In the late 19th century Pope Leo XIII charged the Abbey of Solesmes with the restoration and preservation of Gregorian Chant according to the original 10th–11th century manuscripts. The care and zeal with which the monks undertook this mission quickly extended the Abbey’s influence beyond Europe. Their goal: that Gregorian Chant be available to all people so they may “pray with the help of beauty” (Pope St Pius X).

Today, the Abbey continues to be a vibrant source of research and liturgical prayer with their library of over 200,000 volumes, and a musical palaeography workshop second only to the Vatican. But above all, Solesmes is a living community of Benedictine monks searching for God and sharing their spirituality, community life, and heritage.

“Solesmes’ He Was Placed in the Tomb contains the Gregorian Office for Holy (or ‘Great’) Saturday, the evening service that observes the time Christ spent in the bonds of death; it is signified by the lighting of the candle of Paschali…This performance of the Office is by the Monastic Choir of St. Peter’s Abbey in Solesmes, presumably from their own edition, which has been the Vatican standard since 1903…This is one of the very last recordings of the Solesmes choir as led by its longtime director, the late Dom Jean Claire, who retired shortly thereafter. The choir is in excellent voice; the pacing of the chant is as it should be and the acoustic in the Abbey Church at Solesmes is warm and bathes the voices in a benevolent ambience.

“This office consists of four Nocturnes, Lauds, and Vespers, with the pieces toward the ends of the Nocturnes being the most captivating within the office, particularly the Mode 4 and 5 Responsory at the end of the first Nocturne and the breathtakingly beautiful Responsories in Modes 8 and 4 that conclude the Second Nocturne. …

“As a representation of the Holy Saturday service in Gregorian terms, this is about as liturgically accurate, and as well performed, as it gets. Outside of its purely religious context, Solesmes' He Was Placed In The Tomb would be an excellent disc to accompany late-night reading or other nocturnal, quiet activities -- its feeling of sobriety and loneliness is certainly well suited to that.” – www.AllMusic.com

“Setting the standard for Gregorian performance.” – American Record Guide