Track Listing

1. Antiphon In Paradisum and Psalm
2. Response Subvenite
3. Response Libera me
4. Stift Heiligenkreuz Bells
5. Introitus Requiem æternam
6. Kyrie
7. Graduale Requiem æternam
8. Tractus Absolve
9. Offertorium Domine Jesu Christe
10. Sanctus
11. Acclamato Post Elevationem
12. Agnus Dei
13. Communio Lux æterna
14. Deus in adiutorium
15. Hymn Te lucis ante terminum
16. Psalm 4
17. Psalm 90 (91)
18. Psalm 133
19. Lectio brevis
20. Responsorium breve
21. Canticum Simeonis Nunc dimittis
22. Kyrie
23. Oratio conclusiva
24. Salve Regina
25. Benedictio
26. Stift Heiligenkreuz bells
27. Hymn Veni Creator Spiritus
28. Introitus in Dominica Pentecostes
29. Communio in Dominica Pentecostes

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #893 in Music
• Released on: 2008-07-01
• Number of discs: 1

Album Description
Chant, is the most peaceful music imaginable. Chant: Music for the Soul, is the ultimate in relaxation and stress relief - the perfect antidote to our fast-moving modern world. Chant has proven to heal, calm and also give strength; its power is timeless and universal. Previous albums of chant have sold in the tens of millions. Further fueling the huge general demand is Chant's use in the smash-hit computer game Halo - this is chant for a new computer-gaming generation.

Billboard
"It's a pretty safe bet that very few of Universal Music's recent signings count Pope Benedict XVI among their fans. But the pontiff is a definite admirer of the latest boys in the hood(s) to sign globally to Universal Classics"

Dr. Alan Watkins, Senior Lecturer in Neuroscience at Imperial College London
"the musical structure of chanting can have a significant and positive physiological impact ... studies also demonstrate that such practices have been shown to lower blood pressure, increase levels of the performance hormone DHEA as well as reducing anxiety and depression."

Customer Reviews

solid effort
Kudos to the engineers for a beautifully resonant recording in the Stift Heiligenkreuz. The abbey, visited by Benedict XVI who has praised publicly the beauty of its liturgical chant, has created a consummately attractive collection of Gregorian melody that's become a hot international item. The singing itself, compared with Solesmes, is thicker and less spontaneous; the divine interior pulse of Gregorian chant seems often lost by over-consideration. The natural freedom of the singing at Solesmes is a benchmark, and often a spoiler when listening to other recordings; Solesmes' chant, as a musical art, exhibits a spiritual perfection. Chant from the Abbeys of En Calcat, St Maurice and St Maur and others, in its own way bears this kindred spiritual freedom rooted in Solesmes. The devotion of the monks of Heiligenkreuz is apparent, pure and strong, and naturally recommends this disc; musically, which is to say, spiritually, a stream different from Solesmes runs here. Differences between the two Orders although branches of the same tree of Benedict, and inevitable national traditions also figure. It's disappointing the Italian pronunciation of ecclesiastical Latin is transgressed at Heiligenkreuz, where a mixed classical pronunciation is used to chant the liturgical texts. A comparison of the Heiligenkreuz Compline with the Vespers and Compline recording from Solesmes is instructive musically and spiritually, and worth pursuing for those interested. This disc remains a solid effort that truthfully introduces a unique sacred music to countless people who know nothing of it, and will mostly please those who appreciate Gregorian chant. Get it with confidence. And check out as well the discs of chant from Solesmes.

Sublime
I've been interested in Gregorian chant for at least 35 years. Over the years, I have recordings of the chant on cassette & a couple on CD, but this is by far the best. I purchased it on the the strength of an article in the New York Times in late June/early July about the monastery and the recording of some of their daily chant that they had agreed to do; I almost never purchase things on the strength of the recommendation in an article/review. Clearly, the article was persuasive. This the most supple, sublime performance of Gregorian chant I have ever heard. I am not Catholic, but rather a Lutheran, while at the same time being a student of yoga. This recording speaks to the need to die to oneself in the praise of the Divine as recommended in Protestant Christian, Buddhist, and Hindu traditions. I would recommend this to anyone interested in an auditory representation of humanity's desire to connect with the Divine, especially someone looking for something that would aid devotion or meditation. This recording is utterly beautiful and conducive to facilitating an individual's pursuit of the Divine, notwithstanding my own less than perfect understanding of the Latin used in the chant.

Never heard anything like this before
This is amazingly beautiful. Imagine walking into Chartres cathedral on a rainy day. The sheer beauty and of the place overwhelms you with the feeling that you are in the presence of God. Then, from somewhere, music begins. It is lovely and otherworldly. The voices rise and fall, bringing goosebumps to your skin. It is something beyond time and beyond human knowledge.

That's the experience of this music.

Worth every penny and more.