Cantemus Domino

"The Church recognizes Gregorian chant as especially fitting for the Roman liturgy: other things being equal, it should therefore be given the foremost place in worship."

Vatican Council II
Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy §116
(December 1963)

Introduce Gregorian chant to your parish
If you're looking for a way to make Gregorian chant a part of worship in your parish, look no further! From easy-to-learn pieces for choirs or congregations new to plainsong to more complex and demanding selections for ensembles with years of chant experience... Cantemus Domino offers a wide variety of music to meet the needs of any community.

Celebrate the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus
Some of the Gregorian melodies for Holy Week date back as early as fourth-century Jerusalem. The medieval Italians coined the term Hebdomada Authentica, "Real Week," for these seven days of preparation leading up to Easter. Cantemus Domino is an excellent introduction to the chanted liturgy for the most solemn and iconic time of the liturgical year. As we celebrate the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus, this beautiful collection offers a number of selections to match the distinctive mood of each day.

Enrich worship throughout Holy Week
The soaring Christus factus est and solemn Improperium exspectavit fit wonderfully for the joyful beginning and earnest conclusion of the Palm Sunday service. Delightful and reflective, six of the seven Holy Thursday pieces are included specifically for the ritual foot-washing—a touching ceremony that precludes the unpleasant events to come. The long series of Improperia and the hymn Crux fidelis emote the somber beauty of Good Friday, as members of the assembly come forward for the veneration of the cross. During the vigil of Holy Saturday, we hear the Lenten melodies of Cantemus Domino and Vinea facta est for the last time, as we are ushered out of the darkness and into the light by the joyful Alleluia and triumphant dismissal Ite, missa est.

Enjoy stunning vocals and masterful direction
Dean Applegate has dedicated his career to the liturgical preservation of Gregorian chant and sacred polyphony. He founded Cantores in Ecclesia in 1983, an award-winning and internationally renowned choir of children and adults that has performed all over the world—including the Church of St. Etienne-du-Mont, Church of Ste. Clotilde and the Nôtre Dame Cathedral. Cantemus Domino is the sequel to O Lux Beatissima and Inclina Domine, which also feature the stunning vocals of Cantores in Ecclesia under the masterful direction of Applegate.

Tracks: Procedamus in pace | Pueri Hebraeorum | Gloria Laus et Honor | Ingrediente Domino | Christus factus est | Improperium exspectavit | Nos autem | Postquam surrexit Dominus | Dominus Iesus | Domine, tu mihi | Si ego Dominus | In hoc cognoscent | Mandatum novum | Ecce lignum Crucis | Crucem tuam | Improperia | Crux fidelis | Lumen Christi | Cantemus Domino | Vinea facta est | Gloria "Lux et origo" | Alleluia: Confitimini Domino | Litaniae Sanctorum | Pascha nostrum | Ite, missa est