The sounds of the Semeca Missal

Compositions from a mediaeval manuscript, Provost Johannes Semeca’s missal or book of the Mass, are sung in Halberstadt Cathedral, set to images from the cathedral and its treasures. Listen to the prayers sung on Christmas Day and Boxing Day – the Feast of Saint Stephen – just as they were heard for centuries at services in Halberstadt Cathedral.

The Semeca Missal was written between 1241 and 1245. Every single page is made of precious parchment. It is written by hand and richly illustrated.

The singers are Benedictine monks from the monasteries of Huysburg, near Halberstadt, and Tabgha, Israel.