To Pray in Beauty: Gregorian Chant, Ever Ancient, Ever New
The angelic voices of the Cistercian nuns from Mount Saint Mary’s Abbey in Massachusetts whose music I reviewed for the Christmas Season have returned in a new album entitled To Pray in Beauty: Gregorian Chant, Ever Ancient, Ever New. There is an abundance of exquisite beauty and splendor emanating from the voices of these cloistered nuns as they sing this glorious collection of Gregorian Mass chants. The chants reflect their praise, gratitude, and atonement to God, using words borrowed principally from the Psalms. The CD contains 19 chants divided into three categories: chants centered on themes related to Cistercian Life, chants centered on the mysteries of Christ’s life, and “The Scrapbook of the Soul” (a selection of introits and one alleluia from various times during the liturgical year expressing a wide range of ways in which the human being turns to God). The CD contains an informative 20 page booklet, which gives: the history and background information on...