"If I were not a physicist, I would probably be a musician. I often think in music.

I live my daydreams in music. I see my life in terms of music. I get the most joy in life out of music."

~ Albert Einstein

Friday, August 28, 2015

Te Deum (St. Ambrose)

From the YouTube notes:
Monks of the one of the Abbeys of the Solesmes Congregation sing this beautiful chant. The Te Deum is attributed to two Fathers and Doctors of the Church, St. Ambrose and St. Augustine and is one the most majestic chants in the Liturgy of the Church. It is sung in traditional seminaries and monastic houses at the Divine Office and for Double feasts of the First Class, The Nativity, Easter, Corpus Christi, Epiphany, Pentecost and those which have an Octave. The solemn Te Deum is sung on all occasions of public Church rejoicing (in Traditional Catholic Churches)
 




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Wednesday, August 26, 2015

Jesus Lover of My Soul (Ken Medema)

Beautiful arrangement of Charles Wesley's hymn, composed and performed by Ken Medema. How well I remember when I was a college student and Ken spent the week at Samford University for Christian Emphasis Week. Each day he not only offered special music for worship, but at the end of each chapel would go to the piano and sing whatever we had just heard in the chapel message. That has been one of Ken's trademark abilities.

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Monday, August 17, 2015

Byzantine Chant in a virtual Hagia Sophia

A re-creation of what Byzantine chant would have sounded like during worship at the magnificent Hagia Sophia, with the marvelous reverberations from within that massive and ancient marble sanctuary -- using digital technology, Icons of Sound brought this ancient experience to the Bing Concert Hall at Stanford University. The piece performed is "Cherubic Hymn in Mode 1 - Manuel Chrysaphes, MS Mt. Athos, Iviron 1120 (1458)" (Read more at http://iconsofsound.stanford.edu/)


Thursday, August 13, 2015

Tuesday, August 4, 2015

Gloria (Palestrina)

Some say Giovanni Palestrina rescued music from the church (and for the church) when the Council of Trent (1545-1563) objected to newer musical trends in which you could not even understand the words being sung. Palestrina was definitely a major influence on church choral music in his day.

"Gloria" is from the Missa Papae Marcelli, or Pope Marcellus Mass. For those interested in way more info that I can knowledgeably provide, check out Classical Notes.


 
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