The Cross And The Beatitudes

Noirin Ni Riain and the Monks of Glenstal Abbey - Vox de Nube
EAC+LOG+CUE | FLAC: 202 MB | Full Artwork: 74 MB | 5% Recovery Info
Label/Cat#: Sounds True # STA A318 | Country/Year: US 1996, 1989
Genre: Classical, World | Style: Sacred Chant

Nóirín Ní Riain (born 1951, Caherconlish, County Limerick) is an Irish singer, writer, teacher, theologian, and authority on Gregorian Chant (plainchant, plainsong). She is primarily known for spiritual songs, but also sings Celtic music, Sean-nós and Indian songs. (…) As a child, Nóirín often visited Glenstal Abbey in Murroe to listen to the chants of the Benedictine monks. Later she performed and made several recordings with them, under which the trilogy: Vox Clamantis in Deserto (Caoineadh na Maighdine), Vox Populi (Good People All) and Vox de Nube (A Voice from the Cloud). She has a PhD in theology. Her thesis was The Specificity of Christian Theosonetics, an in-depth study and representation of sounds—primarily vocal sounds—as a means to religious experience from a Christian perspective.

The chant and polyphony on this record is easier to approach than that on the Patriarchate Choir's Panikhida disc (OPS 30-97). The znamenny chant is "harmonized" in a way that shows clear Western influence: The parts often move in parallel thirds; six-four chords are common; the melodies seem to move toward a tonic. Fortunately, distinctive Russian elements remain. The basic melodies are typical of znamenny chant; there are plenty of passing-tone dissonances; and the most usual cadence is 1-4-5 (e.g., d-g-a), which gives a pleasing shimmer to the ending of each chant. The performance by Anatoly Grindenko and his singers is entirely persuasive. This is yet another valuable addition to the discography of this important, little-known repertory.