Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Seraphic Fire: Ave Maria: Gregorian Chant

2

Seraphic Fire: Ave Maria: Gregorian Chant

By

Sign in to view read count
Seraphic Fire: Ave Maria: Gregorian Chant
The mid-1990s witness a renewed interest in Gregorian Chant with the release, twenty years after its recording, of Chant (Angel, 1973/1994) by the Benedictine Monks of Santo Domingo de Silos. The public greeted this music, much between 500 and 1500 years old, as the greatest thing since the Edison cylinder. Early Music practitioners each released their own chant recordings. Oddly, this first recording remains uniformly fine and a very good example of the Benedictine order of prayer.

Seraphic Fire's Ave Maria: Gregorian Chant might be a bit of a red herring title as the vast majority of the music was composed after the traditional Gregorian Chants. No matter, a brief reading of director Patrick Dupre Quigley's liner notes reveals a very narrow and well-considered assemblage of pieces from the earliest chants to the 17th Century. The Ave Maria portion of the title identifies this as a collection of Marian adoration, specifically four antiphons (call and response chants honoring the Blessed Virgin, typically sung late in the day of the Divine Office, usually compline.

Presented here are multiple settings of the Marian Antiphons "Alma Redemptoris Mater," "Salve Regina," "Ave Regina Caelorum" and "Regina Caeli"—typically an early and later example, for contrast. For example, "Ave Regina Caelorum" is presented as an undated monophonic Ambrosian Plainchant (perhaps as early as the 4th Century) juxtaposed against Palestrina's polyphonic composition.

Quigley coaxes a rich, neutral sound from his sixteen singers of early music as finely as imagined. Recorded in All Saints Episcopal Church in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, the sound is resonant without being too warm. A little chill befits this ancient music. This release could have been well-included in Christmas seasonal music reviews.

Track Listing

Alma redemptoris mater [Sarum plainchant, England, 10th century]; Alma redemptoris mater; Inviolata, integra et casta es [Ambrosian plainchant, 9th century]; Inviolata, integra et casta es a 5; Salve Mater misericordiae [Gregorian plainchant, 13th century]; Quam pulchra es; Ave maris stella [Iberian plainchant]; Ave regina coelorum; Salve Regina [French Dominican plainchant, ca. 1335]; Salve Regina a 8; Ave Regina caelorum [Ambrosian plainchant]; Ave Regina; Ave Virgo sanctissima [Iberian plainchant, 16th century]; Ave Maria [Gregorian plainchant]; Ave Maria … virgo serena;Ave mundi spes Maria; Regina coeli laetare [French plainchant, 16th century]; Regina coeli.

Personnel

Rebecca Duren: soprano; Esteli Gomez: soprano; Gitanjali Mathur: soprano; Molly Quinn: soprano; Misty Leah Bermudez: alto;: alto;Eric S. Brenner: alto; Reginald L. Mobley: alto; Vincent Davies: tenor; Owen McIntosh: tenor; Steven Edward Soph: tenor; James K.: bass; Cameron Beauchamp: bass; Thomas McCargar: bass.

Album information

Title: Ave Maria: Gregorian Chant | Year Released: 2013 | Record Label: Self Produced

Comments

Tags


For the Love of Jazz
Get the Jazz Near You newsletter All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who create it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

You Can Help
To expand our coverage even further and develop new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for a modest $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination will vastly improve your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.
Jazz Near Fort Lauderdale
Events Guide | Venue Guide | Local Businesses | More...

More

What Was Happening
Bobby Wellins Quartet
Laugh Ash
Ches Smith
A New Beat
Ulysses Owens, Jr. and Generation Y

Popular

Eagle's Point
Chris Potter
Light Streams
John Donegan - The Irish Sextet

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.