Sunday 14 December 2014

Prepare a Way for the Lord

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This year's Advent Musical Oratory will take place this Wednesday 17 December at 8pm. There will be readings, hymns and motets on the theme of St John the Baptist, ending with Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament.

St Philip started the Musical Oratory in Rome in the sixteenth century as a way of keeping youths out of trouble and focused on God. The Musical Oratory is still an excellent way to prepare for Christmas, by helping us with the latter of these, even if the former does not apply!  In the early days, Palestrina himself wrote motets and then conducted the choir. This year the music includes one of his works, and others by Schutz, Gibbons, Cardosol, Clemens and Duruflé.