Orbis Factor Kyrie - with feeling



During August, the choir in the parish has a well-earned rest and we do not struggle to keep things going while half the regulars are on holiday at any given time. So our EF Latin Mass is a low Mass. It was great this morning to return to the Missa Cantata. Thanks to the addition of two boys from a visiting family we were able to field nine servers which meant that we could have six torch bearers with one of the acolytes doubling-up as torch bearer.

For the "green" Sundays, we sing Mass XI, the Missa Orbis Factor. I find the Kyrie from this Mass one of the most beautiful pieces in the repertoire of Gregorian Chant. The titles for the Masses (Lux et origo, Orbis factor etc.) were taken from the tropes that were sung to "fill them out." H/T Fr Ray Blake who posted the above troped version.
After listening to this on YouTube, I looked up some more from Ensemble Organum and found this old Roman Kyrie from the 6th century. It reminded me of my trip to Estonia when the choir there sang in very much this style.

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