The Community Releases a CD of Gregorian Chant
Following the success of the Flower Festival Concert the Monastic Schola has recorded a CD of Gregorian Chant. Sales have been going well, and all the proceeds will go towards the the Abbey Restoration Fund.
Abbot Alan and Dom Peter Brady got the choir into shape with rehersals. We were very fortunate to have with us Christopher Walker, who produced the CD. He is a well-known church composer and conductor and is based in Los Angeles. His own most recent liturgical work was for the Dedication of the new Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in Los Angeles. Our sound engineer was Richard Jeffrey-Gray of Hoxa Sound. He did a fantastic job of picking up the wonderful acoustics of the abbey Church giving a beautiful quality to the recording. Richard is also head of the music service of Clifton Cathedral. While putting the finishing touches to the CD he was writing the the music for the touchdown of the last ever flight of Concorde - Silver Bird - at Bristol! Christopher Green was the production assistant.
There has been an excellent response to the recording and sales are going well. It will all help to keep the building standing so we can carry on singing! When Francis Wegg-Prosser founded Belmont in the 19th Century one of his intentions was that the Community would preserve and continue the tradition of Gregorian Chant - one of the great treaures of the Western Church. We think he would be pleased with the CD!
The CD is entitled "In the Presence of the Angels" drawing on St Benedict's reminder in his Rule that his monks always stand in the presence of God and so their minds should be in harmony with their voices. This is something not easily forgotten at Belmont as the monastic choir is surrounded by angels in paintings, carvings and stained glass.
TO BUY A COPY OF THE CD
The CD costs £10 plus postage and packing and can be obtained from:
The
Procurator, Belmont Abbey
HEREFORD HR2 9RZ
CHEQUES should be made payable to "Belmont Abbey".
Alternatively ring Hedley Lodge (01432 374747 preferably 8am to 1pm) to order one and pay by CREDIT CARD.
UK
1 CD Postage £1.00 Total £11.00
2 CDs Postage £1.50 Total £21.50
3 or more Postage total £2.00 + £10 each
EUROPE
1 CD Postage £1.50 Total £11.50
2 CDs Postage £2.00 Total £22.00
3 or more Postage total £2.50 + £10 each
REST OF WORLD (Surface Mail)
1 CD postage £1.50 Total £11.50
2 or more £11 per CD inc postage
All the music on this disk is part of the Community's daily and yearly round of worship and it reminds us that plainsong is sung prayer and find its proper home in the liturgy. The name "plainsong" describes the music well: it is "plain" song, simple and unadorned, without the harmonies that would later be added to church music.
Another characteristic of plainsong, unlike later metrical hymns and songs, is that the rhythm is normally taken from the words themselves. The melodies shape themselves around the words allowing a freer expression to be given to each phrase. So the words - often texts from the Scriptures - have their heartfelt meaning underlined.
The music itself goes back to the beginnings of the Church; some even see its roots in Jewish synagogue worship. The middle ages witnessed the evolution of its characteristic notation. St Gregory the Great, pope from 590 to 604 is often credited as having some part in fostering its use, hence it is often called ‘Gregorian Chant' in his honour. This musical tradition took hold in England as early as the time of St Bede (673-735). He tells us that the archcantor of St Peter's in Rome came to these shores to help the monks improve their singing! In the monasteries of mediaeval England plainsong flourished.