Musica Sacra, a chamber choir at St. Paul's Cathedral, offers choral music of all periods in the liturgical setting of Evensong and concert presentations. Membership is open to all singers by audition. Please feel free to contact This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it at 235-3436 for an appointment.

To hear a sampling of Musica Sacra, please click the links below for high quality sound, best suited for those with high speed Internet connections.

Sample Music - Click Any Link Below to Play

If ye love me -Thomas Tallis (c. 1505–1585)

If ye love me, keep my commandments,
and I will pray the Father,
and he shall give you another comforter,
that he may bide with you for ever,
e’en the spirit of truth.

Text: John 14:15-17

Loquebantor - Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina (1525-1594)

Loquebantur variis linguis Apostoli magnalia Dei,
prout Spiritus Sancti dabat eloqui illis, alleluia.
Repleti sunt omnes Spiritu Sancto, et coeperunt loqui.

The Apostles spoke in many languages of the great works of God,
as the Holy Spirit gave them the gift of speech, alleluia.
They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak.

Text: Acts 2:4

Agnus Dei - Thomas Morley (c. 1557-1602)

Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi, miserere nostri.
Lamb of God, that takest away the sin of the world, have mercy on us.

O vos omnes - Giovanni Croce (c. 1557-1609)

O vos omnes, qui transitis per viam,
attendite et videte si est dolor, sicut dolor meus.

O all you who pass along this way,
behold and see if there is any sorrow like unto my sorrow.

Text: Lamentations 1:12

Cantate Domino - Giovanni Croce (c. 1557-1609)

Cantate Domino canticum novum:
cantate Domino omnis terra.

Cantate Domino, et benedicite nomini ejus:
annuntiate de die in diem salutare ejus.

Sing to the Lord a new song;
sing to the Lord, all the whole earth.

Sing to the Lord and bless his Name;
proclaim the good news of his salvation from day to day.

Text: Psalm 96

O Lord Give Thy Holy Spirit - Thomas Tallis (1505-1585)

O Lord, give thy Holy Spirit into our hearts, and lighten our understanding
that we may dwell in the fear of thy name all the days of our life:
that we may know thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent.

Text: from Lidley’s Prayers, ed. Milsom

Chantez à Dieu - Jan Pieters Sweelinck (1562-1621)

Chantez à Dieu chanson nouvelle,
Chantez, ô terre universelle,
Chantez, et son Nom bénissez.
Et de jour en jour annoncez
Sa délivrance solennelle.

Sing to the Lord a new song;
sing to the Lord, all the whole earth.
Sing to the Lord and bless his Name;
proclaim the good news of his salvation from day to day.

Text: Psalm 96

Come, Holy Ghost - Orlando Gibbons (1583-1625)

Come, Holy Ghost, the Maker, come;
Take in the souls of thy place;
Thou whom our hearts had being from,
O, fill them with thy heav’nly grace.
Thou art that comfort from above,
The highest doth by gift impart;
Thou spring of life, a fire of love,
And the anointing spirit art.

O Holy Spirit - Christopher Tye (1505-1572)

O Holy Spirit, Lord of grace,
Eternal source of love,
Inflame, we pray, our inmost hearts
with fire from heav’n above,

As thou dost join with holiest bonds
the Father and the Son,
So fill us all with mutual love,
and knit our hearts in one.

Text: Charles Coffin

A New Commandement - William Mundy (1529-1591)

A new commandement give I unto you, saith the Lord:
that ye love together as I have loved you.

Text: John 13:34

Exultate justi in Domino - Ludovico Viadana (c. 1560-1627)

Exultate, justi, in Domino:
rectos decet collaudatio.
Confitemini Domino in cithara:
in psalterio decem chordarum psallite illi.
Cantate ei canticum novum:
bene psallite ei in vociferatione.

Rejoice in the Lord, O ye righteous:
Praise is fitting for the upright.
Give praise to God upon the harp,
play upon the ten-stringed psaltery.
Sing to him a new song,
Sing skillfully with a strong voice.

Text: Psalm 33

Fürwahr, er trug unsre Krankheit - Georg Philipp Telemann (1681-1767)

Fürwahr, er trug unsre Krankheit
und lud auf sich unsre Schmerzen.
Wir aber hielten ihn für den,
der geplagt und von Gott geschlagen
und gemartert wäre.
Aber er ist um unser Missetat willen
verwundet und um unser Sünde willen
zerschlagen.

Surely he has borne our infirmities
and carried our diseases;
yet we accounted him stricken,
struck down by God, and afflicted.
But he was wounded for our transgressions,
crushed for our iniquities.

Isaiah 53:4-5

Saget der Tochter Zion - Georg Philipp Telemann (1681-1767)

Saget der Tochter Zion:
Siehe, dein König kommt zu dir sanftmütig.

Say to the daughter of Zion,
Behold, your king comes to you in gentle spirits.

Text: Matthew 21:5

Selig sind die Toten - Georg Philipp Telemann (1681-1767)

Selig sind die Toten, die in dem Herrn sterben von nun an.
Ja, der Geist spricht: daß sie ruhen von ihrer Arbeit,
denn ihre Werke folgen ihnen nach.

“Blessed are the dead who from now on die in the Lord.”
“Yes,” says the Spirit, “they will rest from their labors,
for their deeds follow after them.”

Revelation 14:13

Ich habe Lust abzuscheiden - Georg Philipp Telemann (1681-1767)

Ich habe Lust abzuscheiden
und bei Christo zu sein.

I feel like departing this earth
to be with Christ.

Philippians 1:23

Es segne uns Gott - Georg Philipp Telemann (1681-1767)

Es segne uns Gott, unser Gott.
Und alle Welt fürchte ihn.

May God, our God bless us
and all the world fear him.

Psalm 67:7

Das ist meine Freude - Georg Philipp Telemann (1681-1767)

Das ist meine Freude, daß ich mich zu Gott halte
und meine Zuversicht setze auf den Herren,
daß ich verkündige alle sein Tun.

That is my joy, that I may hold true to God
and place my trust in the Lord
and may make known all his deeds.

Psalm 73:28