Bath Abbey - 3.30 Weds 7th Jan 2015

[LTFC1990]

I just feel I should clarify that I meant no insult by the term "Parish Church Choir", in fact quite the opposite; I simply meant that for somewhere which doesn't sing daily choral evensong, and I presume, which doesn't have the salaried lay clerks etc that most Cathedrals do, they were remarkably good! (even compared to a lot of Cathedrals which do have these advantages)

[edashtav]

I just feel I should clarify that I meant no insult by the term "Parish Church Choir", in fact quite the opposite; I simply meant that for somewhere which doesn't sing daily choral evensong, and I presume, which doesn't have the salaried lay clerks etc that most Cathedrals do, they were remarkably good! (even compared to a lot of Cathedrals which do have these advantages)

The Choir's website does suggest one reason for the choir's expertise:

the Men’s Choir, who come from many different walks of life and includes Choral Scholars from the two Bath universities

[weston752]

‘The Choir's website does suggest one reason for the choir's expertise:

the Men’s Choir, who come from many different walks of life and includes Choral Scholars from the two Bath universities.’

Of the two universities in Bath, only one offers a music degree; there is one choral scholar from that institution in the choir at present. There are three choral scholars from the University of Bath. There were also a couple of men on the back row who had served their time as trebles on the front row. The choir also benefits from a good number of men who have sung in the choir for a very considerable number of years; whilst Marcus Sealy completed forty years ‘service earlier this year.

With regard to the descants to ‘A great and mighty wonder’: a single descant in the third verse and a double descant in the fourth: thank-you to the late Richard Marlow.

[Finzi4ever]

Yes, impressive singing from Bath. And to get a descant sung twice in consecutive verses, well, a bonus!

I too liked the canticles. Arthur Wills was a very good composer, IMO.

As a chorister at Ely we used to sing all his new stuff, incl this Fauxbourdon service as it was orginally called, from barely legible, shiny mauve Roneo/Banda (are they the same thing?) copies made from a very spidery hand-written ms, but boy did they smell good.

[ardcarp]

shiny mauve Roneo/Bandabut.... boy did they smell good.

Ah, it takes you back.

[Simon Biazeck]

A gorgeous service! Lovely to hear front seat driving throughout the choir, although the Byrd was perhaps a little bloated and flustered for my taste.

How delightful to encounter solid and less-often heard choral music from Messrs Willan and Wills; so unlike the sort of tricksy choral dry ice we hear so often these days. The Wills Fauxbourdon Service caught my ear, especially the Nunc dimittis; ancient tones refracted through contemporary stained glass. (Yes, I know how old Ely Cathedral is!)

I have visited the Abbey only once, but was struck by the dazzling brightness inside and the beautiful, reverberant acoustic, with a perfect floating echo. Visitors must think they have been offered a glimpse of heaven. How lucky Bath is to have such a building, choir AND organ!

[ardcarp]

so unlike the sort of tricksy choral dry ice we hear so often these days.

Ah! A kindred spirit.

[Simon Biazeck]

Ah! A kindred spirit.

[edashtav]

‘The Choir's website does suggest one reason for the choir's expertise:

the Men’s Choir, who come from many different walks of life and includes Choral Scholars from the two Bath universities.’

Of the two universities in Bath, only one offers a music degree; there is one choral scholar from that institution in the choir at present. There are three choral scholars from the University of Bath. There were also a couple of men on the back row who had served their time as trebles on the front row. The choir also benefits from a good number of men who have sung in the choir for a very considerable number of years; whilst Marcus Sealy completed forty years ‘service earlier this year.

With regard to the descants to ‘A great and mighty wonder’: a single descant in the third verse and a double descant in the fourth: thank-you to the late Richard Marlow.

My choir sang Richard Marlow's double descant for RVW's O Little Town of Bethlehem this Christmas - gorgeous stuff!

[edashtav]

As a chorister at Ely we used to sing all his new stuff, incl this Fauxbourdon service as it was orginally called, from barely legible, shiny mauve Roneo/Banda (are they the same thing?) copies made from a very spidery hand-written ms, but boy did they smell good.

Ahh - I still have my "spirit" duplicator and a spare can of "spirit" down in my basement.

[ardcarp]

Can you get high in a basement?

[edashtav]

Can you get high in a basement?

Yes when in "abasement".

[ahinton]

A gorgeous service! Lovely to hear front seat driving throughout the choir, although the Byrd was perhaps a little bloated and flustered for my taste.

How delightful to encounter solid and less-often heard choral music from Messrs Willan and Wills; so unlike the sort of tricksy choral dry ice we hear so often these days. The Wills Fauxbourdon Service caught my ear, especially the Nunc dimittis; ancient tones refracted through contemporary stained glass. (Yes, I know how old Ely Cathedral is!)

I have visited the Abbey only once, but was struck by the dazzling brightness inside and the beautiful, reverberant acoustic, with a perfect floating echo. Visitors must think they have been offered a glimpse of heaven. How lucky Bath is to have such a building, choir AND organ!

I lived in Bath for almost a quarter century, during which the old organ there was replaced by the current Klais monster which sounds to be hard and brash and conveys to me the distinct impression, despite it obvious efficiency, of an instrument rather better suited to a building almost twice the size of Bath Abbey and a very poor relation compared to the fabulous Harrison organ in the nearby Chiesa di Santa Maria dei(di?) Precipitato Rosso with which our FF might well be familiar in the light of its location in the city of Brigastolie...

[Simon Biazeck]

I lived in Bath for almost a quarter century, during which the old organ there was replaced by the current Klais monster which sounds to be hard and brash and conveys to me the distinct impression, despite it obvious efficiency, of an instrument rather better suited to a building almost twice the size of Bath Abbey and a very poor relation compared to the fabulous Harrison organ in the nearby Chiesa di Santa Maria dei(di?) Precipitato Rosso with which our FF might well be familiar in the light of its location in the city of Brigastolie...

Wow! What a lovely place to live, and it sounds as if you really loved the place. Good for you!