Sundays are for Beauty: Andrea Bocelli

And...Bocelli at Fatima:

https://aleteia.org/2018/05/18/andrea-bocelli-in-fatima-here-every-breath-is-a-prayer/

Sundays are for Beauty: Johann Sebastian Bach - Brandenburg Concerto No. 2 in F major

Sundays are for Beauty: Celtic Woman - Nella Fantasia

Gabriel's Oboe with words:

(See the comments for background.)

Sundays are for Beauty: Praise the Lord - Sergei Rachmaninov

Sundays are for Beauty: Chinese Redux

First posted here on September 6, 2009.  More than 8,000 Likes on YouTube.  Brought back today at request of Molly.

Agata GALIK w/ the Warsaw Philharmonic Choir

Sundays are for Beauty: The First Rosary

For those who would question the repetitive nature of the "Hail Mary" while reciting the Holy Rosary.

H/T: Molly

Sundays are for Beauty: The Lord of Sea and Sky

Mozart Ave Verum Corpus por Leonard Bernstein

Sundays are for Beauty: Russian Orthodox Chant

The Choir of Moscow Sretensky Monastery

Sundays are for Beauty: The Bells of St. Mary's

Bing Crosby and Ingrid Bergman from the movie: The Bells of St. Mary's 1945.

Sundays are for Beauty: Capital Children's Choir: "Who Is It"

"Who Is It": Choral tribute to Björk by the Capital Children's Choir

Sundays are for Beauty: Kermit's Beautiful Rainbow Song

Dedicated to those of us who remember the days when the Rainbow represented something Beautiful.

Sundays are for Beauty: J.S Bach’s “Toccata and Fugue in d minor”

That's the Oklahoma State University's Small Trumpet Ensemble. On March 21 of this year, they won the National Trumpet Competition at Messiah College, Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania. 

The Benedictines of Mary in Cloister

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZSZQceNbZLA&feature=player_embedded

From Pantheos.com:

A group of cloistered nuns has recorded an album of chant, and the preview (see the video below) is just gorgeous.

From the press release:

They are young. They are hidden. They are extremely musical. And now they have a worldwide album distribution deal. But they don’t set foot beyond Northwest Missouri’s rolling farmland. Why? Because they are contemplative sisters who live an austere yet joyful life set apart from the world.

But on Nov. 20, Decca and De Montfort Music will release their voices to the world in ADVENT AT EPHESUS. The album features 16 tracks – a dynamic variety of traditional English and Latin hymns, polyphony, Gregorian chants and medieval harmonies. The album also includes Adjuvabit Eam, an original work of the sisters.

The order’s Prioress, Mother Cecilia, is a graduate of the Shepherd School of Music at Rice and vacated her seat in the horn section with the Columbus Symphony Orchestra in Ohio to enter religious life. She has arranged the songs on ADVENT AT EPHESUS.

“We are delighted to be a part of this collaboration with De Montfort Music and Decca,” she said. “From the very beginning, we knew that if the venture was pleasing to God, it would be made clear. And so it was, especially in the unheard of ease with which everything was carried out to make this CD possible.”

De Montfort enlisted Grammy® and Oscar® winning producer Glenn Rosenstein, who traveled to America’s heartland; set up a mobile recording studio on the 260-acre property the sisters call home; and captured all of ADVENT AT EPHESUS in only three days. Rosenstein, who has worked with a host of international stars and whose projects have generated sales well in excess of 250 million units (with artists from U2 to New York Philharmonic) calls this one of his 10 all-time-favorite recordings.

An early review:

The word “amazing” is true but far from enough. The word “beautiful” is also accurate and much closer to describing the sound. The word “necessary” suggests the importance of sacred music in our secular world. Individually, none of the above words do Advent of Ephesus justice. Together the adjectives merely come close to describing the wonder that is to be available on November 20.

To pre-order the CD for Christmas, click on the link below:

http://www.amazon.com/Advent-at-Ephesus-Benedictines-Mary/dp/B009UECNXO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1351295496&sr=8-1&keywords=advent+at+ephesus

H/T: bmck1

Sissel: Mascagni's Ave Maria

That's Sissel Kyrkjebø, the Norwegian soprano who goes only by her first name.  She's been featured here before (and will be again) because she's one of the world's top performers of classical and sacred music.

Our Lady of the Rosary, October 7

Today is the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary, and the following is from AmericanCatholic.org.

Sunday, October 07, 2012

Our Lady of the Rosary

Pope St. Pius V established this feast in 1573. The purpose was to thank God for the victory of Christians over the Turks at Lepanto—a victory attributed to the praying of the rosary. Clement XI extended the feast to the universal Church in 1716.

The development of the rosary has a long history. First, a practice developed of praying 150 Our Fathers in imitation of the 150 Psalms. Then there was a parallel practice of praying 150 Hail Marys. Soon a mystery of Jesus' life was attached to each Hail Mary. Though Mary's giving the rosary to St. Dominic is recognized as a legend, the development of this prayer form owes much to the followers of St. Dominic. One of them, Alan de la Roche, was known as "the apostle of the rosary." He founded the first Confraternity of the Rosary in the 15th century. In the 16th century the rosary was developed to its present form—with the 15 mysteries (joyful, sorrowful and glorious). In 2002, Pope John Paul II added the Mysteries of Light to this devotion.

Comment:

The purpose of the rosary is to help us meditate on the great mysteries of our salvation. Pius XII called it a compendium of the gospel. The main focus is on Jesus—his birth, life, death and resurrection. The Our Fathers remind us that Jesus' Father is the initiator of salvation. The Hail Marys remind us to join with Mary in contemplating these mysteries. They also make us aware that Mary was and is intimately joined with her Son in all the mysteries of his earthly and heavenly existence. The Glorys remind us that the purpose of all life is the glory of the Trinity.

The rosary appeals to many. It is simple. The constant repetition of words helps create an atmosphere in which to contemplate the mysteries of God. We sense that Jesus and Mary are with us in the joys and sorrows of life. We grow in hope that God will bring us to share in the glory of Jesus and Mary forever.

For more on the role of Our Lady of the Rosary in The Battle of Lepanto, go HERE.

Tex Macks at Summer Surf Camp

Sundays are for Beauty: Capital Children's Choir

To hear more from the Capital Children's Choir, go Here, Here, and Here.

Have a Beautiful Sunday.

H/T: pgmolly

Sundays are for Beauty: Jimmy Durante, "I'll Be Seeing You"

Jimmy Durante (1893-1980), who, while in grade school, served as an altar boy at St. Malachy's Catholic Church in New York City, dropped out of school in the eighth grade to become a full-time ragtime pianist, and went on to become one of the best known entertainers in America between 1920 and 1980.