Ensemble Organum (and the interpretation of chant)

People who have heard Gregorian chant are usually familiar with the Solesmes interpretation. I believe it is still the standard interpretation used by the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter. It may surprise some that while the Soelsmes interpretation is the most dominant today, it is by no means conceded by all to be the standard, and that there are alternative interpretations.


One alternate interpretation has been advanced by Marcel Pérès--not knowing the intricacies of music theory and chant, I can't really explain the differences between the interpretations. I can say that their interpretation of Mozarabic chant is very Eastern, with a lot of melissmas. While I enjoy listening to their CDs, I wonder if their interpretation would work during the celebration of an actual liturgy.

What I need is some brief survey of the major schools of interpretation and some demos of the same text, as interpreted by each school. I also need someone more knowledgeable about Gregorian chant to write this post...

Anyways, I don't think the Ensemble Organum has ever performed here in Boston for the Boston Early Music Festival, not while I've been here... at least I don't think it has. If they did, and I missed it...

There is a difference between the way the Fraternity chants and Institute's way, at least that is how it seems from the CDs. I'm not sure if it is due to specific people associated with each group, or if it is because of the location of each.

Ensemble Organum and Marcel Pérès links
website for Ensemble Organum and CIRMA; discography; another page (dead? an older page perhaps...)
Marcel Pérès (features just a link for e-mailing him?)
info about Marcel Pérès (in French); interview with Marcel Pérès (in Spanish)

(CD Universe selection, Marcel Pérès Portrait)

Solesmes-related Monasteries
Solesmes
Santo Domingo de Silos
Abbey Notre Dame de Fontgombault (website, in French)
Clear Creek Monastery
St. Michael's Abbey

Plus
Abbaye Ste. Madeleine du Barroux

Other groups
Schola Hungarica (discography, Naxos page, ArkivMusic.com selection,
Supposedly Fr. Domenico Bartolucci prefers an interpretation of chant similar to that of the Schola Hungarica.
Department of Early Music (Budapest)
Westminster Cathedral Choir (Hyperion page; the choir school)
Schola Gregoriana Silesiensis
The Saint Gregory Society

Other links
Decadent Enchantments: The Revival of Gregorian Chant at Solesmes
The Gregorian Chant Home Page
Interview with Fr. Michael Bozell of Solesmes
OSB.org resources
A critique: "Music before and after Solesmes"
Liturgica.com page on chant development
Gregorian chant links
Society of Saint Gregory
Church Music Association of America
The Gregorian Association
Goldberg.com essay on Gregorian chant
Schola Antiqua (R. John Blackley on chant)

Unfortunately there is no website for the musicologist Patrick Jacobson.
He was a past member of the Slavic Male Chorus of Washington, D.C. From an older version of that page (when he was still a current member): "Patrick Jacobsen - founder and conductor of Washington DC's Capella Antiqua, is world reknowned as a scholar and celebrant of early western chant." He has another job during the day--I've forgotten what it was... perhaps something related to dentistry. He is a rather quiet individual, with 'loud' opinions on how chant should be interpreted--when he visited the seminary at Elmhurst, there were many who disagreed with what he said.

Brad Leissa's Information Pages
Introductory Notes
Mixed Vocal Ensembles A-F, G-Z
Female Vocal Ensembles
Male Vocal Ensembles
Trebles and Countertenors
Period Instrument Performance Ensembles
Period Instrument/Authentic Performance Recording Labels

Early Music
Tallis Scholars (interview with Peter Phillips)
Hilliard Ensemble (New World Classics page; discography)
Capella Romana
Early Music Vocal Ensembles
Early Music Groups
Lionheart
The Sixteen (interview with Harry Christophers)
a local group, Exsultemus
Zephyrus (sound random group I came across during my search)
Never heard this group perform, but they are based in Cambridge: Musica Sacra
Palestrina Choir

Miscellanea
Ambrosian Chant (Canto Ambrosiano)
Confessions of a Recovering Choir director post on Ambrosian chant (free music)
Professional Music Organizations
Soeur Marie Keyrouz's page
Byzantine Chant
Byzantine Chant Studies Page
Learn Byzantine Chant
Choir chant of the Byzantine Catholic Church in MP3
A course on Byzantine music and hymnography
Goldberg.com essay on Orthodox chant
Greek Orthodox Hymns (from GOARCH)
Orthodox Christian music links
Orthodox chant
Resources page at Princeton
PSALOM
Ancient Hymns for Modern Times
chant at Valaam
Divine Liturgies Music Project
Orthodox Choral and Sacred Music Resources
Holy Trinity Monastery

Alas... no website for the Greek Byzantine Choir, directed by Lycourgos Angelopoulos.