SIDE ONE:

01. Hosannah to the Son of David Thomas Weelkes (1575-1623), Organist at Chichester Cathedral, England
02. Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence Sir Edward C. Bairstow (1874-1946), Organist at York Minister Cathedral, York, England
03. Hear My Prayer, O Lord Henry Purcell (1659-1695), Organist at Westminster Abbey, London
04. O God, Thou Art My God Henry Purcell
05. Miserere Mei Gregorio Allegri (1582-1652), Organist at the Vatican Chapel, Rome

SIDE TWO:

06. Thou Knowest, Lord, The Secrets Of Our Hearts Henry Purcell
07. Crucifixus Antonio Lotti (1667-1740), Organist at St. Marco, Venice
08. Three Motets: Justorun animae/Coelos ascendit/Beati quorum via Sir Charles Villiers Stanford (1852-1924), Organ and Composition teacher at Trinity College, Cambridge
09. Hail, Gladdening Light Dr. Charles Wood (1866-1926), succeeded Stanford at Trinity College, Cambridge

ALL OF THE MUSIC ON THIS ALBUM WAS COMPOSED BY men who were inspired by the choirs they directed and the buildings in which they sang. From the Sistine Chapel in Rome to Westminster Abbey and York Minster in England, each of these pieces exploits in different ways those special qualities associated with the sound of unaccompanied voices in a grand acoustic. + LIKE THOSE great churches of medieval Europe, the Cathedral of St. John the Divine is constructed in the Gothic style. It shares the magnificent acoustic properties of these Churches in addition to their architectural tradition; its graceful soaring arches are a natural amplifier for the young voices of the Cathedral’s own Choristers. And similar to those European cathedrals, the construction of St. John the Divine has resumed, by a team of male and female stonemasons and apprentices. + THE CHORISTERS of St. John the Divine have a long association with the Cathedral. They first sang daily services there some 80 years ago, and since that time, the group has grown considerably. From a choir made up entirely of Episcopal boys, all of whom were boarders at “The Choir School,” they have become a choir of boys and girls of all faiths and races, and their school is now a day school with over 200 students. In addition to singing four services a week in the Cathedral, the choir now gives concerts there and at local hospitals and senior citizen homes. They also tour regularly and have performed at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center and Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Their repertoire includes traditional choir music and works of such composers as Duke Ellington, Max Roach, Leonard Bernstein and Paul Winter. + ON THIS ALBUM the young members of the Choristers carry on a tradition of cathedral music which began over 1000 years ago.
                                                                                                                                    -- Paul Halley

PAUL HALLEY IS AN OTTAWAN, HIS EARLY TEACHERS BEING Gerald Wheeler and Brian Law. From the age of nine, he was a chorister at St. Matthew's Church in Ottawa. He was accompanist for the Ottawa Choral Society before winning an organ scholarship to Trinity College, Cambridge where he received his music degrees (B.A. and M.A.) By a circuitous route, which involved working as a teacher in Jamaica and university studies in Montreal and Victoria, he arrived at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City, where he is Organist and Master of Choristers -- a position he has held since the fall of 1977. Married, with two children, Paul also finds time to give organ recitals, play harpsichord continuo, perform and record with the Paul Winter Consort and compose. His compositions include choral music (secular and sacred), musicals, operettas and other instrumental works.
                                                                                    -- Brian Law, Conductor, Ottawa Symphony

THE CHORISTERS AND GENTLEMEN OF THE CATHEDRAL OF ST. JOHN THE DIVINE:

TREBLE: Temidayo Akinyemi, Rani Arbo, Christa Chang, Christopher Clark, Joanna Clymer, Niels Engberg, Ian Ford, J. J. Ford, Melissa Hildesley, Laura Hildesley, Thorvald Jacobson, Harry Kakatsakis, Jonathan Margulies, Sophia Morton, Samera Nasareddin, David Owen, Samantha Skolnik, Julia Tedoff, Maxim Weintraub, Jason Wilbourne.
ALTO: Michael Dash, Johnson Flucker, Keith Romano, Leo Warbington
TENOR: William Carney, Michael Hume, David Smith, Stephen Sturk
BASS: Albert DeRuiter, Lin Garber, Bruce Fifer, David Kline
Special Thanks to Bruce Fifer for contracting the Gentlemen + The support and help of the Dean, the Trustees and the Chapter of St. John the Divine are gratefully acknowledged.
Produced by Paul Halley and Chris Brown
Recorded at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, New York City
Cover Art: "Biblical Garden" by The Cathedral Works