CE St Martin-in-the-Fields, London Wed, 15th July 2015

[DracoM]

CE St Martin-in-the-Fields, London
Genesis Sixteen



Order of Service:



Introit: Almighty and everlasting God (Gibbons)
Responses: Rose
Psalms 76, 77 (Nicholson, Stainer)
First Lesson: Isaiah 33: 2-10
Office Hymn: Glory to thee, my God, this night (Tallis's Canon)
Canticles: Tallis for 5 voices
Second Lesson: Philippians 1: 3-11
Anthem: Exultate Deo (Poulenc)
Final Hymn: God is Love: let heaven adore him (Blaenwern)



Organ Voluntary: Prelude and Fugue in G minor Op. 7, No 3 (Dupré)



Organist: Simon Johnson
Directors of Music: Harry Christophers, Eamonn Dougan

[chrisjstanley]

Predictably no psalm 78.



Chris S

[Vox Humana]

I thought only a Bassus Decani partbook survived for Tallis's Service in Five Parts, Two in One. Has more been discovered, or is this a massive construction job? (Or both?)

[Miles Coverdale]

I thought only a Bassus Decani partbook survived for Tallis's Service in Five Parts, Two in One. Has more been discovered, or is this a massive construction job? (Or both?)

I suspect it refers to the Latin Magnificat and Nunc dimittis in five (occasionally six) parts found in the Baldwin partbooks from Christ Church, Oxford. These are missing the Tenor book, so one part has to be reconstructed.

[Vox Humana]

I suspect it refers to the Latin Magnificat and Nunc dimittis in five (occasionally six) parts found in the Baldwin partbooks from Christ Church, Oxford. These are missing the Tenor book, so one part has to be reconstructed.

Ah yes, of course. Thank you. I really should have thought of that.

[DracoM]

Reminder: today @ 3.30 p.m.

[ardcarp]

Musically directed. Cantor a member of the choir? Soprano line marred for me by one or two who could not control their voices without wobble. It seemed inappropriate in the Gibbons Introit and amounted to a bit of a shriek in the Poulenc. At other times, when throttled back (e.g.in the Tallis), it was OK. This is a very personal thing, and I guess some people perceive wobble more than others. I'm one of the ones who do. Good to hear unaccompanied Psalms for a change. Diction excellent. Blaenwen at the end thrilling, Dupre wonderful.

[DracoM]

Dupre was for me far and away the best thing we heard.

[Op. XXXIX]

Blaenwen at the end thrilling, Dupre wonderful.

Agree and agree.

But the Gibbons, for me, was truly wonderful.

[Awkwardlistener]

As is quite common with young choirs, the sound can fall short with the higher tessitura voices, i.e. tenors and sopranos, and so it was the case here. The basses and altos were excellent, with lovely individual voices. The tenors sounded very young, with a slightly unsupported sound that faltered in the upper register (particularly in the Poulenc). For me though the sopranos were immensely disappointing, with a sound that came across as very covered, strained, and harsh, without the brightness, purity, and dexterity that characterizes the best mixed choirs top lines. That said I enjoyed the Gibbons, Psalms and Dupré. Shame about the Poulenc. It's probably my favourite motet of his. In general I thought the close miking and acoustic did the young singers no favours.

[ardcarp]

Shame about the Poulenc. It's probably my favourite motet of his.

It's a less frequently performed one, I think. It is tricky to bring off, using a lot of Poulenc's harmonic and melodic trademarks within a very short space of time. Maybe not the wisest choice?

[DracoM]

I suspect that is why some Oxbridge choirs use Poulenc for sight reading tests for would be lay-clerks / scholars.

[Awkwardlistener]

It's a less frequently performed one, I think. It is tricky to bring off, using a lot of Poulenc's harmonic and melodic trademarks within a very short space of time. Maybe not the wisest choice?

No, it wasn't - not with this particular top line and tenor section. His motets in general require choir members to have a almost soloistic technique but with the ability to blend. Didn't hear any evidence of either.

[light_calibre_baritone]

Excellent, more trademark singer-bashing and repertoire slating. Please do remind us the next time you all programme a church service or concert programme and we'll all pop down and let you know how awful it was. Or even better, send us all a recording of you singing some awkward moments from a Poulenc work (something hard though, and a piece they only perform at Oxbridge as a sightreading test) and again, we'll critique.

These are young singers who are attempting to enter into a world they clearly love and want to be part of; yes it's one that freely allows opinions to be aired but I urge you to be a tad more postive occasionally.

Maybe a few of you were young once and had aspirations? Though trying to remember back to the 1880s is a bit of an ask I know...!

[Awkwardlistener]

Excellent, more trademark singer-bashing and repertoire slating. Please do remind us the next time you all programme a church service or concert programme and we'll all pop down and let you know how awful it was. Or even better, send us all a recording of you singing some awkward moments from a Poulenc work (something hard though, and a piece they only perform at Oxbridge as a sightreading test) and again, we'll critique.

These are young singers who are attempting to enter into a world they clearly love and want to be part of; yes it's one that freely allows opinions to be aired but I urge you to be a tad more postive occasionally.

Maybe a few of you were young once and had aspirations? Though trying to remember back to the 1880s is a bit of an ask I know...!

Apologies LCB - I'm new to this forum, but I do happen to know some of, and have sung with, some of the men of the choir, so if anything my remarks were certainly not those of an "old todger"!