The Chants Of Mary

“. . . a wonderful anthology of chants taken from various feasts of the Virgin Mary”

“Three of the finest chant CDs have been released over the last year by Gloriæ Dei Cantores: The Chants of Angels, The Chants of Mary performed by the men of the ensemble, and The Chants of the Holy Spirit, performed by the women.”

“The excellence of interpretation is not surprising, for the first members of the Gloriæ Dei Cantores spent some time at Cambridge studying chant with Mary Berry in the 1980s. . . . the sequence Stabat Mater is superbly executed. The verses of the offertory Ave Maria, too, are expertly rendered.”

“The surround sound provides a nice sense of space around the singers. While I have always approved the schola’s chant recordings, these two discs attain a new height of excellence, the best chant singing of any American choir.”

“. . . [they] sing with unalloyed grace in their voices, powerful, not especially churchlike or considerate of monastic-like uniformity, but as I imagine the music was at one time performed in the public churches. The men of this Schola bring not only a spiritual sense but also some full-blooded and genuinely religious fervor, as if the Latin words on the paper are pregnant with real meaning and an otherworldly mysticism, not just syllables to accompany dull or routine monody.”

“The surround sound is excellent, well-balanced and well-filled. This is yet another superb production (full color booklet and wonderful notes) from a source that sets the example time and time again. Do delve into the clear, cool waters of Gregorian chant—and this is a perfect place to start.”