CE St Patrick’s Cathedral, Armagh Wed, 30th Aug 2023 [R]

[Keraulophone]

Another inspiring act of worship, as agreed upthread.

Interesting, Daktari, to learn more about Anglican Church Music performed in the Netherlands. My friend Bas Halsema, ex-choral scholar of Truro Cathedral, is conductor of the Martinus Cantorij. They often sing Choral Evensong in and around Haarlem, viz:

Sunday July 30, 2023 - Grote of St. Bavokerk in Haarlem 19:00: Choral Evensong with Martinus Cantorij o.l.v. Bas Halsema, predecessor pastor Robert Frede.

Introit: Evening Prayer * Piet Halsema (father of our conductor, wrote visual music to the beautiful lyrics of Hugo de Groot, the political prisoner who became famous for his escape from Castle Loevestein in a bookcase. ')
Canticles: George Dyson in F
Responses: Egbert Wassink (founder of the Martinus Cantorij)
Anthem: Blessed City - Edward Bairstow

(Google translate provided 'Answers' rather than 'Responses'!)

[daktari]

Thank you very much, Keraulophone. I was unaware of the Martinus Cantorij (Martinus Cantorij Anglicaanse kerkmuziek). Zwaag has a population of about 3000, so running an ambitious, Anglican-style choir is a great achievement, illustrating the commitment that comes with the growing interest in and love for cathedral music in The Netherlands. Google Translate's 'predecessor' flummoxed me a little until I realised that it must be its rendering of voorganger (officiant). @ardcarp: the understanding that a surplice goes with a consecrated space clearly still has to grow a little.

[mopsus]

I don't know about 'mainly'. There is indeed a lot of unusually rapid pedal-work yes, but done at the same time as some pretty busy chordal and melodic passages with the hands. I've often wondered about that organ solo in the Mass. Whilst Janacek did study the organ along with the piano as a student, he is not especially noted as an organ composer, and I can't help feeling that he was trying to prove something with all that pedal-work!

(See post under The Organ heading.)

The organist isn't the only one who gets a hard time in the Glagolitic Mass - the violin parts are I'm told also particularly taxing. By contrast, the choir have it relatively easy apart from grappling with the language. I have also read that the Gospodi pomiluj was originally written in 5/4 but the choir couldn't cope with that so it was rewritten in 4/4, although I'm a bit sceptical of this.

[Pulcinella]

The organist isn't the only one who gets a hard time in the Glagolitic Mass - the violin parts are I'm told also particularly taxing. By contrast, the choir have it relatively easy apart from grappling with the language. I have also read that the Gospodi pomiluj was originally written in 5/4 but the choir couldn't cope with that so it was rewritten in 4/4, although I'm a bit sceptical of this.

No need to be sceptical.
You might find this BaL thread on the Glagolitic Mass (and some of the links therein) helpful if you want to learn more:

https://www.for3.org/forums/forum/classical-forum/record-review/building-a-library/19647-bal-8-06-19-janácek-glagolitic-mass

[mopsus]

No need to be sceptical.
You might find this BaL thread on the Glagolitic Mass (and some of the links therein) helpful if you want to learn more:

https://www.for3.org/forums/forum/cl...lagolitic-mass

My experience these days is that even unauditioned choirs can manage 5/4 without great difficulty, so I suppose this shows that singers' standard capabilities in the 21st century include time signatures which were thought anomalous a century earlier. Or perhaps the first choir to perform the Mass were a particularly obtuse lot of singers!

[Pulcinella]

My experience these days is that even unauditioned choirs can manage 5/4 without great difficulty, so I suppose this shows that singers' standard capabilities in the 21st century include time signatures which were thought anomalous a century earlier. Or perhaps the first choir to perform the Mass were a particularly obtuse lot of singers!

5/4: This is diff-i-cult
7/4: This is ve-ry diff-i-cult