Author Topic: Favourite gregorian chant music Why? (Read 6107 times)

soulguard · « **on:** April 06, 2014, 02:20:17 PM »

Miserere mei Deus.

Because of the meaning of the words and its calm solemn melody. It elevates the consciousness to the contemplation of the eternal judgement.

PerEvangelicaDicta · « **Reply #1 on:** April 08, 2014, 11:50:35 AM »

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Miserere mei Deus.

Mine too, SG! During Lent and/or March/month of Sorrowful Mother, I play this each day during rosary recitation.

Although it's tough to pick one favorite, isn't it? For sacred music, I very often listen to the Barber version of the Agnus Dei.

soulguard · « **Reply #2 on:** April 08, 2014, 12:58:27 PM »

Excellent choices PED, I say the rosary to gregorian chant, but will add these to my library and use them today for my roseary

Lighthouse · « **Reply #3 on:** April 08, 2014, 11:06:45 PM »

William Byrd's Ave Verum Corpus.

Neil Obstat · « **Reply #4 on:** April 09, 2014, 12:12:47 AM »

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One commonly overlooked piece is Ubi Caritas, the Gregorian Chant piece that is traditionally sung during the Madatum, or washing of the feet on Holy Thursday. It is overlooked because it is not very complex nor does it go on for much duration. But we have composers who have found a simple beauty in the seed of its melody, and have expanded this out to a much larger composition.

"Where charity and love are found, God is ever there."

Of all Catholic traditional liturgical music, an often-referenced piece is this one, Ubi Caritas, and the single most popular composition based on it is by Maurice Duruflé, by the same name. High school and college choirs alike consider it an all-time favorite. It's actually part of a four section group of compositions for choir. Maurice Duruflé takes the theme which is extremely simple, and expands it into a magnificent work of intricate harmony and nuance that is spell-binding, when done well. The Cambridge Singers, here, do a fine job with it:

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/embed/457nVpxJDkA[/youtube]

This is an adaptation in 6 parts (SATTBB), of the Chant piece that is only one part. While there are 4 verses in Chant, this polyphony uses only the first verse and the chorus, repeated with great embellishment.

Here are the Cambridge Singers again, with Sicut Cervus by Palestrina:

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/embed/0yd5EE0hAB8[/youtube]

This is also a polyphoninc adaptation of Chant, but it was composed hundreds of years before Duruflé. Sicut Cervus translates, "As the hart longs for running streams, so too does my soul long for Thee, O Lord."

Both of these are favorites of the Paul Salamunovich standard repertoire.

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