Giaochino Rossini - Chorus for mixed voices (1857) - O salutaris hostia (Stuttgart Vocal Ensemble)

Rossini is often considered to be, above all, a secular composer, and, to be honest, some of his holy masses are, well, not exactly “holy“; the most obvious example are the two masses I posted several months ago: “Messa di Gloria“ and “Messa di Milano“ which, if it were not for the text and some genuinely spiritual music, could pass off as cantatas or even operatic material. This motion is contrasted, however, by a number of pieces that, if not exactly on par with more well-established sacred music, are sur