Description

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The second volume of this beautiful collection includes Gregorian Chants from the Liturgy of Bishops, Doctors of the Church, and Saints, with Introits, Graduals, Alleluias, Offertories, Communion pieces, Antiphons and Hymns.

For over a century and a half, the Monks of Solesmes have chanted the liturgy of the Church, while at the same time achieving remarkable breakthroughs in musical scholarship.  The clarity, accuracy – and haunting, compelling power – of their sound has no equal.  According to experts, the recordings of the Monks of Solesmes are the purest, most genuine, and finest recordings of Gregorian Chant available anywhere.

Liturgy of Bishops
     Track 1-Introit     Statuit
     Track 2-Introit     Sacerdotes tui
     Track 3-Introit     Sacerdotes eius
     Track 4-Gradual     Ecce sacerdos
     Track 5-Alleluia     Amavit
     Track 6-Offertory     Inveni
     Track 7-Offertory     Bonum est
     Track 8-Lauds Antiphons
     Track 9-Hymn     Iste confessor
     
Doctors of the Church
     Track 10-Introit     In medio
     Track 11-Introit     Os justi
     Track 12-Introit     Lex Domini
     Track 13-Introit     Meditatio
     Track 14-Gradual     Venite
     Track 15-Alleluia     Spiritus
     Track 16-Alleluia     Disposui
     Track 17-Offertory     Veritas
     Track 18-Communion     Tu mandasti
     Track 19-Communion     Quod dico
     Track 20-Communion     Qui meditabitur
     Track 21-Antiphon      O Doctor
     Track 22-Hymn     Aeterne sol
     
Saints
     Track 23-Introit     Laetabitur
     Track 24-Introit     In virtute tua
     Track 25-Gradual     Venite filii
     Track 26-Communion     Qui mihi
     Track 27-Introit     Laetetur cor
     Track 28-Alleluia     Laetabitur
     Track 29-Alleluia     Haec est
     Track 30-Offertory     In virtute
     Track 31-Communion     Narrabo
     Track 32-Lauds Antiphons
 

About the Author

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The Recorded Legacy of Solesmes

Since the refounding 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 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.
Paraclete Press is proud to be the North American distributor of the recordings of the monks of Solesmes. These recordings have won numerous prestigious international awards, including the Grand Prix du Disque, Deutsche Schallplatten Prize, Diapason d’Or, and the Edison Prize.
 

Praise For…

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“The most famous and ‘authentic’ recordings of Gregorian chant for generations have been those made by the Solesmes monks.”  —The Boston Globe

“The music is utterly magnificent and the singing of this great choir is thrilling beyond words…it’s better to starve to this music than to live without it.”  —Classic CD

“Supremely ethereal.” —USA Today

“Solesmes sets the standard for Gregorian chant performance.”  —American Record Guide
 

"The success of Gregorian chant in the past century, and the centered richness of prayer it brings to all of us, is almost singularly due to the herculean efforts of the Benedictine Monks of Solesmes, France." 

"Communicates a mood of mystery, timelessness, peace, beauty, and contemplation." 

"The Monks of Solesmes ... use the most authentic manuscripts and ancient documents to recover the original melodies." 

"The monks' chanting is living, strong, unvarnished." 

"The chant is organic and text-based ... the singing is full and well-supported." 

"The recordings present entire liturgies, mostly sung live (creating) ... a sense of unbroken, focused prayer." 

"There's something incredible fresh and new ... which is well worth your attention." 

—New Liturgical Movement 
 

"Beauty and immense spiritual power when sung by the Monastic Choir of St. Peter's Abbey, Solesmes, France" 

"The music is exceptionally inviting, engaging listeners' ears with beauty and elevating their thoughts no matter what their spiritual or religious beliefs and doctrines may be." 

"The beauties of Gregorian chant...encourage inward looking, contemplation, thoughtfulness, a kind of separation from mundane affairs ... Gregorian chant resonates." 

"The sensitive, careful, beautifully measured performances here can be used as an entry point to an earlier time." 

—TransCentury Communications