Customer Reviews

Women in Chant: Recordare: Remembering the Mysteries in the Life of Jesus, Son of Mary

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I bought this recording a few weeks ago and it has quickly become a favourite. While Gregorian Chant has become popular, especially with the recordings of Santo Domingo de Silos, it is easy to lose sight of the fact that Gregorian Chant is sung prayer. In hearing the nuns of the Abbey of Regina Laudis sing, you understand that this is something that they experience each day. It is a beautiful recording and is accompanied by beautiful meditations on the life of Jesus read by Mother Dolores Hart, O.S.B.

Although Gregorian Chant is very carefully tied to particular times and seasons, and therefore recordings of the living chant always feels odd out of season and captured and pinned on display, like fascinating irridescent butterfly wings on cotton under glass, please play this disk and live and breathe a little easier, in peace and in rhythm and in unity.

Gracefully directed by Dr. Marier, this recording wonderfully captures the greatest living Gregorian choir fully active in the United States of America, at the Abbey of Regina Laudis, which daily and nightly maintains the true cycle of Gregorian chant, completely, in the living of the Rule of Saint Benedict with all of the liturgical hours fully chanted as ever through the centuries, per saeculum saeculi. The best way, then, to experience in union this true and living and breathing chant is to spend as much time as possible on retreat at the Abbey in still rural Bethlehem, Connecticut. Lacking that ability, live with this disk, and let it play day and night until it becomes a part of your bones and you sing with it without yet quite knowing it.

I strongly recommend this disk for anyone who fully and deeply wants to know Gregorian Chant, as chanted by a contemplative community of devoted and committed women in America. Hear also their recording, also with Mr. Marier, of the Festal Celebrations of the Virgin Martyrs and Our Lady of Sorrows, which includes the founding Abbess Mother Benedict's blessing.

Please note in particular the most important Marian hymns are included on this disk, for anyone seriously interested in learning the most important Gregorian Marian tones. FOr instance you find here a solemn version of the Magnificat, the greatest hymn of Mary directly from the Gospel of Saint Luke, which is chanted every day at Vespers without exception by any monastic choir worthy of the name. We also may find here Regina coeli and the wonderful seasonal hymn, Salve Regina. Please look closely at the play list and you find nearly every traditional Marian hymn you can recall. Within this collection are scriptural meditations beautifully read by Mother Dolores Hart, an actress who was on her way to becoming the next Grace Kelly (who had then abdicated her throne to take on the throne of Monaco) but entered Regina Laudis monastery instead, filling its readings with the depths of her trained and restrained and profoundly emotional voicings. We are very fortunate she is so well recorded here, and regret she never made at the height of her powers an audiobook of the entire Holy Bible, or at least the Psalms, or Gospels . . .

In other words, what more can you possibly ask for?

Please note the photograph on this product, the Mysteries in the Life of Jesus, Son of Mary, is of the new Abbess, Mother David, who is currently directing the choir in a fresh recording of the hymns of Christmas, a new recording which may be available come Christmas of this year. In the mystery of Bethlehem, that will be well worth adding to your music library, for anyone serious about studying the true Gregorian chant as it is lived and breathed daily by this now too rare and precious choir.

Please also see the soon-to-be-released biography of Mother Benedict from Ignatious Press. Let us learn to cherish our American saints and study from them how to live in peace and loving Catholic community in this quadrant of the hemisphere.

Please see all of the Abbey's rare recordings at their website.

I'm not Catholic but I love chant. This is a beautiful CD that I enjoy when I'm enjoying spiritual time. If you like or love chant, I highly recommend this CD.

This is a cd that is great to have on while you are working around the house, going to bed or if you want to sit and really listen to music. Enclosed info helps you enjoy the music much more because you know what they are singing about in the individual songs. I'll find myself hearing the songs in my head while I'm out feeding the horses...just good stuff for the soul.