Details: Choir of the Vienna Hofsburgkappelle: Chants for Life. Director: Joseph Schabasser. Excelsior, 1994. Total time: 63:37.
Not much to say about this one as not much detail is known beyond the above.
I've always found Gregorian chant, an ancient church musical form, to be timeless and contemplative. A few years ago while visiting relatives in California I somehow ended up attending Mass one Sunday morning at the cathedral in San Francisco (which is an amazing architectural piece, incidentally) and much of the liturgical music at that Mass was Gregorian chant performed by the small choir. In such an acoustical environment it was perfect.
Chant has a healing effect and immediately causes a hush in the listener. The nearly two dozen chants on this hour-plus disc are designated for holy days including Easter and Christmas and include introits, offertories, communions and alleluias.
The sound always conjures for me images of monks in robes walking single file in an interior courtyard in a monastery, along a long corridor between and beneath columns and arches, at dusk or dawn.
Great music for early evening on Spirit Sunday.
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