Скачать или смотреть O gladsome light - Louis Bourgeois, John Rutter, The Cambridge Singers

'O gladsome light'
From the album ‘Lighten our Darkness' - Music for the close of day

Composer Louis Bourgeois
Conductor John Rutter
Choir The Cambridge Singers

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O gladsome light
The text of this piece is one of the earliest of all Christian hymns, described by St Basil in the fourth century as old and anonymous. It became known as ‘the candle-lighting hymn’ because it was sung at Vespers as candles were lit to symbolise Christ as the light of the world. Robert Bridges’ metrical, rhymed translation (the original Greek hymn was not metrical or in rhyme) appeared in The English Hymnal in 1906. It was probably that hymnal’s musical editor, Vaughan Williams, who wedded the text to the Louis Bourgeois psalm-tune in Claude Goudimel’s harmonization of 1551.

LYRICS:
O gladsome light, O grace
Of God the Father’s face,
The eternal splendour wearing;
Celestial, holy, blest,
Our Saviour Jesus Christ,
Joyful in thine appearing.

Now, ere day fadeth quite,
We see the evening light,
Our wonted hymn outpouring;
Father of might unknown,
Thee, his incarnate Son,
And Holy Ghost adoring.

To thee of right belongs
All praise of holy songs,
O Son of God, life-giver;
Thee, therefore, O most High,
The world doth glorify,
And shall exalt for ever.
(3rd century (?) Greek hymn, tr. R. Bridges)

Lighten our Darkness
The service of Compline has inspired many incredibly beautiful compositions and this collection gathers together 18 of the many lovely a cappella choral motets written to adorn the evening worship of the church. Composers include Byrd, Guerrero, Rachmaninov and Sheppard, alongside such less well-known masterworks as Rheinberger’s Abendlied and the four great Marian motets of Victoria.

John Rutter, English composer and conductor, is associated with choral music throughout the world. His recordings with the Cambridge Singers (the professional chamber choir he set up in 1981) have reached a wide global audience, many of them featuring his own music in definitive versions. Among John’s best-known choral works are Gloria, Requiem, Magnificat, Mass of the Children, and Visions, together with many church anthems, choral songs and Christmas carols.

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