St Mary's Schola Cantorum, David J. Hughes - Lux Fulgebit: The Mass at Dawn of Christmas Day (2017)

The St. Cecilia Society at St. Mary's Church in Norwalk is proud to announce the debut professional recording of our own
Schola Cantorum! Lux Fulgebit: "Mass at the Dawn of Christmas" includes the world's first recording of the 16th century Mass Christe Jesu by William Rasard in the context of singing the Mass
according to the traditional rite (an extraordinary form).
The CD is a "soundtrack" to the mass performed at St. Mary's Church in Norwalk on Sundays and holidays. It includes all the musical elements.
Masses: from bells to organ, Gregorian chant and choral polyphony. All readings and chants are taken from the Mass at Christmas Dawn, and the polyphony includes
Mass Christe Jesu by William Rasard with motets by William Byrd, Alfonso Ferrabosco and Walter Lambe.
The Mass at dawn is the second Mass of Christmas. Most Roman Rite holidays feature one standard set of readings and chants, but Christmas
is almost unique in having three sets: one for midnight, one at dawn, and one for afternoon masses. Masses for midnight and afternoon were recorded a lot
once, while Mass at dawn can be heard less often.
"Christe Jesu" is an English version of the sixteenth—century Ordinary Mass for five voices, which is fully represented in the collections of Forrest-Hayter (Bodleian
Library) and partially in the collections of Peterhouse (Cambridge University Library). This is the only surviving work by William Rasard, characterized
by a very high musical quality. The model of the mass is unknown or lost, and there are several other features of the mass that are unusual for this period: the texts
The Gloria and Credo are recorded in full, and the mass itself is written in two-dimensional size.
"A wonderful debut... It is a must-read for anyone interested in Tudor polyphony, and recommended for anyone who appreciates the Latin Mass."