Angelus - French Sacred Song

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Marking the hours of the day by praying the Angelus is a tradition dating back to the eleventh century. By the early twentieth century, this devotional prayer was given musical life in Louis Vierne's triptyque for voice and organ of the same name, whose first and last movements' timeless quality is imbued with the repetition of the tolling Angelus bell hidden within the accompaniment. The sound of this bell is a recurring theme in this recording, captured in the glorious acoustic of Buckfast Abbey, where the Angelus continues to sound to this day - an unbroken link through the centuries. The lyrical writing of these songs of veneration is given enchanting voice by Sarah Fox, together with a number of premiere recordings including Olivier Messiaen's O sacrum convivium, performed in it's original guise for solo voice and organ.