Paraclete Press, rooted as it is within liturgical renewal and reform, has provided us with wonderful resources for personal reflection and congregational renewal. "
—The Very Rev. Dr. Donald P. Richmond, Obl.OSB., Forward in Christ

"The singing of Gloriae Dei Cantores and the playing of the Skinner organ at [the] Church of the Transfiguration, Orleans, Mass., enhance the rich text of 20 psalms...Especially helpful is the accompanying booklet that explains Anglican psalmody and includes brief meditations that place each psalm in historical context. An accurate, balanced, pleasing musical aid to meditation on God's love and faithfulness to all generations."
—The Living Church

"My long-standing love affair with James Weldon Johnson's classic God's Trombones was sparked anew by this splendid 78 minute cantata and the tonally sumptuous recording the Gloria Dei forces have made of it. ... it is a major triumph for the Paraclete operation to have secured his (Gordon Myers) participation in this venture."
—John L. Hooker, Journal of the Association of Anglican Musicians

"Gloriae Dei Cantores again show their incredible versatility in moving easily from sections resembling Britten or Vaughan Williams to others resembling African-American spirituals."
—Mark Sedio, Cross Accent
The singing is top notch and the performances bloom with drama and gravity. Myers' voice is potent and exact and the choir inspired. This is a piece of music that deserves to be heard and preserved.
—C. Michael Bailey, All About Jazz

Nothing heralds the majesty of Christmastime quite like the brilliance and radiant beauty of music for brass instruments. On this remastered reissue of a classic holiday favorite, the Gabriel V Brass Ensemble presents a special collection of music for Christmas written by a variety of masters of the genre including Rolf Smedvig, Anthony DiLorenzo, Morten Lauridsen and William Berry. From the overflow of joy in J.S. Bach's Wie will ich mich freuen to the cinematic soundscape of DiLorenzo's Baltazar (A King's Journey) to the rosy-cheeked romp of Leroy Andersen's Sleigh Ride, each piece adds new luster to your celebration of this glorious season.

Gloriæ Dei Cantores: An American Prize-Honored Artist in 2022!

Samuel Adler believes “Life is a Gift.” The risk-taking composer of 400 published works in all media taught for 63 years at Juilliard, and Eastman and has given masterclasses and workshops at over 300 universities world-wide. Having studied with Aaron Copland, Paul Hindemith, Randall Thompson and more – he knows just about everyone on the 20th Century American music scene and has received numerous awards including ASCAP’s Aaron Copland Lifetime Achievement Award. At age 10 he narrowly escaped Nazi Germany during Kristallnacht “the night of broken glass.” As he and his father collected sheet music in the loft of the synagogue saving all that they could on that terrifying night, soldiers heard them down below. It was the sudden collapse of a pipe organ that allowed Adler and his father to run and escape through an underground tunnel. His family took the last train out of Germany with their bags full of sheet music, paving the way for Adler to study and nurture his musical gifts in America. At age 94, he continues to compose, living life to the full. His "life-affirming" spirit comes through powerfully in this album. These texts recount God's goodness on the journey of life and through the hills, valleys, and mountaintop experiences. The texts from the psalms cover every emotion from pain to joy, to disappointment to elation, from sorrow to hope.

REVIEWS

REVIEWS:

This chant schola, made up of members of the choir on Cape Cod, has recorded chant under Mary Berry and Richard Pugsley. For their two latest discs, the members of the schola divided the programs among themselves and took turns preparing and directing the chants. Seven men of the schola are on the latest disc, while seven women join them for the earlier disc. In the first (but newer) disc, the 24 selections range from the most familiar Marian chants to three unrecorded pieces. The latter include the responsory Benedicta et venerabilis , the Assumption hymn O prima Virgo prodita , and the antiphon Beata es Virgo Maria Dei genitrix , as well as only the second recording of the responsory Repleta est Spiritu Sancto . The familiar chants include the four final antiphons, distributed through the program in pairs (simple and solemn settings).

The excellence of interpretation is not surprising, for the first members of Gloriae Dei Cantores spent some time at Cambridge studying chant with Mary Berry in the 1980s, and she came to Cape Cod for many summer sessions until her lamented passing. Her influence has endured in the skillful semiological interpretations of these chants. All of the hymns are sung complete and the graduals include the repeat of the respond. It would be hard to single out a few pieces for special praise, but the sequence Stabat mater , which ends the program, is superbly executed through its five-minute length. The verses of the offertory Ave Maria , too, are expertly rendered; not only is this one of the most frequently recorded chants, but it is also one of the most frequently recorded offertories with verses.

In the other disc, released a year ago, the 18 selections include another three first recordings, the hymn Festiva vos , the antiphon Angelis suis , and the alleluia Benedicite Domino . The hymn Custodes hominum has only its second recording. The offertory Immittet Angelus is recorded with all three verses for the first time, and the offertory Stetit Angelus has its single verse. This program has few of the most familiar chants. The two scholas, men and women, sing most of the selections separately, joining to alternate in the verses of hymns and only rarely concluding a chant with octave singing.

The recordings, among the first Super Audio productions on this label, were made in the new Church of the Transfiguration, which the ecumenical community built on the grounds of their complex. The surround sound provides a nice sense of space around the singers. Since thematic programs focused on chants of the Blessed Virgin and the angels are so common, these discs are notable for containing some unusual selections. While I have always approved the schola’s chant recordings, these two discs attain a new height of excellence, the best chant singing of any American choir. The booklets are attractively printed, too. Both discs will grace any chant collection.

FANFARE: J. F. Weber

Nothing evokes Christmas like bells – ringing from a church steeple, accompanying a sleigh ride, or adorning evergreens. In this best-selling album, reissued at mid-price just in time for the season, the Christmas spirit is joyfully expressed through beloved carols performed on six-and-a-half octave set of Malmark handbells. The Gloriae Dei Ringers include old favorites in new arrangements, as well as original handbell works.

The Bells of Christmas is a new edition of the bestselling holiday recording, Hear them Ring. Featured are beloved favorites such as Away in a Manger, March of the Kings, and In the Bleak Midwinter arranged by some of today's best known handbell specialists and composers.

Described as "dynamically explosive" by the American Record Guide, the Gloriae Dei Ringers perform a diverse and expanding repertoire of original handbell compositions as well as classical arrangements. The Gloriae Dei Ringers, a sparkling and sonorous performing ensemble of young musicians, have dazzled audiences around the world including the US, Russia, Siberia, Italy, Finland and Switzerland.

"These virtuosi of metal and mallet positively palpitate with imagination and their arrangements are the ne plus ultra of shimmering, quivering pulsating pulchritude. The arrangement by Frances Legge Callahan summoning up twangy sonorities and pedal notes, a delicious range of colors including plucking and martellato effects. There are eleven players in this plucky Massachusetts group directed by Richard K Pugsley... they use 79 Malmark handbells (of 6 1/2 octaves). Twas Christmas Eve receives a rather suggestive reading that ends in Renaissance dignity whilst the witty coloration of The Twelve Days of Christmas is full of pitch extremes and glittering sonorities, like stars exploding. Away in a Manger is saturated in impressionistic ostinato; if you think handbells are inflexible creatures listen to the dynamic variance cultivated by these patrician East Coast ringers. They wouldn't rouse a butterfly's eyelids with the spectral quiescence of their Malmarks. A Flight of Angels is rhythmically novel; the sound of mallet on bell is distinctive as elsewhere the piping of shepherds in Shepherds, Watching is conveyed through simplicity and delicacy. Altogether their ensemble is metaltight, the sonorities they conjure full of lithe and pleasurable novelty."

— Jonathan Woolf, Musicweb-international.com

"The Gloriae Dei Ringers perform with a set of 79 bells covering 6 1/2 octaves. They are based in Massachusetts, but have toured in both eastern and western Europe, including Russia. This disc consists of arrangements of familiar Christmas carols as well as some original compositions for hand-bell choir by composers such as Donald Allured, Dale Jergenson, and Judy Hunnicutt. The performances are virtuosic, considering the teamwork essential to coherent ensemble in this medium. The program displays the wide variety of sounds that can be obtained from the bells through such techniques as plucking, martellato playing, and striking with mallets."

— William Gatens, American Record Guide

"From the Red Kettle Santas to the midnight call from the steeple, bells are a part of Christmas. This recording of Gloriae Dei's 11 musicians with their six-and-a-half-octave handbells goes beyond the usual arrangements of carols to transcriptions weaving dissonances and descants, the very highest and lowest tones, even the use of mallets on the bells to produce an intriguing and beautiful concert. In Twas Christmas Eve,Paul McKlveen pairs Let All Mortal Flesh with God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen. A Flight of Angels is Dale Jergenson's composition specifically for the bells, as is Donald Allured's Bellfest."

— Patricia Nakamura, The Living Church

Gloriae Dei Cantores Men's Schola sings these Gregorian chants of love and devotion to Mary, the Mother of God, the Theotokos, the Star of the Sea. While our names for her are as varied as the traditions that surround her being, one thing remains constant: she invariably points us to her own Son, teaching us to greet Him with that same "yes" by which she opened herself to Him, body, soul and spirit. May we all receive the blessing of her example, told through these ancient songs of faith.

This SACD features the Stabat Mater, the Marian antiphons for Compline, and selected propers from the Feasts of the Immaculate Conception, the Nativity of Mary, the Annunciation, the Visitation, and the Assumption.

Sing Noel with Gloriæ Dei Cantores is a Christmas treat from beginning to end! The album opens with Sing Noel - a colorful set of carols moving seamlessly from one to another. From Caroling, Caroling to My Dancing Day and The Holly and the Ivy - this recording brings the listener a traditional Christmas experience that will brighten Christmas cheer and warm hearts.

"Exudes professionalism and emotion from every pore."
—Carol Swanson, Christmasreviews.com
". . . And so I listened – The First Noel came and went as did I Wonder as I Wander. . .lush, rich and – well, was it my imagination or did I see the ghost of Jimmy Stewart, eyes twinkling. . . "
—Jonathan Woolf, Musicweb.uk
"The choral artistry for which Gloriae Dei Cantores has become known can be heard in each selection. The ageless and profound wonder of Christmas comes alive with the singing of each word and the playing of each note."
—Wallace Cheatham, Christianity and the Arts

Named All-Time Best Recording of the All-Night Vigil by BBC Music Magazine!

Gloriae Dei Cantores releases All-Night Vigil, Op. 37 by Sergei Rachmaninoff, conducted by Peter Jermihov (internationally recognized specialist in Russian and Orthodox Liturgical music). Rachmaninoff’s All Night Vigil is made up of texts taken from the Russian Orthodox All-night vigil ceremony. Critics praised the work as Rachmaninoff’s finest achievement and “the greatest musical achievement of the Russian Orthodox Church.” It was also one of the composer’s favorite compositions, and the fifth movement was sung at his funeral. Gloriae Dei Cantores is joined by members of the St. Romanos Cappella, The Patriarch Tikhon Choir, and The Washington Master Chorale. Protodeacon under the First Hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church, Vadim Gan, sings the clergy exclamations as well as Dmitry Ivanchenko. Soloists, Dmitry Ivanchenko and Mariya Berezovska, from the National Opera of Ukraine in Kiev, join the choir of 77 singers for this landmark collaboration and recording.

REVIEWS:

This new recording has the essential sound of the Russian choirs, with their bass-centered sonority, and tempos which allow the music to unfold in the measured pace of a devotional service. Better yet, the text-based spiritual approach to the music...stirs at least as deeply as [the] ...Russian recordings. While referring to the texts, you will have the pleasure of seeing the gorgeously illustrated booklet, with a background on each hymn and photographs of Russian churches, countryside and icons. The result is one of the very finest recordings this work has ever received.

--Ronald E. Grames, Fanfare

A landmark recording, one that is destined to become the new standard for this work. And if you don't know the Rachmaninoff "All-Night Vigil " yet, THIS is the recording you should get to begin your acquaintance. You will have to wait a long time before something better comes along!"

-- Vladimir Morosan, Musica Russica

We are invited to lift our spirits through a deeply inspired performance of Rachmaninoff's All-Night Vigil. This performance rings with devotional majesty . . . The stunning surround sound comes to us through the combined efforts of Keith O. Johnson and Sean Royce Martin.

-- Gary Lemco, Audiophile Audition

"Recording of the Month... A splendid achievement."

-- MusicWeb International

"An exemplary performance... a superlative recording... beyond glorious."

-- The Buffalo News

Gloriæ Dei Cantores: An American Prize-Honored Artist in 2022!

Arvo Pärt’s music is an oasis of peace and serenity in our times. His music speaks contemplation and calm...

"Music is my friend, ever-understanding. Compassionate. Forgiving, it’s a comforter, the handkerchief for drying my tears of sadness, the source of my tears of joy. My liberation and flight. But also, a painful thorn in my flesh and soul, that which makes me sober and teaches humility." –Arvo Part

Arvo Pärt’s music crosses all boundaries—from classical to jazz to pop and everything in between. There is something about the music of Arvo Pärt—his music affects all who listen. Whether you are searching for refreshment, find yourself in an impossible situation, or ache in a deep place beyond what words can express, let the glorious, yet calming music of Arvo Pärt bring you peace in these troubled times.

Modest about his achievements yet authentically convinced about the role of his music in today’s world, Arvo Pärt (b. 1935) is today’s most performed “classical” composer. For the past forty years, Pärt’s compositions have shown and spoken the influence of multiple layers and global influences—the music of the Orthodox Church, bells, Gregorian chant, Renaissance polyphony, a compositional technique he developed called “tintinnabuli”, and . . . silence. This particular recording offers a unique cross-section of Pärt’s choral works, revealing the heart, soul and mind of a true master of his language in both text and music.

Gloriæ Dei Cantores (Singers to the Glory of God), under the direction of Richard K. Pugsley, is dedicated to promoting the best of sacred choral music. Several years ago, they began an in depth study of Arvo Pärt, immersing themselves in his compositional style. They sang his music in worship, on tour and in an extensive concert series at the Church of the Transfiguration in Orleans, MA. Their repertoire includes Arvo Pärt’s larger works such as Passio and Stabat Mater as well as the lesser known and performed L’abbé Agathon and Berliner Mass.

In this recording, the expressive beauty and clarity of Arvo Pärt’s music shines through the joyful dance-like rhythms of Peace Upon You, Jerusalem and the glorious setting of Mary’s words in the Magnificat. The masterful L’abbé Agathon sets the scene of this ancient 4th century story of the chance (or was it?) meeting of the hermit Agathon and a leper. After several testings of the hermit’s patience and his generosity, the leper reveals himself to be an angel, and blesses the hermit Agathon, and goes on his way. The final work—a musical landmark in Pärt’s career—is Stabat Mater, written to express the passion, agony, and love of Mary at the foot of the cross of her son.

Arvo Pärt’s most distinct compositional voice that we hear on this recording is the technique he developed called “Tintinnabuli,” which has been called a “theology” expressing the composer’s search for truth, beauty, and purity and a profound and personal sense that life and faith cannot be separated. Before he developed this compositional style, Arvo Pärt heard a snippet of Gregorian Chant on the radio in a bookstore: it was like an icon —a window to another world. “In one moment it was clear how much deeper and more pure is this world,” he said. He began to fill his notebooks with the ancient chant melodies and they came to influence his well known compositional form known as Tintinnabuli.

Gregorian Chant is an integral part of Gloriæ Dei Cantores’ study and the foundation of their understanding of western music. Members sing the offices of Gregorian Chant daily in Latin at the Church of the Transfiguration, a modern day abbey rooted in the Benedictine tradition. This daily worship profoundly influences their approach to the music they sing in worship and in concert. For over thirty years since their founding in 1988, they have studied and performed the works of over 200 composers ranging from Gregorian Chant to the 21st Century.

Each member of Gloriæ Dei Cantores has presented in-depth study projects on Arvo Pärt’s composition style and his musical approach to the vision and the text. Striving to present the true intention of the composer and to bring to life the music and vision as the composer himself would have liked to hear it portrayed, conductor, Richard K. Pugsley coaches the choir to step aside and allow the music itself to bring forth a vision, and to communicate the soul and spirit of the sound.

Richard K. Pugsley has conducted the internationally recognized Gloriæ Dei Cantores for over 15 years, and he performed with the choir in concert halls and churches in 24 countries throughout Europe, Russia, and North America for over 20 years.

Maestro Pugsley has studied Gregorian chant extensively with the late Dr. Mary Berry, CBE—noted choral conductor, musicologist, an authority on the performance of Gregorian Chant and founder of The Schola Gregoriana of Cambridge.

This experience and study culminates in his search for the core sound of a piece, and his desire to bring it to life to communicate truth and beauty. His text driven approach aligns with that of Arvo Pärt, allowing the harmonies and music to speak for themselves and to enliven the text for the listeners and touch their hearts.

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REVIEWS:

An exquistie disc of choral music by Arvo Pärt. This grave and beautiful new disc blows an unexpected ly warm breeze on the Estonian composer's music. The polished singing of Gloriæ Dei Cantores also exhibit a purity that feels uniquely unaffected.

– Fanfare

Gloriae Dei Cantores and its director Richard Pugsley are not just another fine choir interested in presenting a program of Pärt’s music. They went into this project with an extraordinary commitment to not only know the notes, but also to know the composer.

This is a recording of deeply felt performances that are always mindful of allowing the unadorned simplicity, the stark beauty and unpretentiousness of Pärt’s music to flower. You can read in almost every commentary of Pärt’s work about the details of his style and technique (if you’re interested you can find some of this in our previous reviews), and you can do what you will with the many mostly futile attempts to explain how this unique composer does what he does in order for his music to claim this uniqueness (we’ve tried this too). But the proof is in the singing, and here you have it–in an exemplary “American” sound that contrasts distinctly with the Estonian, German, and British choirs who’ve also championed Pärt’s music. If you’re a choral music fan, you already have Pärt in your life; if you’re new to his music, you can happily start here–or with any of the reference recordings.

– ClassicsToday

Ms. Patterson is a true choral alchemist, and never fails to draw truly golden sound and beautifully nuanced singing from her hard-working musicians. Sacred illumination is their mission, and they achieve it with spiritual sincerity and power."
—Lindsay Koob, American Record Guide

"Is it possible for a mixed choir of 44 voices to sing late Renaissance and early Baroque Flemish, Italian, German, and French anticopolyphony in an artistic, historically informed manner? Probably not very often – that is, unless the mixed choir in question is the Gloriae Dei Cantores. For them, the answer is an emphatic affirmative. This group sings with the clarity and control of a carefully drilled chamber ensemble a fifth their size. Phrasing, intonation, articulation, blend, and color are precisely thought out and perfectly executed."
—The American Organist

"This is quite an astonishing competitor to such celebrated ensembles as The Sixteen . . . This disc will greatly enlarge most collections of Renaissance motets with rare pieces of outstanding worth, sung with skill and devotion."
—J.F. Weber, Fanfare

"The trick to mastering counterpoint lies in mastering it completely...herein lies the glory of this magnificent, essential release. The balance of seriousness with humanity comes through as much as the balanced voices...Patterson clearly has genius in selecting just the right tempos and dynamics...serious, winning, and convincing. If we have ever had a finer Palestrina recording available, I've not heard it."
—Heuwell Tircuit, In Tune Magazine

"They [Gloriae Dei Cantores]have demonstrated a polished musicality, combined with a versatile command of a wide-ranging repertoire of literature and styles...the richness and sonority is almost hypnotically beautiful. Palestrina was, after all, one of the great composers of music for grouped human voices, and there is no reason why we should not enjoy such luscious, expansive (yet stylistically sensitive) realizations of his music. Good notes; full texts and English translations. Alike to the Palestrina collector or the lover of wonderful choral sound, this release is warmly recommended."
—John W. Barker, American Record Guide

Each year at Christmas, Gloriæ Dei Cantores celebrates the "dawn of redeeming grace" with a traditional candlelit Service of Readings and Carols, retelling the stories of Christ's birth that stir us with memories and hopes for peace and love. Just for a time as you listen to these carols and stories, let your heart fill with gratitude for our many blessings, and with goodwill toward others. Gloriæ Dei Cantores offers this recording with a prayer that the joy of the season brings you renewed hope and a fresh sense of wonder!

Includes psalm(s) by various composers. Ensemble: Gloriae Dei cantores. Conductor: Elizabeth C. Patterson.

Includes work(s) by various composers. Ensemble: Gloriae Dei cantores.