Happy birthday, Dame Emma Kirkby, born this day in 1949!

Kirkby is perhaps my very favorite soprano of all time, with a voice that can only be described as angelic.  (And Evelyn Tubb is no mere shrieker, either.)

This “Venite”, by the way, is from this album of Monteverdi solos and duets, which also happens to be one of my very favorite vocal recordings of all time.  Half the selections are secular, half are sacred.  All are divine.  If you don’t already possess it, I highly recommend that you obtain a copy for yourself and can promise you that you won’t regret it.