O Lux Beatissima
A Treasury of Gregorian Chant
Item Number: 20566
From the acclaimed Cantores in Ecclesia choir
Dean Applegate, director
The chants on this CD are among the most useful and accessible in the Gregorian repertory, and all of them are most appropriate for today's liturgy.
The album features all the best-known traditional Gregorian hymns, including "Ave Maria," "Salve Regina" and "Ubi Caritas," as well as two Mass ordinaries, the Missa Simplex and the Missa de Angelis.
There's a reason the Church still sings these sacred Latin hymns after hundreds of years. There's a reason interest in Gregorian chant continues to grow. Somehow, it still expresses the awe and reverence we feel before the Creator of heaven and earth.
Exceptional singing, classic repertoire
Somehow, these simple, prayerful tones and words still capture the mystery of the soul's journey back home. Among the many chant recordings released in recent years, O Lux Beatissima stands out for the exceptional quality of the singing and the music selected.
Sung with an obvious zeal for this music
Directed expertly by Dean Applegate, Cantores in Ecclesia delivers a superb performance, with perfect timing and balance, pure intonation, smooth transitions and an obvious zeal for this repertoire. Within the first phrases of the first track, you understand why they won gold medals in all categories in the Fifth International Palestrina Competition in Rome.
Dedicated to the preservation and promotion of Gregorian chant
The choir's well-trained men's, women's and children's voices resonate beautifully in the live acoustics of the chapel at The Grotto, the National Shrine of Our Most Sorrowful Mother. Founded in 1985, Cantores in Ecclesia is dedicated to the preservation and promotion of Gregorian chant and sacred polyphony.
All the best-known Latin hymns
O Lux Beatissima features all the best-known traditional Gregorian hymns, including "Ave Maria," "Salve Regina" and "Ubi Caritas," as well as two Mass ordinaries, the Missa Simplex and the Missa de Angelis. Cantores in Ecclesia sings the hymns entirely in Latin, most of them a cappella. Some hymns feature the men's voices, some the women's and children's, and some simple organ accompaniment.
A first-rate recording by a first-rate choir
A first-rate recording by a first-rate, professional choir, O Lux Beatissima provides an excellent musical setting for reflection, meditation, retreats and any time we feel the need for the peace and devotion of these timeless chanted prayers. Includes more than 73 minutes of music.
1. Asperges Mei
2. Kyrie Eleison (Missa Simplex)
3. Gloria (Missa Simplex)
4. Credo III
5. Sanctus (Missa Simplex)
6. Post Consecrationem
7. Doxology & Amen
8. Pater Noster
9. Agnus Dei (Missa Simplex)
10. O Salutaris Hostia
11. Jesu Dulcis Memoria
12. Hosanna Filio David
13. Ubi Caritas
14. Pange Lingua Gloriosi
15. Victimae Paschali Laudes
16. Regina Caeli
17. Veni Sancte Spiritus
18. Veni Creator Spiritus
19. Vidi Aquam
20. Kyrie (Missa de Angelis)
21. Gloria (Missa de Angelis)
22. Sanctus (Missa de Angelis)
23. Agnus Dei (Missa de Angelis)
24. Ave Verum Corpus
25. Adoro Te Devote
26. Salve Regina
27. Requiem Aeternum
28. Lux Aeterna
29. In Paradisum
30. Alma Redemptoris Mater
31. Ave Maria
32. Ave Maris Stella
33. Miserere Mei Deus
34. Lucis Creator Optime
35. Te Lucis ante Terminum
1. Dana Scallon: Musical Artist, Faithful Messenger 12/19/2008
2. The Chapel Veil 12/19/2008
3. Do You Want to Learn Latin? 12/15/2008
4. Gregorian Chant Resources 11/25/2008
5. The Nativity Fast in the Eastern Churches 11/18/2008
6. Music for Advent and Christmas 11/13/2008
7. Choosing a Catholic Missal 10/17/2008
8. The History of Christmas Carols and Hymns 07/16/2008
9. The Tradition of Midnight Mass 07/11/2008
10. How to Learn Chant - Part II 05/01/2006
11. How to Learn Chant - Part I 04/27/2006
