Vespers

She explained to the Lord of Ravenswood that they were under the necessity of separating so soon as the bell of a chapel, belonging to a hermitage in the adjoining wood, now long ruinous, should toll the hour of vespers.

He acquiesced in Zachary's proposal that on their next interview the vespers bell should be rung half an hour later than usual.

As soon as the lengthening shadows made her aware that the usual hour of the vespers chime was passed, she tore herself from her lover's arms with a shriek of despair, bid him adieu for ever, and, plunging into the fountain, disappeared from his eyes.

A couple of years ago, Seraphic Fire received a $25,000 grant and decided to tackle a big project: recording Claudio Monteverdi's Vespers of 1610, one of the greatest choral works of all time.