Gregorian Chants

[Mobo]

Anybody have any links to this type of music? i really love this stuff but am cash poor. thx

[balderdash111]

Let me guess, you just read Father Joe?

[Lunchbox7]

I dont have any links but I love it too. I have 2 of their cds. Totally awsome. They do a Stairway to Heavan that almost equals the original.

[Redlemon]

One of my favorites is the Benzedrine Monks of Santa Domonica.

[roachboy]

l like the bezendrine monks--good that someone was out there making fun of the wave of crap brought forth by enigma's unfortunate rise to popularity.

to find out about gregorian chant:

http://www.music.princeton.edu/chant_html/

to find recordings:

http://www.medieval.org/emfaq/beginlst/chant.htm

if you have access to a good library, you should be able to get some of the cds. it might be worth it to go to a nearby university library, get a daypass and check them out in the music library. then you can order what you like in particular, at the pace you can manage. or work out something else. the latter is how i manage it.

[dalnet22]

Their rendition of Fields of Gold is pretty cool.

[kulrblind]

I have this double CD, which I used to listen to all the time. Good stuff!

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...ce&s=classical

[QuasiMojo]

I enjoy comparing the monestic stylings of the "Monks" with the Mineretic explorations of the "Muezzin."

[combatmedicjen]

You can usually go to any decent music store (borders, barnes and noble, etc) and find the early music section. Since chant is definitely not the most popular music genre by a looooong shot, the albums are usually quite cheap. Look for the "Naxos" CD's, they're cheap as Hell. If you buy a disc put out by a particular group, like the groups mentioned above, it'll be more expensive. Just find a generic chant disc... it's good stuff!

[maleficent]

I had, but gave it away because it was really disturbing, a cd that was the songs of Queen done on gregorian chant -- truly surreal.... I found it in the bargain bin in a music store in Sydney. I think I paid 2 dollars australian for it....

[combatmedicjen]

Originally Posted by maleficent

I had, but gave it away because it was really disturbing, a cd that was the songs of Queen done on gregorian chant -- truly surreal.... I found it in the bargain bin in a music store in Sydney. I think I paid 2 dollars australian for it....

Yeah, that's not Gregorian Chant. Trust me, I've been through 3 years of music history and theory classes. Gregorian chant follows such strict compositional rules... there's absolutely no way that anyone could ever do a "cover" of anything and still have it be real Gregorian Chant. It may be in the vocal style of Gregorian Chant, but it is a far cry from the real thing. In fact, here's a definition of Gregorian Chant for you:

The huge body of music for the Roman Catholic Church services (Gregorian chant) is mostly anonymous (one notable exception is the music written by the nun Hildegard von Bingen). This was functional music that elaborated the Mass and other services; its different texts and styles were fitted to the religous occasion. Eventually, this single-line, nonmetric music developed into polyphony with a metric scheme. The new genres of organum and motet both derived from a pre-existent chant heard in one of the parts in a repeated rhythmic scheme (ostinato). The motet could be either secular or sacred, depending on the texts being sung.

Here's some albums I just looked up for you on amazon.com. They are all under $6:

Meditative Gregorian Chant Vol 1
Meditative Gregorian Chant Vol. 2
Gregorian Chant: The Best of the Benedictine Monks of St. Michaels
Gregorian Christmas: Chants and Motets

Just search the classical music section for "gregorian chant," you'll find a ton of stuff. Amazon also lets you sample some of the songs on the CD's. Pretty spiffy.

Let me know if you find anything you like!

[warrrreagl]

Now, all you need to know is what polyphony, organum, and motet are.

Actually, there is a bit of controversy surrounding Hildegard. Apparently, she's not famous because her compositions are spectacular; she's famous because she's a she. Some musicologists are suggesting that someone simply placed an authentic medieval nun's name on chants that she didn't actually compose because the world desparately needed a female composer-hero from the medieval era.

Now, all that aside, I have not heard of some of these recordings of which you all are speaking. Since I teach Music Appreciation, I am always looking for ways to connect students to ancient music (like Gregorian chant). There are artists out there who are recording contemporary rock and pop tunes in the style of Gregorian chant?

Who, where, and how?

[combatmedicjen]

Originally Posted by warrrreagl

Since I teach Music Appreciation, I am always looking for ways to connect students to ancient music (like Gregorian chant).

Music appreciation, eh? Excellent! I was recruited to play in a few horn quartets and brass quintets for a non-music-major music appreciation class when I still attended DePaul's SOM. Do you teach any other classes? Where?

[mystmarimatt]

i love gregorian chants, it's such wonderful chill music, great for relaxtion and focus. I had a cd once, but it got lost. all of mine are on my computer now.