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Cantica sacra

exploring the rich legacy of sacred singing

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    • Essays
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Ralph Vaughan Williams did more for Christmas than discover a good tune for “O Little Town of Bethlehem”

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

  • Feb 22, 2020 Quinquagesima (February 23, 2020)
  • Feb 14, 2020 Sexagesima (February 16, 2020)
  • Feb 07, 2020 Septuagesima (February 9, 2020)
  • Feb 01, 2020 Fourth Sunday in Epiphany & Candlemas (February 2, 2020)
  • Jan 25, 2020 Third Sunday after Epiphany (January 26, 2020)
  • Jan 18, 2020 Second Sunday after Epiphany (January 19, 2020)

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.

MORE . . .

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.

MORE . . .

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