Domenico Ghirlandaio, St. John the Baptist Preaching, Cappella Tornabuoni, Santa Maria Novella, Florence, 1468-90Christ Church Cathedral Choir Notes
The Second Sunday of Advent
Click to go immediately to:
1) The Music Programme Homepage
2) The Music Calendar for Choral Eucharist and Evensong
3) The Concert Calendar.
Including this coming Sunday, within the last month, three Mass settings for Choral Eucharist will have been the work of Healey Willan. Click to read about Healey Willan and listen to his Missae breves No. 2 in f for Advent; No. 7 in g, O Westron Wynde; and No. 11, Sancti Johannis Baptistae. Scroll down to go to Healey Willan, "O" Antiphons.
"O" Antiphons are an important element in Advent liturgy since the ninth century. A number of them will be sung in plainchant during this year's Procession of Carols and Lessons for Advent.
"O" by Eric Gill
Click to read about "O" Antiphons and listen to them in plainchant sung by the Dominican students of Blackfriars, Oxford, as well as versions by Healey Willan and Arvo Pärt.
George Frideric HandelThe Annual Messiah Sing-Along will take place at Christ Church Cathedral on Saturday, December 13, at 5 pm, with the Cathedral Singers and orchestra, Patrick Wedd directing. Soloists are Lindsay Michaels, Jennifer Cohen, Michael Leonard and Normand Richard. Scores are available. Free admission / voluntary contribution.
Click to read about Messiah and access a number of different performances.
Patrick Wedd will continue his reprise of the complete organ works of Olivier Messiaen on the Wilhelm organ of Christ Church Cathedral on Saturday, December 6, at 5:00 pm.
Patrick Wedd will perform Olivier Messiaen, Livre du Saint Sacrement V-XI.
To prepare, listen to: Jennifer Bate, Olivier Latry, Dame Gillian Weir.
St. Thomas Church Fifth Avenue has online excellent programme notes. Click here, then go to page 30 for the comments on Le Livre du Saint Sacrement.
These programme notes accompany John Scott's Messiaen recitals at St. Thomas. Click here to listen online.
The Casavant organ of Nôtre-Dame Basilica The centenary of the birth of Olivier Messiaen is December 10, 2008. Messiaen’s complete organ works will be performed on the Casavant organ of Nôtre-Dame Basilica from 9 am to 5 pm. Patrick Wedd and Thomas Annand will perform Les Méditations sur le mystère de la Sainte-Trinité at 1:15 pm and Donald Hunt will perform La Nativité du Seigneur at 2 :30 pm. Admission free all day.
Louise Bessette will perform Olivier Messiaen, Les Vingt Regards sur l’Enfant-Jésus at la Chapelle historique du Bon-Pasteur, on December 10, at 7 pm. Admission free/laissez-passer required.
Click to go to online performances of Messiaen, Les Vingt Regards sur l'Enfant-Jésus, by Pierre-Laurent Aimard, Håkon Austbø, Peter Hill, Joanna MacGregor and Roger Muraro. There are also YouTube excerpts by Yvonne Loriod, Alfonso Gómez and Roger Muraro.
Louise Bessette's performance is available online to those with library access to Naxos Music Library [NML]. The recording may be borrowed from BNQ. Click for availability.
Louise Bessette will perform Olivier Messiaen, Les Vingt Regards sur l’Enfant-Jésus at la Chapelle historique du Bon-Pasteur, on December 10, at 7 pm. Admission free/laissez-passer required.Click to go to online performances of Messiaen, Les Vingt Regards sur l'Enfant-Jésus, by Pierre-Laurent Aimard, Håkon Austbø, Peter Hill, Joanna MacGregor and Roger Muraro. There are also YouTube excerpts by Yvonne Loriod, Alfonso Gómez and Roger Muraro.
Louise Bessette's performance is available online to those with library access to Naxos Music Library [NML]. The recording may be borrowed from BNQ. Click for availability.
Baciccio, The Preaching of St. John the Baptist, Musée du Louvre, Paris, c. 1690Click to go to Bach Cantatas for Online Listening and Johann Sebastian Bach, Cantata 167 performed by Soprano: Joanne Lunn; Alto: Wilke te Brummelstroete; Tenor: Paul Agnew; Bass: Dietrich Henschel; Monteverdi Choir / English Baroque Soloists; John Eliot Gardiner directing.