"Solesmes' He Was Placed in the Tomb contains the Gregorian Office for Holy (or "Great") Saturday, the evening service that observes the time Christ spent in the bonds of death; it is signified by the lighting of the candle of Paschali…This performance of the Office is by the Monastic Choir of St. Peter's Abbey in Solesmes, presumably from their own edition, which has been the Vatican standard since 1903…This one of the very last recordings of the Solesmes choir as led by its longtime director, the late Dom Jean Claire, who retired shortly thereafter. The choir is in excellent voice; the pacing of the chant is as it should be and the acoustic in the Abbey Church at Solesmes is warm and bathes the voices in a benevolent ambience. This office consists of four Nocturnes, Lauds, and Vespers, with the pieces toward the ends of the Nocturnes being the most captivating within the office, particularly the Mode 4 and 5 Responsory at the end of the first Nocturne and the breathtakingly beautiful Responsories in Modes 8 and 4 that conclude the Second Nocturne"
First Nocturne of Vigils
Track 1-Antiphon In pace and Psalm 4
Track 2-Antiphon Habitabit and Psalm 14
Track 3-Antiphon Caro me and Psalm 15
Track 4-Responsory Sicut ovis
Track 5-Responsory Jerusalem, surge
Track 6-Responsory Plange
Second Nocturne of Vigils
Track 7-Antiphon Elevamini and Psalm 23
Track 8-Antiphon Credo and Psalm 26
Track 9-Antiphon Domine and Psalm 29
Track 10-Responsory Recessit
Track 11-Responsory O vos omnes
Track 12-Responsory Ecce quomodo
Third Nocturne of Vigils
Track 13-Antiphon Deus adiuvat and Psalm 53
Track 14-Antiphon In pace and Psalm 75
Track 15-Antiphon Factus sum and Psalm 87
Track 16-Responsory Astiterunt
Track 17-Responsory Aestimatus sum
Track 18-Responsory Sepulto Domino
Lauds
Track 19-Antiphon O mors and Psalm 50
Track 20-Antiphon Plangent and Psalm 91
Track 21-Antiphon Attendite and Psalm 63
Track 22-Antiphon A porta and canticle Isaiah
Track 23-Antiphon O vos omnes and Psalm 150
Track 24-Antiphon Mulieres and Benedictus
Track 25-Responsory Christus factus est
Vespers
Track 26-Antiphon Hodie and Psalm 115
Track 27-Antiphon Cum his and Psalm 119
Track 28-Antiphon Ab hominibus and Psalm 139
Track 29-Antiphon Custodi me and Psalm 140
Track 30-Antiphon Considerabam and Psalm 141
Track 31-Antiphon Principes and Magnificat
Track 32-Responsory Christus resurgens
| Format: | CD |
|---|---|
| Product code: | PPS836 |
| Dimensions: | 5" x 5½" |
| Length: | 0 pages |
| Publisher: |
Paraclete Press
|
| ISBN: | 9781557251930 |
| 1-2 copies | $16.71 each |
|---|---|
| 3-9 copies | $15.95 each |
| 10-49 copies | $15.19 each |
| 50-99 copies | $14.81 each |
| 100+ copies | $14.24 each |
Praise
The most famous and ‘authentic’ recordings of Gregorian chant for generations have been those made by the Solesmes monks.
The music is utterly magnificent and the singing of this great choir is thrilling beyond words…it’s better to starve to this music than to live without it.
Classic CD
Supremely ethereal.
USA Today
Solesmes sets the standard for Gregorian chant performance.
American Record Guide
As a representation of the Holy Saturday service in Gregorian terms, this is about as liturgically accurate, and as well performed, as it gets. Outside of its purely religious context, Solesmes' He Was Placed In The Tomb would be an excellent disc to accompany late-night reading or other nocturnal, quiet activities.
www.AllMusic.com
Author
Since the refounding of the monastery of St. Peter of Solesmes in 1833 under Dom Prosper Gueranger, this Benedictine monastery on the River Sarthe in western France has set the world standard both for performance of Gregorian chant and the authenticity of the music itself. Commissioned by Pope Pius X to research the role of chant in liturgy and to edit books on chant that reflect this research, Solesmes enjoys an enviable reputation. Its work in liturgical reform and in the current revival of Gregorian chant has been likened to that of the great abbey of Cluny in the Middle Ages. These recordings incorporate new understandings of ancient manuscripts and represent a distillation of nearly 200 years of scholarship in the chant: musical paleography, semiology, and modality. The groundbreaking work by the monks of Solesmes has contributed to today’s resurgence of interest in Gregorian chant as the foundation of Western music. Paraclete Press is proud to be the North American distributor of the recordings of the monks of Solesmes. These recordings have won numerous prestigious international awards, including the Grand Prix du Disque, Deutsche Schallplatten Prize, Diapason d’Or, and the Edison Prize.
