The Monks of Solesmes: Gregorian Chant Rediscovered

Description

EDITORIAL REVIEWS This recording includes musical highlights of the Gregorian church year sung in 1930 under the direction of Solesmes choir director Dom Gajard and they have been digitally remastered. This recording reflects the unmatched authenticity which characterizes the exquisitely gracious and moving performances of Gregorian chant by the Monks of Solesmes. In the late 19th century, Pope Leo XIII charged the Abbey of Solesmes with the restoration and preservation of Gregorian Chant according to the original 10th-11th century manuscripts. The care and zeal with which the monks undertook this mission quickly extended the Abbeys influence beyond Europe. Their goal: that Gregorian Chant be available to all people so they may pray with the help of beauty (Pop St. Pius X). Today, the Abbey continues to be a vibrant source of research and liturgical prayer with their library of over 200,000 volumes, and a musical palaeography workshop second only to the Vatican. But above all, Solesmes is a living community of Benedictine monks searching for God and sharing their spirituality, community life, and heritage. REVIEW Paraclete Press offers a superb list of outstanding Christian music which is magnificently performed by the monks of Solesmes. Each of these highly recommended exceptional recordings is flawlessly produced and showcases centuries of devotions, chants, celebrations, and the glorification of God. --Reviewer's Bookwatch 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 --New Liturgical Movement The most famous and authentic recordings of Gregorian chant for generations have been those made by the Solesmes monks --The Boston Globe