The Benedictine monks of Saint Meinrad Archabbey treasure their tradition of rich and meaningful worship. Prayer and praise of God in chant and song have been integral to this community’s liturgies for nearly 150 years. Now you too can experience the beauty of this style of sung prayer in your community with these two seasonal collections: Gregorian Chant for Advent & Christmas and Gregorian Chant for Lent & Easter.
Advent opens the Church year with a sense of waiting and expectation, of hope and joy. Christmas is a time to contemplate and celebrate the mystery of God among us. Gregorian Chant for Advent & Christmas explores the desire and joy of these two seasons.
Of particular note are the famous "O" antiphons and some little-known but very beautiful hymns. The recording also contains the most famous of the introits for these seasons, which are masterpieces by any measure.
A musical exploration of the heights and depths of emotion inherent in the mysteries of Christ's passion, death and resurrection, Gregorian Chant for Lent & Easter covers Lent, Holy Week and Easter and includes the introits for Ascension and Pentecost.
Composed by Benedictine Father Columba Kelly and sung in Latin and English, the chants on these collections range from simple to complex. The voices of the St. Meinrad Archabbey schola, which include hymn text writer Benedictine Father Harry Hagan, resonate beautifully in the wonderful acoustics of the Archabbey Church at Saint Meinrad.
