Canter Bridge

At first or early encounter, Gregorian Chant is a bit like a large, quality cigar.

It goes on rather longer than one anticipated, it provides moments for wondering how-did-I-get-myself-into-this, it opens the shutters to glimpses of true beauty, and in the end leaves one longing for the next one.

In the mid-nineties, London’s Sunday Times pulled off a splendid CD-by-subscription program called simply The Music Collection. This fine album, from Hungary’s prolific Schola Hungarica, saw the light as disc no. 1 in the series’ Classical portfolio.

The Schola makes liberal use of boys’ voices along with the customary men’s parts. They perform here an ‘Avent Mass Rorate’ and a Psalm Sunday Procession, each consisting of ten tracks. Chant necessarily obscures the genius of its performers by submerging them in standard texts and simple musical lines. As a result, one comes to recognize the best performing groups not by the trajectory of any one meteoric recording but rather by the respect that accrues over lengthy periods of productivity. In this respect, the Schola Hungarica is as renowned as things get in the small world of chant admirers.

Another nice thing about Gregorian Chant which is–again–a little like that cigar: Passersby on a chilly night can pause, inhale, and enjoy, even if a cigar has never touched their lips. Music like this repays the serious aficionado but also reserves a blessing for the casual listener who merely wants a bit of serenity.