Compline at St. David's Episcopal Church, Austin, Texas

Gregorian and Sarum chant melodies interspersed with English and Latin polyphony form the core of the service music. "All you have to do is sit back and listen as the accomplished St. David's singers bring to life the ancient sung-and-chanted Compline service. The church is dark (and cool!), the incense sweet, the voices sweeter, and if a thunderstorm happens to pass overhead, all the better." (Th

e Austin Chronicle)

Compline is the last of the daily offices chanted by monks before retiring for the evening. This venerable service is offered every Sunday evening at 9 p.m. by the Compline Choir under the direction of Music Director David Stevens. Initiated in 1986 by former music director Les Martin, Compline is a short, meditative service chanted by a choir of anywhere between eight to eighteen experienced singers. Several of these singers have been with the choir since its inception. The music consists of Gregorian and Sarum chant melodies, Elizabethan and Tudor motets, and a variety of contemporary hymns. The congregation sits quietly in the candlelit and incensed Historic Church, participating through silent prayer and meditation. The service lasts approximately a half-hour. All are welcome to attend regardless of your religious affiliation. Dress is “come-as-you-are” casual. (http://stdave.org/site/music/cat/compline_choir/)