What's your favorite Gregorian Chant?

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I just wanted to know what other people’s favorite chants are! (Try to list only one).

My personal favorite is Crux Fidelis. It’s really “above all other.” (anyone get the pun? :D)
 
Crux fidelis is really the hymn Pange Lingua Gloriosi Proelium Certaminis by Venantius Fortunatus, with the 8th strophe “Crux Fidelis” used as refrain. He also wrote Vexilla Regis. The two together are probably the two most beautiful and haunting hymns of Holy Week.

It is also sung at Vigils and Lauds all through Holy Week.

Missa de angelis is not really Gregorian chant. It post-dates Gregorian chant (most of which came from the Carolingian era) by several centuries. I don’t particularly care for it, there are more beautiful and authentic Mass settings in the Kyriale.

Credo III is also contemporary to Missa de Angelis.

From the list I’d have a hard time choosing between the Venantius Fortunatus “Pange Lingua” about the Cross (which was actually the inspiration for the St. Thomas Aquinas Pange Lingua for the Blessed Sacrament), Vexilla Regis, and the solemn Salve Regina. I voted the latter because I can chant the Benedictine (Solesmes) version from memory.
 
Veni Creator Spiritus is by far my favorite Gregorian Chant. I have been listening to it and practicing, and after said much needed practice, I can now chant this Chant! I have been working on it for weeks…I can’t help being excited! :dancing:
 
OraLabora said:
Crux fidelis is really the hymn Pange Lingua Gloriosi Proelium Certaminis by Venantius Fortunatus, with the 8th strophe “Crux Fidelis” used as refrain. He also wrote Vexilla Regis. The two together are probably the two most beautiful and haunting hymns of Holy Week.

It is also sung at Vigils and Lauds all through Holy Week.

Missa de angelis is not really Gregorian chant. It post-dates Gregorian chant (most of which came from the Carolingian era) by several centuries. I don’t particularly care for it, there are more beautiful and authentic Mass settings in the Kyriale.

Credo III is also contemporary to Missa de Angelis.

From the list I’d have a hard time choosing between the Venantius Fortunatus “Pange Lingua” about the Cross (which was actually the inspiration for the St. Thomas Aquinas Pange Lingua for the Blessed Sacrament), Vexilla Regis, and the solemn Salve Regina. I voted the latter because I can chant the Benedictine (Solesmes) version from memory.
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That’s interesting to know! I never knew that the Missa De Angelis was not Gregorian Chant. However, the Graduale Romanum begs to differ.

Regarding Crux Fidelis, most people know it by Crux Fidelis anyways. 🙂
 
I don’t think this counts as Gregorian, but it is monastic plainsong, and chanted beautifully here:

Dies Irae

youtube.com/watch?v=-fMHms5Cvsw

It was written by a Franciscan (not a monk!) Thomas of Celano (who wrote two hagiographies of St. Francis), and is, if I remember rightly, the first Catholic hymn to have it’s original text still in existence.

Franciscans - not just just flowers and tweety birds!😛
 
Facite said:
That’s interesting to know! I never knew that the Missa De Angelis was not Gregorian Chant. However, the Graduale Romanum begs to differ.
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Just because it’s in the Graduale Romanum does not mean it’s “Gregorian chant”. It IS chant, though, but not Gregorian.

There are several “modern” compositions in the Graduale (i.e. post-Gregorian), some as modern as this century, for example the chants for the feast of Christ the King, which is a 20th century feast, a feast promulgated in 1925. There is also the Ambrosian Gloria, which is not Gregorian chant either, it’s Ambrosian chant 😉

Missa de Angelis is a 17th century composition, well after the Gregorian era. There are many stylistic differences compared to Gregorian chant.
 
I said the Pange Lingua, because I love it best from the list. It’s been too many years since I learned the rules for Gregorian (vs. other types of) chant, so I can’t tell now which is which, so I didn’t dare choose “other.” But anyway, my favorite chant is the Ave Verum Corpus, whether it’s Gregorian or not.

The Dies Irae was at a bit of a disadvantage. I have a very hard time with any version of the Dies Irae, because what happens in my head is the Mozart, which is disturbing if you’re supposed to be singing (or even listening to) chant. 😃

–Jen
 
OraLabora said:
Just because it’s in the Graduale Romanum does not mean it’s “Gregorian chant”. It IS chant, though, but not Gregorian.

There are several “modern” compositions in the Graduale (i.e. post-Gregorian), some as modern as this century, for example the chants for the feast of Christ the King, which is a 20th century feast, a feast promulgated in 1925. There is also the Ambrosian Gloria, which is not Gregorian chant either, it’s Ambrosian chant 😉

Missa de Angelis is a 17th century composition, well after the Gregorian era. There are many stylistic differences compared to Gregorian chant.
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Whoa, thanks for the info! That’s really interesting. I thought I would have known this after 2 years of using the Graduale in Mass. 🙂

I really didn’t know that there was a Gregorian era or anything like that. I apologize for my ignorance 🙂
 
Facite said:
Whoa, thanks for the info! That’s really interesting. I thought I would have known this after 2 years of using the Graduale in Mass. 🙂

I really didn’t know that there was a Gregorian era or anything like that. I apologize for my ignorance 🙂
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Where in Canada are you using the Graduale at Mass?

In the index (at least in the Triplex version) there’s a little cross before antiphons that are modern compositions set to square note notation. Btw when I said “this century” I meant last century (20th century). There’s even more modern chants (21st century) but that’s for the Divine Office.
 
OraLabora said:
Where in Canada are you using the Graduale at Mass?

In the index (at least in the Triplex version) there’s a little cross before antiphons that are modern compositions set to square note notation. Btw when I said “this century” I meant last century (20th century). There’s even more modern chants (21st century) but that’s for the Divine Office.
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I’m using the Graduale at Westminster Abbey (it’s a Benedictine monastery, and I am a seminarian there) in Mission, BC. I’m not sure which version of the Graduale we’re using but all I know is that it was made in the 70’s.
 
Facite said:
I’m using the Graduale at Westminster Abbey (it’s a Benedictine monastery, and I am a seminarian there) in Mission, BC. I’m not sure which version of the Graduale we’re using but all I know is that it was made in the 70’s.
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The 1974 Gruaduale is available in two editions. The first, the Graduale Romanum contains the propers and ordinary of the OF Mass in Latin and square note notation. The Graduale Triplex is the same but also has the neumes from ancient manuscripts above and below the square note staff. Laon and St. Gall, I forget which is on the top and which on the bottom.

Of course for the modern compositions, as for the feast of Christ the King, there are no neumes from ancient manuscripts because they post-date them by about 8 centuries or so!
 
Salve Regina. When I close my eyes while listening to it, I can almost feel the Virgin Mother’s hand on my cheek. :signofcross:
 
The Ave Maria, my current favorite is Conditor Alme Siderum – teaching the first and last verses in Latin for the choir to sing as prelude during Advent – the Latin verse, then the English, then the English verses, then the last first repeated in Latin. Goling to provide a handout to explain the history of th\e Conditor Alme Siderum, and so they can follow along and join in singing.

I grew up Baptist – and opf course they sung no Latin – learning the old Latin hymns has become a wonderful and sweet blessing I had not expected when i first was baptized. As time goes on I enjoy them more and more. I have The Chant Kit downloaded onto my smart phone and listen to them in car, or while doing busy type paperwork at the office.
 
I like the Triduum chants a lot, such as Pange lingua gloriosi corporis and Crux fidelis (a.k.a Pange linga gloriosi praelium).

However, strangely enough, call it morbid if you will, but Libera me from the Requiem Mass also sounds hauntingly beautiful and I catch myself humming it every so often.
 
Elizabeth779 said:
The Ave Maria,
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You need to be more specific, in Gregorian chant the Ave Maria is either an alleluia verse or an Offertory (Mass); or for the Divine Office, a responsory (2nd Vespers of feasts of the BVM) or antiphon (Sext of Advent until Dec. 16, 3d antiphon of 2nd Vespers of the Immaculate Conception, or 1st antiphon of Lauds for the Common of the BVM).

The Ave Maria that most know, by Schubert, isn’t Gregorian chant (though it’s still beautiful).

Not to be a nitpicker, just trying to educate folks on Gregorian chant… something near and dear to me.
 
So many choices! Personally, I love Veni Creator Spiritus and the Agnus Dei from the Missae pro Defunctis. 🙂

I like Dies Irae too, but why does it always have to be used in film scenes when something bad is about to happen?
 
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