Music - An Introduction to the Website
To the Trinity be praise! God is music, God is life that nurtures every creature in its kind. Our God is the song of the angel throng and the splendor of secret ways hid from humankind, But God our life is the life of all. Hildegard of Bingen Let everything that hath breath, praise the Lord! Welcome to the music page of The Chapel of the Cross, an historic Episcopal parish in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.Excellence in sacred music offered to the glory of God is one of the hallmarks of our parish's liturgical life. Whether you are a practicing musician or a dedicated listener, there is an important place for you in the music of the church. One of the deepest and most urgent imperatives of our lives is the need for openness to the leading of God in moments of genuine transcendence and these moments are often provided by great sacred music. While most of our music making at the Chapel of the Cross involves direct and robust participation by all members of the congregation, there are many opportunities for disciplined and prayerful listening, and active identification with musicians making an offering to God on behalf of all: organ voluntaries, anthems and motets, occasional choral settings of the “ordinary” of the Eucharist and the canticles, as well as special kinds of services such as Evensong and Compline in which the “holiness of beauty” can be experienced in heightened ways. Our music is never intended simply to entertain, but always aims to draw people into the deeper realities of God. We hope you will enjoy this introduction to our music and that you will be inspired to join in divine music making here at our church or wherever you may be.
