Monday 9 December 2013

Advent chants

The hymn Conditor alme siderum:


The hymn Veni, veni Emmanuel. [My original link is now broken: there are plenty of recordings available though, so find one you like!]

The prose Rorate caeli desuper:


The Marian anthem Alma redemptoris mater in its simple tone:


Or, for the more ambitious, in its solemn tone:

Sunday 27 January 2013

Nesciens mater

Nesciens mater is the antiphon in honour of the Blessed Virgin that is sung in the Use of Nidaros after Compline, from Christmas until Candlemas. We learnt it last week at the Schola, and I am going to make a recording of it as a practice aid; however, a recording by the Choir of Winchester Cathedral from 2000 has just been re-released. The antiphon is available for download (price: 10 pence), and as it is less than a minute in length, you can actually listen to the whole thing on the website of Hyperion Records.