The father of organized western monasticism, Saint Benedict, is celebrated with Mass and Office chants as well as organ music played on the Grandes orgues at Solesmes. This recording reflects the unmatched authenticity which characterizes the exquisitely gracious and moving performances of Gregorian chant by the Monks of Solesmes. "Paraclete Press offers a superb list of outstanding Christian music which is magnificently performed by the monks of Solesmes. Each of these highly recommended exceptional recordings is flawlessly produced and showcases centuries of devotions, chants, celebrations, and the glorification of God." (Reviewer's Bookwatch) "Setting the standard for Gregorian performance." (American Record Guide)

This recording of Gregorian Chants includes Introits, Graduals, Alleluias, Sequences, Offertories, Communions, and Hymns from Easter Mass, and the Mass for the First Sunday after Easter. This recording reflects the unmatched authenticity which characterizes the exquisitely gracious and moving performances of Gregorian chant by the Monks of Solesmes. "Paraclete Press offers a superb list of outstanding Christian music which is magnificently performed by the monks of Solesmes." (Reviewer's Bookwatch) "Setting the standard for Gregorian performance." (American Record Guide) In the late 19th century Pope Leo XIII charged the Abbey of Solesmes with the restoration and preservation of Gregorian Chant according to the original 10th-11th century manuscripts. The care and zeal with which the monks undertook this mission quickly extended the Abbey's influence beyond Europe.

Church Sings Her Saints Volume 1 - This beautiful collection includes Introits, Graduals, Alleluias, Offertories, Communion pieces, Lauds & Vespers Antiphons, and Hymns. For over a century and a half, the Monks of Solesmes have chanted the liturgy of the Church, while at the same time achieving remarkable breakthroughs in musical scholarship. The clarity, accuracy - and haunting, compelling power - of their sound has no equal. According to experts, the recordings of the Monks of Solesmes are the purest, most genuine, and finest recordings of Gregorian Chant available anywhere. "Paraclete Press offers a superb list of outstanding Christian music which is magnificently performed by the monks of Solesmes." (Reviewer's Bookwatch) "Setting the standard for Gregorian performance." (American Record Guide)

The second volume of this beautiful collection includes Gregorian Chants from the Liturgy of Bishops, Doctors of the Church, and Saints, with Introits, Graduals, Alleluias, Offertories, Communion pieces, Antiphons and Hymns. For over a century and a half, the Monks of Solesmes have chanted the liturgy of the Church, while at the same time achieving remarkable breakthroughs in musical scholarship. The clarity, accuracy - and haunting, compelling power - of their sound has no equal. According to experts, the recordings of the Monks of Solesmes are the purest, most genuine, and finest recordings of Gregorian Chant available anywhere. "Paraclete Press offers a superb list of outstanding Christian music which is magnificently performed by the monks of Solesmes." (Reviewer's Bookwatch) "Setting the standard for Gregorian performance." (American Record Guide)

A rich experience of the church's liturgical year through Gregorian chant. This release delivers a stirring collection of Gregorian chants, celebrating "Ordinary Time" - the season of the liturgical year between the Feast of the Baptism of Our Lord and Lent, and from Pentecost Sunday until the beginning of the Advent season. Ordinary Time is the thread of the liturgical year, commemorating each Sunday with the Resurrection and the Paschal mystery. Expertly sung by the world-renowned monastic choir of Solesmes, France, this Gregorian chant recording enables listeners to participate in a rich experience of the church's liturgical year. "This recording has remained a touchstone of chant singing... It's elegance, it's utter rightness once more becoming evident." (Fanfare)

CHRIST IN GETHSEMANE - Two Gregorian chant offices of Maundy Thursday- the Office of Tenebrae and the Ceremony of Foot-washing- are presented here, sung in the dramatic style appropriate to the night before the Savior's Passion. "This recording... is utterly magnificent and the singing of this great choir is thrilling beyond words. Buy this album if you expend your last pence; it's better to starve to this music than to live without it." (Classics CD) "This album is a marvelous evocation of Holy Thursday's Tenebrae and foot-washing ceremonies, important for understanding the evolution of chant interpretation at the home base of chant restoration. Some of the antiphons have never been recorded before." (Fanfare) "Setting the standard for Gregorian performance." (American Record Guide)

Tenebrae of Good Friday - This recording will assist in personal or group praying of the liturgy of the hours in Gregorian chant for Good Friday. It includes all three nocturnes of the office of Matins and the antiphons and psalms of Lauds the Good Friday liturgy of the hours. This recording reflects the unmatched authenticity which characterizes the exquisitely gracious and moving performances of Gregorian chant by the Monks of Solesmes. "The latest edition of haunting, crystalline chant by the monks of the Abbey of Solesmes, at the forefront of the Gregorian revival from 1833 to the present. Flawless presentations... unrivalled in authenticity... A feast for the Gregorian aficionado." (Theological Book Service) "Setting the standard for Gregorian performance." (American Record Guide)

“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

This anthology of Gregorian chants is of great interest as the contents are in liturgical order, following the principal seasons (Christmas, Holy Week, Easter, and Marian Feasts) representing the entire liturgical year. The beautiful Gregorian chant illumunates the liturgical texts, inviting the listener to contemplate the life of Christ and the foundation of the church. This overview will provide more enjoyment for the experienced listener while making a splendid introduction to the beauty of Gregorian chant for the novice. Throughout the anthology the unique interpretive insights that are the hallmark of Solesmes' recordings are carefully preserved. In the late 19th century, Pope Leo XIII charged the Abbey of Solesmes with the restoration and preservation of Gregorian Chant according to the original 10th-11th century manuscripts. The care and zeal with which the monks undertook this mission quickly extended the Abbey's influence beyond Europe. Their goal: that Gregorian Chant be available to all people so they may "pray with the help of beauty" (Pop St. Pius X). Today, the Abbey continues to be a vibrant source of research and liturgical prayer with their library of over 200,000 volumes, and a musical palaeography workshop second only to the Vatican. But above all, Solesmes is a living community of Benedictine monks searching for God and sharing their spirituality, community life, and heritage.

Through the E. M. Skinner Organ at the Church of the Transfiguration in Orleans, Massachusetts, Dr. SharonRose Pfeiffer gives voice to works by master composers from the Baroque to the twentieth century. The program on this Super Audio CD includes Sonate der 94ste Psalm by Reubke, Job for Organ VI by Eben, the Allegro from Symphonie No.6 by Widor, J.S. Bach's Fantasia BWV651, Resurrection: Lament, the Rising, the Ecstasy, Reflection by Larry King, and the finale of Messiaen's Messe de la Pentecote. The inspiration for all of these text-based works is outlined in the detailed program notes.

Messiaen: The Mystical Colors of Christ - Explore the musical sound-world of French composer Olivier Messiaen in this collection of his organ works based on events from the life of Christ. The program booklet includes beautiful original artwork created especially for the recording, and insightful notes on the featured works. Recorded by the organists of Gloriae Dei Artes Foundation, on the E.M. Skinner organ of the Church of the Transfiguration. "At approximately 100 ranks, it has a wonderful clarity and color, and the performers do it ample justice. All three performers are up to the formidable task of recreating Messiaen's music very much, one feels as he envisioned it. " - The Diapason

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 it's 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. "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 it's purely religious context, Solesmes' He Was Placed In The Tomb would be an excellent album to accompany late-night reading or other nocturnal, quiet activities. " (AllMusic. Com)

This recording includes musical highlights of the Gregorian church year sung in 1930 under the direction of Solesmes choir director Dom Gajard and they have been digitally remastered. This recording reflects the unmatched authenticity which characterizes the exquisitely gracious and moving performances of Gregorian chant by the Monks of Solesmes. In the late 19th century, Pope Leo XIII charged the Abbey of Solesmes with the restoration and preservation of Gregorian Chant according to the original 10th-11th century manuscripts. The care and zeal with which the monks undertook this mission quickly extended the Abbey’s influence beyond Europe. Their goal: that Gregorian Chant be available to all people so they may “pray with the help of beauty” (Pop St. Pius X). Today, the Abbey continues to be a vibrant source of research and liturgical prayer with their library of over 200,000 volumes, and a musical palaeography workshop second only to the Vatican. But above all, Solesmes is a living community of Benedictine monks searching for God and sharing their spirituality, community life, and heritage.

This album includes the moving Gregorian chants and prayers for the night before Jesus' Passion, when he gave the "mandate" to love one another as he has loved us. It includes Ubi caritas and Pange Lingua. This recording reflects the unmatched authenticity which characterizes the exquisitely gracious and moving performances of Gregorian chant by the Monks of Solesmes. "Paraclete Press offers a superb list of outstanding Christian music which is magnificently performed by the monks of Solesmes." (Reviewer's Bookwatch) "Setting the standard for Gregorian performance." (American Record Guide) In the late 19th century Pope Leo XIII charged the Abbey of Solesmes with the restoration and preservation of Gregorian Chant according to the original 10th-11th century manuscripts. The care and zeal with which the monks undertook this mission quickly extended the Abbey's influence beyond Europe.

Requiem Mass (1985) performed by Saint Pierre de Solesmes Abbey Monks' Choir (choir, chorus) / composed by Gregorian Chant, Recorded Sound Requiem Mass (1985)

Spirit of America, the award-winning band from Cape Cod, Massachusetts, is proud to present Call to Freedom: The Music of a Great Nation. Featuring works by American composers, from John Philip Sousa to Charles Ives, this CD is a musical tribute to the nation's freedom keepers, and a reminder of the privileges of freedom we enjoy. This collection of patriotic music reflects the gamut of American history and character - from the victories in times of war expressed in Morton Gould's American Salute, to the light-hearted victories of the baseball diamond captured by John Philip Sousa in The National Game. Listeners will thrill to spirited renditions of the Armed Forces marches, and to visions of splendor in Carmen Dragon's America the Beautiful. On the more serious side, the program also includes God of Our Fathers arranged by Claude T. Smith, and Heroes Lost and Fallen by David Gillingham. Spirit of America closes with the beloved march Stars and Stripes Forever, by John Philip Sousa

In the late 19th century Pope Leo XIII charged the Abbey of Solesmes with the restoration and preservation of Gregorian chant according to the original 10th and 11th century manuscript. Today, the Abbey continues to be a vibrant source of this art. This recording of Christmas chants reflects the unmatched authenticity of Gregorian scholarship and performance by the Monks of Solesmes. It includes Introits, Graduals, Alleluias, Offertories, Communions, Responses, Sequences, Hymns, and Tropes from the Midnight Mass and Mass of the Day. "The Choir of the Monks of Solesmes remains a highly respected and widely recognized performing ensemble, with an international following among devotees of Gregorian chant and religious music in general, just as the Abbey occupies a unique place in religious music scholarship and study. "The center from which modern theories of medieval chant performance have emanated is undoubtedly the Abbey of Solesmes in France. " (The Gregorian Association) "Setting the standard for Gregorian performance. " (American Record Guide)

“The success of Gregorian chant in the past century, and the centered richness of prayer it brings to all of us, is almost singularly due to the herculean efforts of the Benedictine Monks of Solesmes, France.”
—New Liturgical Movement

“The music is exceptionally inviting, engaging listeners’ ears with beauty and elevating their thoughts no matter what their spiritual or religious beliefs and doctrines may be.”
—TransCentury Communications
“The most famous and ‘authentic’ recordings of Gregorian chant for generations have been those made by the Solesmes monks.”      
—The Boston Globe

"This disc is a marvelous evocation of Holy Thursday's Tenebrae and foot-washing ceremonies, important for understanding the evolution of chant interpretation at the home base of chant restoration. Some of the antiphons have never been recorded before." 
—J. F. Weber,  Fanfare

“The most famous and ‘authentic’ recordings of Gregorian chant for generations have been those made by the Solesmes monks.”      
—The Boston Globe

“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

Since 1833, the research and study of Gregorian Chant by the Monks of the Abbey of St. Peter in Solesmes, France, has focused on making this sung form of prayer the finest possible offering for God, to whom it is addressed six times a day at the Abbey. In ‘Christmas- The Night Office Vigils’ we hear the beautiful Gregorian chants of Vigils that the monks sing to celebrate the birth of Jesus at the same time of night he was born in Bethlehem. In ‘Christmas- Midnight Mass and Mass of the Day’ the monks include Introits, Graduals, Alleluias, Offertories, Communions, Responses, Sequences, Hymns, and Tropes from the Midnight Mass and the Mass of the Day. Previous releases by the Monks of the Abbey of St. Peter in Solesmes have been well received. “Paraclete Press offers a superb list of outstanding Christian music which is magnificently performed by the monks of Solesmes. Each of these highly recommended exceptional recordings is flawlessly produced and showcases centuries of devotions, chants, celebrations, and the glorification of God.” (Bookwatch)

“The most famous and ‘authentic’ recordings of Gregorian chant for generations have been those made by the Solesmes monks.”      
—The Boston Globe

“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

Since 1833, the research and study of Gregorian Chant by the Monks of the Abbey of St. Peter in Solesmes, France, has focused on making this sung form of prayer the finest possible offering for God, to whom it is addressed six times a day at the Abbey. These recordings include Introits, Graduals, Alleluias, Sequences, Offertories, Communions, and Hymns from Easter Mass and the Mass for the First Sunday after Easter as well as a Hymn from the Masses of Eastertide and the seven Antiphons of the Resurrection according to the Gospels. “Paraclete Press offers a superb list of outstanding Christian music which is magnificently performed by the monks of Solesmes. Each of these highly recommended exceptional recordings is flawlessly produced and showcases centuries of devotions, chants, celebrations, and the glorification of God.” (Reviewer’s Bookwatch)

“The most famous and ‘authentic’ recordings of Gregorian chant for generations have been those made by the Solesmes monks.”      
—The Boston Globe
“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

Known throughout the world as the leading masters of Gregorian chant, the monks of Solesmes present a 2-album set that includes “Learning about Gregorian Chant” and “Gregorian Chant Rediscovered”. “Learning About Gregorian Chant” simplifies and clarifies the world of chant for those to whom Gregorian chant is a mystery. The combination of a clearly understood text (read by Sarah Moule) with the fluidly sung examples (sung by the Benedictine monks of Solesmes) convinces the listener that Gregorian chant is open to everyone for enjoyment and prayer. The clear and concise presentation on this recording will make it a valuable resource for educators, musicologists, students of music and those who wish for a basic understanding of chant. "It is a marvelous, brief explanation of the various types and styles of the chant, going from its early, simple forms of recitation to the elaborate, soloistic forms. Dom Saulnier's historical explanations of the origins of the texts and their use in the service is especially interesting as is their development along the way into today's usage have always been amazed at the depth of his knowledge as to the whole history of chant performance and to hear his brief and very meaningful comments is a real pleasure. . . I need hardly say that the recordings of chant from the abbey are, to my mind, still the finest on the market, thanks to Dom Claire and it is good to hear them brought out again for the American public. For anyone interested in what the various forms of chant are and where and why they were used this is a wonderfully concise and informative recording." (Dr. Robert Fowells, Los Angeles Gregorian Schola (founder), California State University)

"A marvelous, brief explanation of the various types and styles of the chant, going from its early, simple forms of recitation to the elaborate, soloistic forms. Dom Saulnier's historical explanations of the origins of the texts and their use in the service is especially interesting as is their development along the way into today's usage have always been amazed at the depth of his knowledge as to the whole history of chant performance and to hear his brief and very meaningful comments is a real pleasure. . . I need hardly say that the recordings of chant from the abbey are, to my mind, still the finest on the market, thanks to Dom Claire and it is good to hear them brought out again for the American public. For anyone interested in what the various forms of chant are and where and why they were used this is a wonderfully concise and informative recording."
—Dr. Robert Fowells, Los Angeles Gregorian Schola (founder), California State University
"A very useful tool for helping people to understand what Gregorian chant really is, how it was created and for what purpose. The combination of spoken explanation (in plain English!) and the carefully chosen sung examples is the best way to begin one's acquaintance with Gregorian chant. When you finish listening to this CD, you will have a wonderful sense of just how rich and diverse is this artistic and religious treasure of Western civilization."
—Fr. Columba Kelly, OSB, St. Meinrad Archabbey
“Solesmes sets the standard for Gregorian chant performance.”        
—American Record Guide

Since 1833, the research and study of Gregorian Chant by the Monks of the Abbey of St. Peter in Solesmes, France, has focused on making this sung form of prayer the finest possible offering for God, to whom it is addressed six times a day at the Abbey. Each album in this two-volume set, with chants from the 10th to the 17th centuries, contains the best of the Monks of Solesmes—including the Te Deum, Stabat Mater, Ave Maria, chants for the Liturgical Year from Advent to Pentecost, hymns from the service of Compline, chants devoted to Our Lady and the Blessed Sacrament, as well as the Mass of the Angels. Each piece is taken from the Liber Cantualis and the corresponding reference number in the Cantualis is provided for each track, as well as the respective place in the service and/or liturgical calendar. Sung in historical style, the chants on this release are ideal for those who are familiar with the chant liturgy, as a collection of familiar melodies, as well as those wanting to become familiar with Gregorian chant.

“The most famous and ‘authentic’ recordings of Gregorian chant for generations have been those made by the Solesmes monks.”      
—The Boston Globe
“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
“Solesmes sets the standard for Gregorian chant performance.”        
—American Record Guide