The 'Exsultet' and other great Easter chants...

(Vatican Radio) After the subdued tone of our Passiontide hymns , the words of the 'Exsultet' provide us with a burst of joyful song.

The words of this ancien Easter hymn were originally written for the Greek liturgy by Saint John Damascene in the 8th century. However the text evolved over a number of centuries , probably taking its present form around the sixth century.

Listen to this musical meditation by Monsignor Philip Whitmore in a programme produced by Veronica Scarisbrick: