Sanctus (Music for Quiet Contemplation) - CD

The Venerable Bede informs us in passing of musical activity in the monasteries of Northern England: 'all those present at a feast took it in turns to sing and entertain the company', and he refers specifically to the harp. This reference finds its echo in the great poem of Beowulf in which, at court before King Hrothgar, a poet sings a song of creation: the monster, Grendel, must lurk in the outer darkness and endure the 'din of merry-making inside the hall, and the sound of the harp and the bard's clear song'.  The music on this Sanctus album is a re-creation of music that may have been familiar to the scribes of the Lindisfarne Gospels. It combines plainchant - the sacred vocal music of the early church - with Celtic harp and Northumbrian pipe. The harpist improvises on sacred tunes, the piper plays eloquent versions of early Northern folk melodies. Tracks: 1. Facta est cum Angelo 2. Puer Natus est 3. Angelus ad Pastores 4. From night till morn 5. Alleluia - Dies Sanctificatus 6. Sanctus 7. Agnus Dei 8. Lord Lovat's Lament 9. Quem Vedistis 10. Rothbury Hills 11. Veni Redemptor 12. The Lyke Wake Dirge 13. Christe Redemptor 14. Never love thee more 15. Hodie Christus natus est 16. Viderunt Omnes Key Features: Over 1 hour of music Made in Great Britain