The gate of heaven

Today is the last Sunday before Christmas. This is the time to focus on the stories of Mary and Joseph; it’s frequently called Annunciation Sunday. (Although, technically, if Jesus was born on the night of 24-25 December, the Annunciation would have been some time in March. I’m not going to get into the meteorological mare’s nest about whether or not the Nativity was actually in December.)

Toward that end, my selection for today is “Angelus ad virginem”, a medieval carol brought to England from France in the Thirteenth Century. Some versions of the song are reputed to have 27 stanzas. This one, performed by the King’s College, Cambridge, choir, does not.

You knew I had to have the King’s College choir, didn’t you?