Gregorian Chant

[Love_is_Patient]

I’m looking for some good resources for Gregorian chant online or CDs that you would recommend. Mass at my parish has never included Gregorian chant, but I’ve heard so many good things about it on the forums that I’m really intrigued.

Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!

 

[VociMike]

Are you looking to increase your own knowledge or to start some chant at your parish? Those are somewhat different enterprises.

For CDs, listen to the recent recordings (last 20 years?) by the monks of Solesmes. They are the “home” of Gregorian chant in the Church. The simplest book of chant is the booklet “Jubilate Deo”, with about 30 chants that every parish should know (that was the wish of Vatican II and Pope Paul VI). Here’s an online version: ceciliaschola.org/pdf/jubilatec.pdf

BTW, the ceciliaschola.org site has a lot of other good resources as well.

The best hymnal for Gregorian chant is probably the Gregorian Hymnal, published by Solesmes. You can get it from a number of sources. It has many chant Ordinaries, as well as propers for Sundays and Feast Days.

And whatever you do, learn Gregorian chant using chant notation, not modern notation. Singing from modern notation will result in very clunky, “notey” sounding chant, IMO. Gregorian chant should float, rising and falling like waves upon the sea. It should never sound metronomic.

 

[Lux_et_veritas]

Got to learn how to read square notes

Here is The Idiot’s Guide to Reading Square Notes, but clicking the link leads directly to a PDF file.

Here’s a few chant resources to start with, even though it doesn’t really answer your question.

publish.uwo.ca/~cantus/

Here’s something I’ll be adding to my sidebar under Sacred Music. Plus, you will see there is an online chant “radio” button. Follow it and play away online.

te-deum.blogspot.com/2006/08/more-chant-references-online.html

My advice would be to find some like minded people, learn what you can using resources online and through discussion groups like this, then approach a priest and ask if your “schola” can sing periodically to begin with, in order to introduce the people to chant. If one priest doesn’t accept you, keep shopping around until you find one. Somewhere out there, are priests who would welcome it open arms

 

[Love_is_Patient]

Thanks for the help! Just to clear things up–I guess I was a little vague–I’m currently more interested in recordings at this point in time. What I’ve listened to so far is beautiful. I’m beginning to think that all Masses should include it.

 

[Rand_Al_Thor]

Pax vobiscum!

This link is a MUST HAVE for Gregorian chant. It has all the chants (the propers) for the liturgical year (every Mass) AND it has the music in note form that you can print off!
christusrex.org/www2/cantgreg/all_masses.html

Cantores in Ecclesia, the choir from the church I normally attend, has a few recordings out. One of them is all Gregorian chant and you can order it off the OCP website–the link to it is on this site:
rdrop.com/~jamesb/cantores/recs.shtml

In Christ,
Rand

 

[thistle]

I’m looking for some good resources for Gregorian chant online or CDs that you would recommend. Mass at my parish has never included Gregorian chant, but I’ve heard so many good things about it on the forums that I’m really intrigued.

Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!

I have the following cd’s which are really good:

Gregorian Chant - Choralschola Der Wiener Hofburgkapelle

Gregorian Chant - Choir Of The Carmelite Priory

Chant - Benedictine Monks Of Santo Domingo De Silos

 

[Caesar]

There is a link for Gregorian chants in my signature. You can listen to some and also get ordering information for the CDs