Salve Regina: Gregorian Chant

Gregorian Chant (Composer), Benedictine Monks of the Abbey of St. Maurice & St. Maur of the Abbey (Performer)

Product Details

• Performer: Benedictine Monks of the Abbey of St. Maurice & St. Maur of the Abbey
• Composer: Gregorian Chant
• Audio CD (October 25, 1990)
• SPARS Code: ADD
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Philips
• ASIN: B0000040ZC
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #6,145 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #2 in	Music > Classical > Sacred & Religious > Te Deum
  #21 in	Music > Opera & Vocal > Vocal Non-Opera > Motets
  #29 in	Music > Classical > Historical Periods > Early Music > Vocal & Song

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

59 of 60 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Live chant beats studio chant!, August 25, 2004

By	Benjamin R. Cox, III "RevBen02" (Groveland, Fl United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I first bought this album on vinyl on the old World Series label during the late sixties. I was struck at that time by the difference between the live singing and studio chant. I was, at that time, a college student majoring in music. Since then, from the vantage point of a 35-year career in music and teaching, I am struck anew by the quality of this disc, and I'm so glad this album made it to disc! I have used this disc for years, teaching Lutheran choirs to sing Gregorian chant and many years of European History students have been amazed at the "live" quality.
I usually start the sessions with the Santo Domingo de Silos recordings, then move to Clervaux. Without exception, every class has remarked on the bells as the choir enters before the Te Deum and the entrance of the bird. Chant becomes, for my students, not an old dead thing, but a living, breathing continuing tradition of prayer, praise and worship. This disc is a must for both the novice just beginning to study chant, and for the conniseur, who has studied for years.

27 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Cloistered Contemplation, September 1, 2001

By	Timothy D. Thomas (Chicago, IL) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

If you are looking for a spare, bare bones, Gregorian chant recording as it is sung day to day in many monasteries still (even in these post-Vatican II days) this is a safe bet. The monks sing in the eight unadorned modes of gregorian canticles, accompanied only by an organ tone to begin.
For purists, this disc is a joy, and a boon to anyone searching for music to truly relax or consider life's mysteries by. Recordings such as these are hard to find, and even more so inexpensivley with such quality. Buy with confidence.

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Genuine Monastic Experience, September 16, 2005

By	Laus tibi, Christe - See all my reviews

Gregorian Chant is not 'sung' but rather prayed. The spirit of Gregorian Chant has been captured and presented here by the Benedictine Monks of the Abbey of St. Maurice & St. Maur in Clervaux.

These good men are true fathers of the chant yet are childlike in their prayers to the Heavenly Father. The monastic life of prayer and submission to the Divine is fully captured in every detail. The brief and simple organ intonement followed by the distant noise of a monk's bench seat before prayers like the Lauda Sion speak volumes of the simple day to day life of Benedictine Monasticism. The bells before and during the Te Deum (To God we Give Thanks) are reminiscent of a child trying with everything he can to get the Father's attention . . . to give a simple thank you.

The entire album plunges one into the silence of the soul: prayer, where the key to the heart of God is unlocked. Throughout the CD the sounds of the monk's movements are captured. Unlike other expensive sacred works, this CD captures the surrounding 'noise' and manages to remind the listener of the embodiment of prayer - the soul animating the body in intimate communication with God.

No Gregorian Chant CD that I own can bring the body and soul together like this one.