O Magnum Mysterium

As a part of my preparation for Christmas, I listened to this YouTube video of a performance of "O Magnum Mysterium", a chant composed by Giovanni Gabrieli in 1536 in Venice. The performance is ethereal and haunting. The blend of the voices and the admirable restraint in the soft portions lead to a tremendous buildup in sound about two thirds of the way through.

The words in English are:

O great mystery, and wonderful sacrament,

that animals should see the new-born Lord, lying in a manger!

Blessed is the Virgin whose womb was worthy to bear Christ the Lord.

Alleluia!

I was struck not only by the beauty of the performance, but by the fact that I, a white middle-class American Protestant, was able to listen to a choir from the Philippines singing medieval chants composed in a cathedral in Venice almost 500 years ago. Such a beautiful constellation of music, technology, culture, and spirit.

The wonder and mystery of the birth of Jesus in a humble stable is made present in this gorgeous music. What soul can listen to this and not be touched by the Spirit?
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