Gregorian Chants

      No matter what our faith or walk of life, our belief in angels and longing for their protection binds all of humanity together. May the prayers changed here bring reassurance of the love of God in sending these guardians and messengers to His people.

        Music written to honor the Virgin Mary is the focus of this Super Audio CD of Gregorian chants performed by the rich voices of the Gloriae Dei Cantores Men's Schola. "Theotokos," the "Star of the Sea" - while history's names for her are as varied as the traditions that surround her, one thing remains constant - she is an icon of faith for millions of Christians around the world. Mary invariably points us to her own Son, teaching us to greet Him with that same "yes" by which she opened herself to him, body, soul and spirit. May we all receive the blessing of her example, told through these ancient songs of faith.

        This SACD recording features a wide selection of chants including the Stabat Mater, the Marian antiphons for Compline, selected propers from the Feasts of the Immaculate Conception, the Nativity of Mary, the Annunciation, the Visitation, and the Assumption.

          Best-selling Gregorian chants from the Monks of Solesmes, France

          Taken from the 10th to the 17th centuries, the Gregorian chants range from Tantum Ergo and Adoro te, to hymns from the service of Compline. Sung with grace and style, the chants on this disc are ideal for those who are familiar with the chant liturgy, as a collection of familiar melodies, as well as for those wanting to become familiar with Gregorian chant.

          Mass
               Track 1-Sprinkling of Holy Water     Asperges me
               Track 2-Sprinkling of Holy Water-Easter Season     Vidi aquam
               Track 3-Kyrie XVI
               Track 4-Gloria XV
               Track 5-Sanctus XVIII
               Track 6-The Lord’s Prayer     Pater noster
               Track 7-Agnus Dei XVIII
               
          Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament
               Track 8-Chant of Adoration     Adoro te
               Track 9-Hymn     Jesu dulcis memoria
               Track 10-During Lent     Parce Domine
               Track 11-Chant of worship     Tantum ergo
               Track 12-Chant of worship     Adoremus in aeternum
               
          Chants to our Lady
               Track 13-Antiphon     Salve Regina  (simple tone)
               Track 14-Antiphon     Regina caeli  (simple tone)
               Track 15-Canticle and Antiphon     Magnificat
               Track 16-Antiphon     Sub tuum praesidium
               Track 17-Hymn     Ave maris stella
               
          Along the Musical Year
               Track 18-During Advent: Prose     Rorate caeli
               Track 19-At Christmas: Ecce nomen Domini
               Track 20-During Lent: Attende Domine
               Track 21-At Pentecost: Hymn     Veni Creator
               Track 22-At Compline: Hymn     Te lucis
               Track 23-At Compline: Brief Responsory     In manus tuas
               Track 24-At Compline: Canticle and Antiphon     Nunc dimittis
               
          Kyriale
               Track 25-Kyrie XI
               Track 26-Sanctus XI
               Track 27-Agnus XI
               Track 28-Credo III
               Track 29-Kyrie XVIIIC
           

            Gregorian chant inspires us to recharge our spiritual batteries with its sense of tranquility and peace. Gloriae Dei Cantores Schola has re-released this treasury of Gregorian chants about Christ's Transfiguration (formerly "Shining Like the Sun"). Full of joy and hope, these prayers and meditations encourage us to lift up our eyes and bask in the heavenly light of Christ. Includes chants about the prophecies of the Transfiguration, chants that tell the story of Christ's Transfiguration, and chants that highlight the possibility and promise of our own transfiguration. Beautiful, chant-inspired organ works bookend the program.

              This anthology is of great interest as the contents are in liturgical order, following the principal seasons (Christmas, Holy Week, Easter, and Marian Feasts) representing the entire liturgical year. The beautiful Gregorian chant illumunates the liturgical texts, inviting the listener to contemplate the life of Christ and the foundation of the church.

              This overview will provide more enjoyment for the experienced listener while making a splendid introduction to the beauty of Gregorian chant for the novice. Throughout the anthology the unique interpretive insights that are the hallmark of Solesmes' recordings are carefully preserved.

                   Track 1-Christmas:Introit     Puer
                   Track 2-Christmas     Ambrosian Gloria
                   Track 3-Christmas:Communion     In splendoriubus
                   Track 4-Christmas:Hymn     Christe redemptory
                   Track 5-Christmas:Trope     Ecce nomen Domini
                   Track 6-Maundy Thursday:Introit     Nos autem
                   Track 7-Maundy Thursday:Responsory     Christus factus
                   Track 8-Maundy Thursday:Offertory     Ubi caritas
                   Track 9-Maundy Thursday: Hymn     Pange lingua
                   Track 10-Good Friday:Responsory     Tenebrae
                   Track 11-Good Friday:Hymn     Vexilla regis
                   Track 12-Holy Saturday:Responsory     Ecce quomodo
                   Track 13-Easter:Responsory     Christus resurgens
                   Track 14-Easter:Gradual     Haec dies
                   Track 15-Easter:Alleluia     Pascha nostrum
                   Track 16-Easter:Sequence     Victimae paschali
                   Track 17-Easter:Hymn     Ad coenam
                   Track 18-Easter:Rhythm     Exsultemus
                   Track 19-Easter:Sequence     Salve dies
                   Track 20-Our Lady:Introit     Salve sancta Parens
                   Track 21-Our Lady:Kyrie IX
                   Track 22-Our Lady:Gradual     Benedicta
                   Track 23-Our Lady:Offertory     Recordare
                   Track 24-Our Lady:Antiphon     Regina caeli
                   Track 25-Hymn     Te Deum
                   Track 26-The bells of Solesmes
               

                Featuring two CDs: Sing Noel and The Chants of Christmas

                "Allow this CD to transport you right past the malls and into the season's sacred mystery." —The Dallas Morning News (The Chants of Christmas)

                "I adore well-executed choral music for the holidays, and Gloriae Dei Cantores certainly fills the bill. Sing Noel is an outstanding. . . moving release of intensely lovely seasonal music." — Christmasreviews.com (Sing Noel)

                This Christmas, give and receive the gift of music and be lifted out of the ordinary stresses of life to contemplate the timeless and unchanging love of God and the mystery of the Christmas Story.

                Sing Noel with Gloriae Dei Cantores is a Christmas treat from beginning to end. The recording opens with Sing Noel — a colorful set of carols moving seamlessly from one to another. From Caroling, Caroling to My Dancing Day and The Holly and the Ivy — this recording brings you a traditional Christmas experience that will brighten your Christmas cheer and warm your heart.

                Gloriae Dei Cantores collaborated with The Boston Pops Orchestra on 10 Holiday Tours

                "One of the finest crafted, best blended, and innately musical ensembles with which I have had the pleasure to work."
                —Keith Lockhart, Conductor, Boston Pops

                Gregorian chant, the Catholic Church's very own music, is proper to the Roman liturgy, but during the course of its long history it has experienced periods of ascendancy and decline. A century ago, Pope Pius X called for a restoration of the sacred melodies, and the result was the Vatican Edition. This book presents for the first time in English the fully documented history of the Gregorian chant restoration. The original French edition was published by the Abbey of Solesmes in 1969.This book describes in careful, vivid detail the strenuous efforts of personalities like Dom Joseph Pothier, Dom Andre Mocquereau, Fr. Angelo de Santi, and Peter Wagner to carry out the wishes of the pope. The attentive reader will not fail to note that many of the questions so fervidly debated long ago are still current and topical today. Robert A. Skeris' introduction to this edition illuminates the current discussion with documentation, including the Preface to the Vatican Gradual and the Last Will and Testament written by Dom Eugene Cardine.

                Saulnier, who teaches at the abbey of Solesmes, opens up the world of Gregorian chant for both newcomer and veteran alike. Learn about its origins, the manner in which it is composed, its use of the Psalms and the divine office, how it compares to other forms of chant, plus important source manuscripts for further study. 144 pages, softcover. Paraclete.

                Levy portrays the promulgation of an authoritative body of plainchant during the reign of Charlemagne by clearly plaining between actual evidence, hypotheses, and received ideas. How many traditions of oral chant existed before the tenth century? Among the variations noted in written chant, can one point to a single version as being older or more authentic than the others? What precursors might there have been to the notational system used in all the surviving manuscripts, where the notational system seems fully formed and mature? In answering questions that have long vexed many scholars of Gregorian chant's early history, Levy offers fresh explanations of such topics as the origin of Latin neumes, the shifting relationships between memory and early notations, and more.