Premiere recording of William Rasar’s Mass “Christe Jesu” is a beautiful and unique album perfectly themed for the Season of Christmas
NORWALK—St. Mary’s Church and the St. Cecilia Society are pleased to announce that Lux Fulgebit, the debut CD of the acclaimed St. Mary’s Schola Cantorum, based in Norwalk, Connecticut, has earned high praise from numerous reviewers since its official release last year.
Lux Fulgebit: The Mass at Dawn of Christmas Day is the professional recording debut of the St. Mary’s Schola Cantorum, featuring the world premiere recording of the 16th-century Mass Christe Jesu by William Rasar. This unknown gem from the Peterhouse partbooks is presented as part of the “soundtrack” to a full sung traditional Mass, including everything from the bells to the organ, the chant, and the choral polyphony (which also includes music by William Byrd and Alfonso Ferrabosco).
Since its 2017 release, Lux Fulgebit has garnered praise from Fanfare, Early Music Review, The National Catholic Register, The New Liturgical Movement, and other publications, as well as being featured on Robert Aubry Davis’s “Millenium of Music” program.
“A remarkable debut…a must for anyone interested in Tudor polyphony and recommendable to anyone who cherishes the Latin Mass.” —Fanfare
“All the more surprising that, with the current flurry of interest in Peterhouse repertory, this is the premiere recording of Rasar’s mass. It is a revelation….glorious music and [a] committed and spiritual performance by the Schola.” —Early Music Review
Lux Fulgebit captures the musical splendor of the traditionally-oriented life of St. Mary’s Church, internationally recognized as a beacon of liturgical renewal in the Roman Catholic Church. The St. Mary’s Schola Cantorum is the heart of the multi-faceted sacred music program, directed by David J. Hughes, and contributes to making St. Mary’s a stand-out among Catholic parishes.
Lux Fulgebit can be purchased through the St. Mary’s website (www.stmarynorwalk.net/cd), in person at the St. Mary’s Bookstore, or in digital formats on Amazon.com, iTunes, and CDBaby. The attractively packaged CD includes the complete text of the Mass at Dawn in English and Latin, as well as an informative essay on Rasar’s Mass and the music of his period, and is available for US$15.00. For further information, including inquiries about bulk purchase discounts, please call Tom Heckel at 203.656.2389.
About Saint Mary’s Church
Saint Mary’s Church is a Roman Catholic Church within the Diocese of Bridgeport. Parishioners in this unique multi-ethnic community are united in their devotion to the Trinitarian God through aesthetically beautiful and reverent celebrations of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass in three languages: English, Spanish and Latin. The Traditional Form of the Roman Rite lies at the heart of the parish’s liturgical life and its timeless essence infuses every Mass. The parish’s mission of evangelization through authentic liturgical renewal is enhanced by a sacred music program of rare caliber featuring the acclaimed St. Mary’s Schola Cantorum. Designed in Gothic Revival style and dedicated in 1870, this historic church was beautifully and lovingly renovated beginning in 2009 to support its essential and timely mission. For more information, please visit the parish’s website: www.stmarynorwalk.net.
