Gregorian Chant for the Church Year

I have loved Gregorian Chants for many years and it wasn't until 1988 that I found one of the first CDs by the Hofburgkapelle/Wiener Hofburgskapelle under the direction of P. Hubert Dopf that I was able to listen to these on a regular basis. Over the years, I have purchased other CDs of Gregorian Chants, many of which were truly disappointing in my opinion. But, I have found that those recorded under the direction of P. Hubert Dopf are by far the very best of the genre and this collection is most certainly evidence to support my humble opinion.

The best compilation of chant, beautifully performed, that you will ever get at this price. The recordings are clear, the singers very much together, the Latin accent mostly good for English/American ears, and a marvelous repertoire.

I own the original Philips set of these recordings and wrote the following review on its page:**These are good performances; to my mind, more enjoyable than those on the more famous "Chant" series from EMI, especially as regards pronunciation: no nasal Latin here. Also unlike EMI's production, the notes and organization of this set put the individual chants explicitly in their liturgical context, which is important for understanding this gorgeous music. There are numerous minor discrepancies between what they sing and what is written in the Solesmes editions, e.g., the Palm Sunday hymn "Gloria, laus, et honor," the Easter gradual "Haec dies," and a few others, which I found somewhat jarring upon first hearing; that aside, it's a great buy.EDITED 2010-09-24: Since writing the review above, I have studied the work of Dom Eugene Cardine, who analyzed the available ancient chant manuscripts and published several books on their interpretation. The notation of those manuscripts is available alongside the "official" square-note text in the Graduale Triplex. After listening while reading along in the Triplex, I discovered that the minor discrepancies referred to in my initial review were explained by the ancient notation. I do not agree with all the choices made, so I will retain the four-star rating; nonetheless, this remains the best comprehensive set of chant recordings I've heard.**The previous reviewer who referred to these chants as being from the 1962/"Tridentine" rather than the 1969/"Novus Ordo" Mass is incorrect. The chants indicated for each liturgical day are the same as those given in the 1974 Graduale Romanum, although most (if not all) of them exist in the preconciliar Liber Usualis as well.

Newton Classics has assembled a thoughtful compendium of 170 individual chants as originally recorded by Philips. The five central seasons and feasts of the church year are covered in discs 1-5. Disc 6 contains a sequence of chants devoted to the life of Mary. This tastefully packaged set is very competitively priced. The singing of the Schola of the Hofburgkapelle under the direction of P. Hubert Dopf S.J. is nuanced and supple. The recording utilizing the Minoriten Kirche, Vienna is characteriscally resonant yet translucent. A beautifully conceived essay on the historical origins of chant tops off a valuable addition to the existing recorded literature. Here is an excerpt: "This set of Gregorian chant connects directly with the spirit of humility and devotion to God that led Christians through centuries of persecution and sustained church missionaries as they won converts among emperors, kings and warlords."

This is a great set, but limited, for numerous reasons. It's great because it's the traditional chants of the old Liber Usualis, not the post-Vatican II revised Novus Ordo chants, which are usually similar but often not the same. The voices come through as if a single voice; they are incredibly tight and toned. The booklet contains the texts in various languages, albeit without music. Entire propers (introit, gradual, alleluia/tract, offertory & communion) of many Masses are included, and even entire seasons, as in the case of the Advent disc, which covers the entire Advent 1st through 4th Sundays and then some. Unfortunately, virtually all the Sundays after Pentecost are missing, as are most of the Sundays after Pentecost and Epiphany, so the title should use the phrase "from the Church Year" rather than "for...". This set goes for hundreds in used condition in its earlier import release, too, so for this price it is excellent; get it before it goes out of print again.

Absolutely the best Gregorian chant CD I have ever purchased. Wonderful

This is a delightful and well recorded Gregorian Chant box set covering the Church Year. It is charming, relaxing and well sung.The set is packaged in a strong, glossy card box within which the CDs are housed in slip cases. The booklet, written in various languages, is informatively written.Recommended.