CE Bristol Cathedral Wed, 26th March 2014

[DracoM]

CE Bristol Cathedral



Order of Service:



Introit: O vos omnes (Casals)
Responses: Smith
Psalm: 119:121-144 (Cooper; Walford Davies; Jones)
First Lesson: Genesis 9: 8-17
Office Hymn: O Christ, who art the light and day (Christe qui lux)
Canticles: St Paul’s Service (Howells)
Second Lesson: 1 Peter 3: 18-end
Anthems: In Exile (Sumsion)
Hymn: Take up thy cross (Breslau)



Organ Voluntary: Adagio (David Bednall) (First broadcast)



Paul Walton (Assistant Organist)
Mark Lee (Master of the Choristers & Organist)

[Keraulophone]

Any howls of disapproval at the St Paul’s Service in Lent?

There was a time when the use of the somewhat telling Truro opheicleide was forbidden during these forty days!

[ardcarp]

howls of disapproval

It is rumoured that Conrad Eden at Durham used to ban use of high-pressure reeds during Lent.

Mind you, it is always possible to find a saint to fit any particular day you want to justify making whoopee during the penitential season. How about St. Margaret Clitherow?

[Keraulophone]

A keraulophone would be in keeping with the season, but unfortunately we don't have one - they're becoming hard to find these days.

[Philip]

Any howls of disapproval at the St Paul’s Service in Lent?

There was a time when the use of the somewhat telling Truro opheicleide was forbidden during these forty days!

Someone at church was saying tonight that the 'A word' crept into the Wells broadcast last week!

I think context is everything. Its not reasonable to expect a choral foundation with near daily services to completely change repertoire - it would be too limiting and would be a little hard for the singers to take after a while! Howells St Pauls is solemn rather than particularly celebratory - although I agree it would be equally fitting on a feast day. Its not just Bristol anyway - we have Brahms and Noble at St Pauls the following week, Blair in B minor from Birmingham the week after and Jackson in G from Chichester in Holy Week.

Its always tricky to work out exactly how much you tone things down for Lent (cue the argument that Sundays aren't part of Lent anyway!). I'm steering clear of the solo reed (aside from Wedding Marches yesterday and Stainer's Crucifixion in a couple of weeks where it has a marked outing in the Processional to Calvary) and am playing all JSB voluntaries after services. How much anyone will actually notice is a point for debate. If I was playing Howells St Pauls, I would struggle to stray from the Tuba and 32' reed, though...

[DracoM]

Howells's St Paul's Service transcends and blesses all seasons.

[Keraulophone]

Its always tricky to work out exactly how much you tone things down for Lent (cue the argument that Sundays aren't part of Lent anyway!)

Quite so. Sundays in Lent are a good opportunity to sing the big Kyries of, for example, Vierne and Dvorak. Occasionally, in the latter, the server holding the service-book for the President makes a premature move towards him/her at the fermata before the Christe, but there are still three minutes of music to go!

[ardcarp]

Karaulophone, I hear you are losing your organ scholar Rachel to St Paul's (the building I mean!) Big step for her, but in Truro's tradition of nurturing musicians for the wider world.

[Keraulophone]

Yes, she seems to have attracted much publicity since St Paul's announced her appointment on their website as their first female organist, but not their first Canadian Organ Scholar, as presumed by Norman Lebrecht on his blog. They had another Canadian OS from here who is now ADoM at St Mary's, Edinburgh.

[subcontrabass]

If I was playing Howells St Pauls, I would struggle to stray from the Tuba and 32' reed, though...

Bristol Cathedral has no 32' reed.

[Contre Bombarde]

Bristol Cathedral has no 32' reed.

Or Tuba.

The Solo Organ Tromba's pipes are marked "Tuba" though...

[ardcarp]

Yes, she [Rachel] seems to have attracted much publicity since St Paul's announced her appointment on their website as their first female organist

...she got a mention from Raffers on In Tune just now.

[DracoM]

Continuing the bit of this thread about the Howells canticles, for the DoM and Choir, nowhere to hide, I'd say! Tough pieces.

[Magnificat]

Howells's St Paul's Service transcends and blesses all seasons.

Draco

Perhaps we should give up CE for Lent!!

VCC.

[Finzi4ever]

Draco

Perhaps we should give up CE for Lent!!

VCC.

or (facetiously) give up Lent for CE?