This morning, whilst I munch on my sesame see bagel with chive and onion cream cheese, and drink my Light Roast coffee with cinnamon and honey in it, I find myself listening to “Music for the Divine Office I,” which is CD 4 of the 10-CD box set from Brilliant Classics.
Despite the impeccable performances by Chappelle du Roi, I found myself relatively unmoved. My mind wandered.
Again, this has nothing to do with the recording, which is superb. or the performances, which are masterful.
This has to do with the fact that I prefer music that requires more engaged, active listening.
Tallis’ music, to me, is more for background listening – unless, of course, I was in need of a spiritually uplifting journey through the Divine Offices.
From the excellent liner notes:
Music for the Divine Office 1
On this disc we meet Tallis as a composer of choral music for the Divine Office, the cycle of eight services-Matins, Lauds, Prime, Terce, Sext, None, Vespers and Compline, known collectively as the Canonical Hours-sung daily by communities of religious in Latin Christendom.
Nothing about Tallis’s early career suggests that he was destined to reach the top of his profession. Nevertheless, scarcely more than ten years separate his first known musical appointment, which was extremely humble, from his last, which could not have been more prestigious. In 1532 he was organist of the small Benedictine priory at Dover-a minor post if ever there was one. Five years later he had moved to London, where he was employed either as a singer or as organist by the parish church of St Mary-at-Hill, which was noted for its music.
– Written by Nick Sandon, 19 August 1998
Texts and Translations
I have to point out that these Divine Offices are not relegated to Latin Christendom, as the liner notes stated – unless, by that, it is meant pre-Vatican II Catholicism, the services of which were conducted in Latin.
Because today these Divine Offices are part of every monastic tradition – especially the O.S.C.O. (Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance, also known as the Trappists).
I know because I’ve been part of those Hours services at the Abbey of Our Lady of Gethsemani in Kentucky.
One of the things I enjoyed about my retreat at Gethsemani was that at set times every day, everything would stop and the monks, and the visiting laypeople, would return to the sanctuary to observe the Divine Hours.
So my relatively lackluster response/reaction to the works of Thomas Tallis is not due to my unfamiliarity with the subject matter; rather, it is due to my interaction with this type of music in smaller doses, where I believe it can be appreciated best.
For example, this is from the Gethsemani web site:
3:15 am Vigils, followed by private prayer and lectio divina
5:45 am Lauds, followed by Mass
7:30 am Terce, followed by work until Noon
12:15 pm Sext, followed by dinner and an optional siesta
2:15 pm None
5:30 pm Vespers
7:30 pm Compline
Those are the seven times per day the monks gather to chant-sing.
My favorites were 3:15am Vigils and the 7:30pm Compline.
Just the Facts
CD 4 of this 10-CD box set consists of 11 tracks that clock in at 66:41
It was recorded Recorded 29-31 July 1998 at St. Judge’s Church, Hampstead.
Alistair Dixon conducted Chapelle Du Roi.
This CD is marked DDD, which means it is an all-digital recording. (Digitally recorded, Digitally mixed, and Digitally mastered.) Purists, those folks who think vinyl sounds better than CDs (they’re wrong) would probably look askance at this recording. To my ears, this is the best way to record music to precisely capture every note. But what do I know?
Just the Feelings
Recording quality: 5
Overall musicianship/vocals: 5
CD liner notes: 5
How does this make me feel: 3
Even though I’m not flipping out over these recordings, it’s important to note that the fault lies with me, not with the superb work done by Brilliant Classics and the performers on each CD.