand better the daily rituals that make up a monk's life. you might also be interested in this compilation if you are studying music history or music appreciation, or if you are interested in hearing music sung in latin (a good resource for language students). all in all this is the best gregorian chant collection i've been able to find after much searching: great sound quality, consistency (same people's voices, same acoustics, etc) logical progressions through the provided selections, and reasonable pricing. this compilation is also great if you need a thorough survey of gregorian chant

It is really hard to find a decent Gregorian Chant Collection. The only possible alternatives are "musique d'abord" series of harmonia mundi/france, or DG's double disc gregorian chant album. But here, we have a three disc collection of unequaled magnificence. All recorded in abbeys or monasteries throughout France that are indicated in a map of churches which can be found within the very illuminating booklet, alongside the names of performing artists or choirs, beautiful images and fully translated latin texts of the 67 recorded chants. (between 1970-1992)

the first disc offers the plainsong tradition without any accompaniment, it has some gorgeous surprises such as a hauntingly beautiful rendition of "alleluia: justus germinabit" sung by Chanterelle del Vasto. while the second and third discs possess some humble organ accompaniment or atmospheric bell sounds.

Overall this is the best gregorian compilation available. Very good quality sound, very deeply involved choir singing (which is very difficult to find) with excellent documentation. What can we ask more except for a second or third compilation like this one ?

Simple and unadorned distinctively presented and sung Gregorian Chant.

Eloquently and simply sung.

Recording includes bells and very simple harmonies, with an echo effect, as if sung within a simple monastery setting.

Nicely performed and presented.

Ken Cybulska

A real stinker. The engineer has tried to create that "big cathedral sound" using reverb. And boy did he ever use it! Each cut starts out cleanly for a second or two until the reverb kicks in. The result is muddy, confused noise. The last note of nearly every line sounds out of tune because the reverb rarely catches up. Wish I could get my hands on the original tapes. Very good book though, or this would be a zero star rating.

Consist of 3 CD's - An overview of Gregorian Chant - A Monk's day in Chants - Advent and Christmas This compilation is good for who want to know more of Gregorian Chants