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MARS HILL AUDIO

Cantica sacra

exploring the rich legacy of sacred singing

About
Hymns
Psalms
Texts
Composers
Poets
Essays, etc.
Glossary

About
Hymns
Psalms
Texts
Composers
Poets
Essays, etc.
Glossary

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The text of Psalm 51 has inspired countless musical settings.

Poets & Translators whose words we sing

St. Ambrose (339-397)

Christina Georgina Rossetti (1830-1894)

F. Bland Tucker (1895-1984)

Charles Wesley (1707-1788)

Recent Posts

Apr 06, 2020 Music for Passiontide, V — Buxtehude and the Body of Christ
Apr 04, 2020 Palm Sunday (April 5, 2020)
Apr 04, 2020 Music for Passiontide, IV — Morales, The Seven Lamentations
Apr 03, 2020 Music for Passiontide, III — Mendelssohn and others revisit Media vita
Mar 31, 2020 Music for Passiontide, II — The Tenebrae Consort sings Holy Week plainchant and polyphony
Mar 31, 2020 Music for Passiontide, I — John Sheppard, Media vita

About our hymns

The origins of “O come, O come, Emmanuel”

The story behind the text and the charming melody to “Dost thou in a manger lie”

Why “While shepherds watched” has been sung to more tunes than any hymn in history

You won’t recognize the original text to “How bright appears the Morning Star”

This mid-19th-century hymn was written to defend the Creed’s claims about the Church

This hymn was written as musical partner for the reading of I Corinthians 13.

There are too few hymns that celebrate Epiphany, but this unfamiliar text and tune deserve more familiarity

Conditor alme siderum

This Advent hymn has produced some compelling compositions from some of the West‘s greatest composers.

An Advent cantata by a Bach contemporary

Christoph Graupner (1683-1760) is unfortunately given only a cameo role in the telling of the history of the Church’s music.

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