Salve Regina: Gregorian Chant
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Composer: Gregorian ChantPerformer: Benedictine Monks of the Abbey of St. Maurice & St. Maur of the Abbey
Edition: Music CD
CD Release Date: 1990-10-25
Music Label: Philips
Soundtracks:
- Gregorian Chant: Magnificat - Tu es pastor ovium
- Gregorian Chant: Stabat Mater
- Gregorian Chant: Lauda Sion
- Gregorian Chant: Te deum (tonus monasticus)
- Gregorian Chant: Adoro te
- Gregorian Chant: O sacrum convivium (tonus monasticus)
- Gregorian Chant: Ave, verum Corpus
- Gregorian Chant: Tantum ergo
- Gregorian Chant: O salutaris Hostia (tonus monasticus)
- Gregorian Chant: Salve Regina (tonus monasticus)
- Gregorian Chant: Ave Maria
- Gregorian Chant: Sub tuum praesidium (tonus monasticus)
- Gregorian Chant: Alma Redemptoris Mater (tonus monasticus)
- Gregorian Chant: Inviolata
- Gregorian Chant: Regina caeli (tonus monasticus)
- Gregorian Chant: Victimae paschali laudes
- Gregorian Chant: Veni, Creator Spiritus (tonus monasticus)
Music reviews of Salve Regina: Gregorian Chant
Music Review: Dudes, it's a consonant. Pronounce it!
Rating: 3 Stars
Originally recorded in 1959 in Luxembourg's famous Abbey of Clervaux, this recording may suffer from the technology of that time, as the recording is quite muddy.
It does carry several of the best known pieces from the repertory, yet none of the recordings conveys the word as written, as if the good monks had their jaws all braced in an open position, losing the ability to pronounce a consonant. One section in particular sounds like a new age ooh-ing and aah-ing passing from vowel sound to vowel sound without distinguishable consonants, words or morphemes.
Therefore if you wish to follow the text with the monks, you may do well to bring your Graduale Triplex: The Roman Gradual With the Addition of Neums from Ancient Manuscripts or the The Monastic Diurnal or the Day Hours of the Monastic Breviary in Latin and English or other monastic liturgical tome in Latin. Of course after years of daily hearing and chanting, many of these melodies are engraved in my bone marrow, in particular the revolutionary chant Magnificat (and thus I find it difficult to hear in a seated or even prone position), the glorious Salve Regina (although seasonal rather than daily used throughout the year, and again, one to stand to) and the profound hymns which accompany the Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament, etc., which are included here (and to which one must kneel upon hearing, within a thick cloud of frankincense).
In fact not only will you find the Magnificat here (chanted at Vespers every evening, with its own particular liturgical gestures and postures) but also the Stabat Mater, the Te Deum, Adoro te, the Tantum Ergo, Regina Caeli (with an interesting pronunciation of the Invocation) and Veni Creator Spiritus. This is an excellent and very moving selection of some of the most well known pieces, unfortunately not well recorded.
Another flaw is the actual miking of the chant. Apparently a microphone was placed in the middle of the choir, or even out in the nave, and so all reverberations and echoes are fully represented, covering the distinction of the words even further.
I wonder whether this was "Digitally remastered" from the original tapes forty or fifty years later, or from someone's ancient vinyl LP with all of the consonants clipped off from over-use.
The thick booklet which accompanies the cd is mainly advertisements for other cd's available from this company, but it also contains a four page general historical and philosophical introduction. Most importantly the words (in Latin only) to each of the pieces is also printed in the brochure in two separate places, split by the several pages of ads. This listing of the words appears exact, and correct, and may even be helpful while listening, although having the Gregorian notation above would help very much.
In short, this disk may be a good supplement to a fuller collection of Gregorian Chant, a possible indication of the melody of these chants as chanted in the time prior to the Second Vatican Council in this particular Abbey, with this particular group of monks. The frequent accompaniment of a soft organ sometimes grows more intrusive than supportive, and the purist may find it unfortunate here, although often soothing.
See also of course the Solesmes recordings from the time of Dom Claire and Dom Gajard (when I was there), including Chant Gr?gorien, Vol. 1: P?ques / Ascension / Pentec?te / Trinit? / Vierge Marie - Abbaye de Solesmes / Dom Joseph Gajard / Dom Jean Claire and Vespers & Compline - Gregorian Chant, which includes the Magnificat so well presented here. Also interesting may be the USA recordings from the Abbey of Regina Laudis, including Women in Chant: Gregorian Chants for the Festal Celebrations of the Virgin Martyrs and Our Lady of Sorrows and Women in Chant: Recordare: Remembering the Mysteries in the Life of Jesus, Son of Mary.
One shocking element in this early recording from Luxembourg is the occasional and sudden loud bang, as if a bomb explodes outside, or a pistol is fired in choir.
For example, when the magnificent "Adoro te" finally gets into full sweep, we suddenly awaken with a bang. Most likely someone let a thick, heavy choir book slip from its small shelf in the choir stalls but the surprise is the recording was not done over. This also is an indication of the production values of that time and place.
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