or
 |home| |
Yesterday, which was the first day of 'Eid-ul-Fitr, we went to hear the San Francisco Bach Choir sing a plethora of English Christmas Carols. They sang a few conventional Christmas carols, including God Rest You Merry Gentlemen and O Little Town of Bethlehem, but my favorite was Dunstable's Sancta Maria, non est tibi similis. It is a three-part motet, a processional respond and antiphon to the Virgin Mary. The soloists were very good, particularly the alto and bass. The motet goes as follows:
Sancta Maria, non est tibi similis
orta in mundo in mulieribus
Florens ut rosa, flagrans sicut lilium,
ora pro nobis, sancta Dei genitrix.
If your Latin is a bit shabby, the English goes thusly (kind of, my Latin isn't good):
Holy Mary, there are no other women
in the world such as you,
Blooming like a rose, glowing as a lily,
pray for us, holy Mother of God.
There was an incredible turn-out, and it was very crowded. People were fairly well-behaved, aside from the four small children seated next to me. At least their parents had the sense to leave at the intermission.
Part of the concert was by candlelight, for about ten carols the lights were turned off and the choir and musicians performed with candles, mostly. The bell people had small lights and not candles.
|
|home| |