The Protecting Veil
Album by John Tavener & Matthew Barley
The Protecting Veil is an album-length composition by Sir John Tavener, released in 1989. Scored for solo cello and strings, it features long, meditative lines, sustained drones and influences from Byzantine chant within a broadly post-minimal, spiritual aesthetic, and it occupies a central place in Tavener's later devotional output, marking a shift toward explicitly liturgical and contemplative works.
First released: 14th June 2019

Tracklist
- 1.He Wishes for the Cloths of Heaven0:38
- 2.The Protecting Veil: I. The Protecting Veil9:07
- 3.The Protecting Veil: II. The Nativity of the Mother of God5:42
- 4.The Protecting Veil: III. Annunciation3:22
- 5.The Protecting Veil: IV. The Incarnation3:46
- 6.The Protecting Veil: V. The Lament of the Mother of God at the Cross10:44
- 7.The Protecting Veil: VI. The Resurrection2:42
- 8.The Protecting Veil: VII. The Dormition6:56
- 9.The Protecting Veil: VIII. The Protecting Veil3:49
- 10.The Mother of God1:04
- 11.Mother and Child7:06
- 12.World Wheel XXVII: ‘I heard the gypsy’s violin play’1:00
- 13.The Song of Separation and Waiting11:28