Liber Cantualis - Gregorian Masses Book & CDs

This edition (released in 2015) subtitled “Gregorian Melodies,” contains the complete Order of Mass, seven chant Masses, the Requiem Mass, four sequences and forty familiar hymns and other chants — music that every congregation should hear (and sing!). As stated in the Preface, “This books (sic) contains simple Gregorian chant pieces edited in order to promote the chant among the people in church,” The music is in chant notation, but without the florid melismas, so the selections are easier to read. Though the chant remains set with Latin text, the side-by-side translations offer a doorway to understanding this treasure of the Church. It is the hope of this volume that “… these [chants] of the Roman liturgy …will contribute to strengthen enthusiasm for the liturgy.” This small volume should find a place in many congregations wishing to introduce the chant into the liturgy.

This package includes a 2-CD set Best of the Monks of Solesmes. 

With chants from the 10th to the 17th centuries, each CD in this two-volume set, 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 beloved Mass of the Angels.

Sung in historical style, the chants on this disc 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.

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.

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.