Ensemble Organum - Marcel Pérès

The Profile

Ensemble Organum is a French vocal ensemble founded in 1982 by Marcel Pérès, dedicated to early and medieval sacred repertories, including Old Roman and Gregorian chant. Pérès directs the group, noted for historically informed performance and recordings for Harmonia Mundi.

Founded: 1982 (France). Founder/Director: Marcel Pérès. Focus: Old Roman, Gregorian, and related medieval liturgical chant with Byzantine-influenced performance practice. Label associations: Harmonia Mundi. Notable recording: Chants De L'Eglise De Rome (1986).

A clear, positive look at Ensemble Organum’s Chants De L’Eglise De Rome (Harmonia Mundi, 1986). The review contrasts Old Roman chant with Gregorian, noting Byzantine influence, austere delivery, rich ornamentation, and a continuous drone. It frames the album as part of Marcel Pérès’s ongoing research, with the Proprium Missae forming a unified liturgical cycle.