What does it mean to sing 1,000-year-old chants in the middle of New York City? In one of the trendiest, zippiest zip codes on the planet? Chant happens all around us; people from all cultures and faith traditions chant--in New York, you hear chant in yoga classes and taxi cabs, rock shows and churches. Our music is a statement about finding timelessness and universality, despite our specific time and place. The Gotham Chant recording project is based on the chants we sing at the Basilica of St. Patrick's Old Cathedral. We call it Gotham Chant, alluding to our SoHo (downtown Manhattan) location; the moniker Gotham dates from 1807, shortly before the cornerstone of the Basilica was laid in 1809. This particular recording is an Irish hymn we sing at our annual Irish language Mass with the Ancient Order of Hibernians and other organizations. St. Patrick is the patron of the Basilica and of the Archdiocese of New York. In this recording, the incomparable Patrick Connolly sings with power and beauty, making full use of the Basilica's acoustics. Patrick sang with the famous Irish group Anuna, and was in Riverdance on Broadway. Lyrics: Ag Críost an síol, ag Críost an fómhar; in iothlainn Dé go dtugtar sinn. Ag Críost an mhuir, ag Críost an t-iasc;
líonta Dé go gcastar sinn. Ó fhás go haois, ó aois go bás,
do dhá láimh, a Chríost, anall tharainn. Ó bhás go críoch nach críoch ach athfhás,
i bParthas na ngrás go rabhaimid. To Christ the seed, to Christ the crop, in barn of Christ may we be brought. To Christ the sea, to Christ the fish,
in nets of Christ may we be caught. From growth to age, from age to death,
Thy two arms here, O Christ, about us. From death to end, not end but growth,
in blessed Paradise may we be. Feel free to send us comments at info@urbanchantrecords.com. We look forward to hearing from you. Recorded at the Basilica of St. Patrick’s Old Cathedral, New York City Produced by Jared Lamenzo and Joshua South for Urban Chant Records Recorded by Malcolm Addey Mastered by Nate Wood at Kerseboom Mastering