Description: A Choral Collection of Classic Hymns; A Cappella
Release Date: 2004
Length: 56 minutes
Paul Terracini conducts the vocal ensembles Vox Ecclesiae and Cantillation in a superb recording of a cappella hymns.
Singing has been a part of the Christian Church since its very earliest days, predating both organ and other instrumental music. There is a perception throughout Christendom that our great church organs are representative of an ancient form of Christian worship, but while they have been with us for hundreds of years, they, and the music written for them, are a relatively recent addition to the treasury of Christian music, first coming into their own in the second half of the second millennium of Christianity.
More than one thousand years before J.S. Bach, the most widely used plainsong chants were catalogued during the papacy of Pope Gregory the Great and came to bear his name; Gregorian Chant. Two pieces from this tradition are included on this CD: Pange Lingua, sung here in the original Latin, and Veni, veni Emmanuel, sung in its English translation as O Come, O Come Emmanuel. Classic hymns from the 19th-century tradition such as The Lord's My Shepherd, Nearer, My God, to Thee, Lead, Kindly Light, Abide with Me, etc, with texts from the Psalms, Sarah Adams, Cardinal John Henry Newman, Henry Lyte, and others, are also included.
A beautifully presented booklet containing the hymn verses and their historical backgrounds is also included to give the listener a full appreciation of the context of the hymns.
Lead Kindly Light may also be found in Cherished Hymns, a 3 CD Collection containing two additional titles by Paul Terracini.
