CE Hereford Cathedral Wed, July 29th 2015

[DracoM]

CE Hereford Cathedral
The 300th Three Choirs Festival
The Choirs of Hereford, Gloucester and Worcester Cathedrals



Order of Service:



Introit: Keep me as the apple of an eye (Neil Cox)
Responses: Philip Moore
Psalms 142, 143 (Smart, Walmisley)
First Lesson: Isaiah 55: 1-11
Office Hymn: Christ Jesus, to this house (St Cecilia)
Canticles: Three Choirs Service (Bob Chilcott) - Festival commission, first broadcast
Second Lesson: 2 Timothy 2: 8-19
Anthem: Veni Sancte Spiritus (Malcolm Archer)
Final Hymn: Lord Jesu, who at Lazarus' tomb (Cornwall)



Organ Voluntary: The Dancing Pipes (Jonathan Dove) - first broadcast



Organist: Peter Dyke
Director of Music: Geraint Bowen

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

This may be worth listening to for the organ voluntary The Dancing Pipes alone, but the Chilcott and other contemporary works make this CE a must for me.

[Miles Coverdale]

As a point of historical pedantry, it's not the 300th festival this year, but rather the 300th anniversary of what is generally taken as the festival’s foundation in 1715. This year's festival is actually the 288th, so the 300th will be marked in 2027.

[light_calibre_baritone]

As a point of historical pedantry, it's not the 300th festival this year, but rather the 300th anniversary of what is generally taken as the festival’s foundation in 1715. This year's festival is actually the 288th, so the 300th will be marked in 2027.

Chapeau!

[DracoM]

Reminder: today @ 3.30 p.m.

[edashtav]

Boarders may like to read this "context" for Malcolm Archer's Anthem which I've copied from the All Saints, Odiham website:

As part of the music programme for next year`s Magna Carta 800 celebrations Odiham has commissioned a new anthem, composed by Malcolm Archer. Malcolm is currently Director of Chapel Music at Winchester College and is in demand internationally as a composer, conductor and recitalist.
The text of the anthem comprises words from `Veni Sancte Spiritus` (`Come Holy Sprit`), which many believe to have been written by Stephen Langton , Archbishop of Canterbury from 1207 and a key figure in the negotiations between King John and the Barons and the sealing of Magna Carta.
The anthem takes six and a half minutes to perform and is medieval and monastic in character. It is written for four part harmony and includes elements of plain chant.
Twenty copies of the anthem have been produced in a special presentation format and have been delivered nationwide by Steve Brown to churches and cathedrals associated with the sealing of the original Magna Carta, as part of his cycle challenge.
The world premiere of the anthem was sung by the choir of All Saints Odiham on 21st November 2014 as part of a parliamentary evening including a talk on the importance of Magna Carta. No other choir may perform the anthem until next year.
Veni Sancte Spiritus has been published by the Royal School of Church Music who will make it available for order on their website from January.

[DracoM]

Many thanks for context.

[light_calibre_baritone]

"No other choir may perform the anthem until next year."

Uh?

[edashtav]

The website piece was written in 2014.

[light_calibre_baritone]

I figured. Just seems a strange caveat to me... Bit negative!

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

I figured. Just seems a strange caveat to me... Bit negative!

Standard procedure with commissioned works - whoever pays for a new work gets exclusive performance rights for a certain time: even if they choose NOT to perform it in that time! (The "exclusivity" only works in one direction - if a violinist demands exclusive rights on a new Concerto for five years, it doesn't mean that they won't perform any other concerto in that time! )

Presumably, as the new piece here is being broadcast, the caveat is being mentioned in case anyone decides that it's such a good piece they simply must include it in their next service.

[Op. XXXIX]

This may be worth listening to for the organ voluntary The Dancing Pipes alone, but the Chilcott and other contemporary works make this CE a must for me.

Definitely time well spent! Thank-you Three Choirs.

[chitreb]

Just listened on iPlayer - a beautiful service, very well sung (and played) indeed. All the new works were very pleasing to my ear.

Incidentally I stopped the player about 48 seconds in to go round the house and find the mobile phone I was sure my wife must have left behind, having heard a distant ping from an arriving text. Failed to find it and started CE again at the beginning - relief (?) to find that the ping is on the broadcast intro.

[DracoM]

Typical Geraint Bowen - disciplined, expressive, confident singing, nicely balanced.
Certainly endorse delight over the vol - really like to hear that again. Delicious humour too.

[edashtav]

Typical Geraint Bowen - disciplined, expressive, confident singing, nicely balanced.
Certainly endorse delight over the vol - really like to hear that again. Delicious humour too.

Attractive new music, confidently sung, this really did have the feel of a Festive Evensong. Dove's Piping voluntary was innovative and delightful. Will its sheer length inhibit its use during service, I wonder? It should find a welcome home in recitals, though. Brilliantly played!