Sacred Music Recommendations (chant)

[beatitude]

I have a Jewish friend in Jerusalem who has taken to going into churches (not to pray, just to wander round) and who has fallen in love with sacred music, especially chant. I can't work out from her what exactly she's been listening to - plainsong, polyphony, etc. - as she doesn't know how to describe the different kinds and she also isn't sure of the words, but I know at least some of it will be from the Armenian tradition. (From her description, she gatecrashed an Armenian service. :P ) Her birthday is coming up and this solves my problem of what to get her. :) Can someone recommend a nice album of sacred music? I know individual pieces that I think she'd like, but I'm having trouble finding a decent compilation.

[PhuturePriest]

Monks of the Abbey of Notre Dame

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d5p_U8J0iRQ

[Spem in alium]

A couple of individual suggestions:

Ensemble Organum: Kyrie.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xmkhk9Z8Lu4[/youtube]

The Choir of the Convent of St Elisabeth of Minsk

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L4oDcBODmHg[/youtube]

And because I couldn't resist.... (not my favourite version, but still nice)
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iT-ZAAi4UQQ[/youtube]

 

As for compilations, this sounds nice and The Sixteen (in my view) have a good sound. The only drawback is that it's not really a broad mixture of musical styles.
 

Renaissance: music for inner peace  

 

[Spem in alium]

I couldn't edit my post to add:

 

And because I couldn't resist.... (not my favourite version, but still nice)
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yRXrgkrDfYE[/youtube]

 

As for compilations, the CD from the Convent of St Elisabeth of Minsk is beautiful, and even though I didn't understand a lot of what they were singing it was such a lovely sound.  

The link for "Renaissance: music for inner peace": http://www.amazon.com/Renaissance-Music-Inner-The-Sixteen/dp/B00076SJE6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1395454125&sr=8-1&keywords=renaissance+music+for+inner+peace

 

And you may want to check this out. I'm not familiar with all the chants, but it has a serious heap of them and you may find something you like there: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002C1ZYVA/ref=sr_1_1_rd?ie=UTF8&child=B002C25VG2&qid=1395454611&sr=1-1%3C/a%3E

 

Edited March 22, 2014 by Spem in alium

[maximillion]

Harry Christopher and the Sixteen. Yay!!!!

[Quid Est Veritas?]

Gloria Dei Cantores Schola is great. It is more Gregorian Chant-based, though. So if your friend is hearing Ambrosian Chant, it will sound very different to her.