BBC’s Choral Evensong comes live today from Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge, sung by the chapel choir under the direction of DR. Geoffrey Webber. Click here to listen to a few of their posted recordings. What an incredibly beautiful choral sound, just what a mixed choir should sound like! I can’t wait to listen to this broadcast.
Category Archives: Choral Vespers
Choral Evensong from Trinity College, Cambridge
Choral Evensong comes via an archived recording from the Choir of Trinity College, Cambridge, from 1992. I encourage all directors of sacred music programs to visit the choir’s website to hear recordings of an incredible choir and to see how this choir takes sacred music into the public sphere through its many incredible recordings and commissioning of new music. Truly amazing, and a challenge to all!
Choral Evensong Live From Temple Church, London
The BBC broadcast of Choral Evensong comes live during the Octave of Easter from Temple Church, London. If my memory serves me rightly, St. Thomas More worshiped here during his time as a London barrister (before the English Reformation). Temple Church also played a role in the Anglican Choral revival in the 19th century, since which time it has been well known for its music program.
Choral Evensong Live From St. Edmundsbury Cathedral
Choral Evensong comes live today from St. Edmundsbury Cathedral. Many of the choirs we have heard during Choral Evensong are comprised of choristers from the cathedral school alongside professional lay gentlemen who sing the lower parts. St. Edmundsbury Cathedral is different because it has no cathedral school, so the choristers come from many schools around the area, while the lay clerks are volunteers, which goes to show that one can achieve great sacred music on a volunteer basis.
Choral Vespers Live From The Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral
I am very excited to announce the Choral Vespers come live today from the Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral. The cathedral possesses a fine choir of men and boys, which will be on display today for the Solemnity of the Annunciation. I only wish that Sir Edwin Lutyens’ original design for the cathedral had been carried out. It has been called the greatest building never built. Nevertheless, you will not be disappointed to hear the choir.
Durham Cathedral Choir
The choir at Durham Cathedral traces its routes back long before the English Reformation, more than 900 years in fact. Durham was originally a monastery where boys sang the treble line. Today the Cathedral Choir includes both a boys choir and a girls choir, which, as is often the case, split the services between the two, while lay clerks sing the lower parts for each group. The choristers are educated at the Chorister School, found in the cathedral precinct. In all, another typical English cathedral choir set-up. So… what gem of information can be gleamed from Durham?
If one visits the Chorister School website (specifically the music page), one will find that almost all of the students at the school (far more than just the choristers) are involved in music to some extent. Almost all learn some piano and sing in some kind of choir. I bring this up to refute an argument that has been brought up to me before, namely, that by creating one very select choir within an institution, one denies all the other children in the school the legitimate right to make music to a high degree (being forced to sing on the B-Team as it were). Instead, I have found that having one select choir that sings to an incredibly high standard encourages the other choral groups in the school to sing at much high levels than usually thought possible because those students in the secondary choral groups have a tangible standard toward which they can strive. A high tide raises all boats. This always students to sing in a choir commiserate to their musical abilities. All in all, wonderful thing! If you run a parochial Catholic school, why don’t try this model for your music program. YOU HAVE NOTHING TO LOOSE!
Here is an archive recording of Choral Evensong from Durham Cathedral. I post this rather than a recording of an individual work because of my love for Anglican psalmody. I hope you enjoy!
Choral Evensong Live From York Minster
Choral Evensong comes live today from York Minster, the second largest Gothic church in northern Europe. York Minster has a treble line of both boys and girls who split the weekly choral services alongside the tenors and basses, known as the songmen.
Choral Evensong Live from Salisbury Cathedral
This week the BBC presents Choral Evensong live with the Choir from Salisbury Cathedral. Salisbury Cathedral is where the Sarum Missal originated (the Rite in which the Holy Mass was celebrated when England was still Catholic) and a choir has been singing there since its foundation in the 13th century. The cathedral made history when it became the first English (and Anglican) cathedral to institute girl choristers as well as boys (1991). Currently there are 16 boy choristers and 16 girl choristers who split the daily cathedral choral services each week. In addition, there are 6 lay vicars who sing the lower parts. The service music schedule is below.
Introit: The ways of Zion do mourn (Wise)
Responses: Tomkins
Psalms 59-61 (Barnby, Carpenter, Howells, Stainer)
First Lesson: Genesis 9 vv 8-19
Office Hymn: Lord Jesus, think on me (Southwell)
Canticles: Second Service (Tomkins)
Second Lesson: 1 Peter 3 vv 18-end
Anthem: Civitas sancti tui (Byrd)
Final Hymn: God moves in a mysterious way (London New)
Organ Voluntary: Fantasia (Gibbons)
Organist and Assistant Director of Music: John Challenger
Director of Music: David Halls.
Choral Evensong Live From King’s College, Cambridge
Choral Evensong is broadcast live today from King’s College, Cambridge (we seem to be spending a lot of time in Cambridge). I would like to draw your attention to the difference in choral sound from King’s College as opposed to St. John’s. King’s College definitely represents the traditional Anglican sound, whereas St. John’s follows the continental approach, which is closer in sound to the great Catholic choir schools in Germany and Italy.
Choral Evensong from the Cathedral of St. David, Cardiff, Wales
Today the BBC presents an archive recording of Choral Evensong from the Cathedral of St. David, Cardiff, Wales. The Cathedral Choir is different from other English cathedral choirs in that the treble line is composed entirely of girls. A reminder for those few remaining all girls academies and high schools… implement a choir school program!!!