The Choir and AJ at St T's NYC

[DracoM]

6.30 Sunday, 1st May The Choir is at the choir school of St Thomas, Fifth Ave NYC.

[DracoM]

Interesting that the meticulous nature of John Scott's preparation came in for awed comment by several. And the American boys said pretty well what every other chorister in UK does about practice etc!

Terrific Purcell IMO, and Nico Muhly is a favourite.

If you have not heard them, then the webcasts are, as JS said, services are live as they happen, no editing, and riches indeed to pursuse.

[ardcarp]

Just LA-ing now. John Corigliano's Fern Hill is, I suppose, the USA's version of cow-pat, though maybe we should call it 'apple pie'.... a sort of easy-listening crib of Copland. Haven't got to the John Scott bit yet.

[muticus]

Sorry, forgive my ignorance - who, or what is 'AJ' ?

[DracoM]

Erm...........it's actually 'what?' as in discuss BBC taxomony.
What is AJ? It is Aled Jones. He who cringingly and toe-curlingly turned a visit to a high prestige choir school into '13 yr old tourist thrilled -as we are all supposed to have been - by actually being in NYC' Gosh.

Why the heck didn't he just leave it as a NO narrator package, let the boys / JS /parishioners etc do the talking? His interventions were crass and naive.

[ardcarp]

...passing swiftly on, I heard the rest of the programme and was struck by (a) that lovely performance of Purcell's 'Jehova QMSH' and (b) how those mangled American spoken voices produced perfect Anglican vowel sounds when singing!

[decantor]

...passing swiftly on, I heard the rest of the programme and was struck by (a) that lovely performance of Purcell's 'Jehova QMSH' and (b) how those mangled American spoken voices produced perfect Anglican vowel sounds when singing!

When the choir of Christchurch cathedral, NZ, (now, alas, largely rubble) visited the UK a couple of years ago, I attended a service at which they sang (quite beautifully). But their choristers spoke in 'received' English, and I asked their Director about this. "Ah," he replied, "that's me. You can't sing properly with pinched Kiwi vowels. I teach them." I'd half expected John Scott to have achieved something of the same in New York. Perhaps NYC vowels aren't 'pinched'.

I share Draco's lament that AJ's visit to NYC yielded such superficial results, and ardcarp's joy that we heard some splendid music. But another thing bemuses me: there is a greater density of choir schools in UK than anywhere else on earth, but The Choir has not yet visited one; and the Abbey Choir School, deservedly so much in the news of late, is our precise equivalent of STNYC, but was passed over. Apart from an early flirtation with the Chapel Royal, The Choir has yet to acknowledge our own liturgical choirs that sing daily, even though their singing is of high quality and includes children that have contributed, widely and crucially through chorister outreach, to the Sing Up! programme. Could it be that the Beeb, with its regular CE broadcasts, is afraid of allying itself too closely with the established church? Is there some political game in play here?

[Magnificat]

I suppose a choir school in the USA is more of a story than looking at our own which are well known about. Or perhaps John Scott is more PR savvy than our cathedral organists and suggested the BBC pay a visit?

When JS left St Paul's he didn't just go to a little old parish church somewhere he went as you say to the US equivalent of WA Choir School. What would have been interesting would have been if he had applied for the job at Wakefield when it was recently vacant and where he was a chorister and seeing what his considerable talents could make of a choir in a less wealthy part of the UK with none of St TNY's advantages.( unrealistic to expect him to do this but it would have been interesting to see if he could do a Barry Rose job at an unfashionable cathedral ).

[DracoM]

Totally agree.

St T is absolutely top drawer and deeply admirable, and I am glad the BBC have at last acknowledged that and showcased it, but there are very fine choir schools in UK that could / should also be central to the programme.

The Choir production team obviouisly think that we only listen to their programme if they give us glitz and thrill and gosh, New York here we ccome - as per the breathless, wide-eyed tone AJ used throughout.

NOW, if they decided to do a series of small cameos of UK choir schools, etc, then a fine ongoing thread to The Choir would be implemented. They do CE every week, so a collection of short interviews etc txed on The Choir every so often - say three times a year - would on the face of it be fairly easy? AND there is now a very wide variety of ways in which cathedral choirs are recruited and run which could indeed make a very interesting ongoing series demonstrating this.

Just a thought.

[muticus]

"When JS left St Paul's he didn't just go to a little old parish church somewhere he went as you say to the US equivalent of WA Choir School. What would have been interesting would have been if he had applied for the job at Wakefield when it was recently vacant and where he was a chorister and seeing what his considerable talents could make of a choir in a less wealthy part of the UK with none of St TNY's advantages.( unrealistic to expect him to do this but it would have been interesting to see if he could do a Barry Rose job at an unfashionable cathedral ). "


And of course - seeing as how it is a job in a Place of Worship - he could have donated 75% of is salary to charity.....see threads passim.

And thanks for the clarification re. AJ - knew him when he was a lad in the Welsh mountains - aaah!

[Magnificat]

Don't be silly Muticus. You know very well what I am talking about on the Royal wedding thread has nothing to do with the salaries of the musicians the church employs.

[muticus]

Ummm, so Directors of Music are one thing, and singers are somehow another - or to put it another way - you are ok if you are full time, but not if you are freelance?

[decantor]

NOW, if they decided to do a series of small cameos of UK choir schools, etc, then a fine ongoing thread to The Choir would be implemented. They do CE every week, so a collection of short interviews etc txed on The Choir every so often - say three times a year - would on the face of it be fairly easy? AND there is now a very wide variety of ways in which cathedral choirs are recruited and run which could indeed make a very interesting ongoing series demonstrating this.

I would like to second that motion - while reserving the right to aspire to an upwards adjustment of its one stated parameter.

[DracoM]

The advantage would be logistically that BBC stations in different parts of the UK could do their own packages working to a carefully specific brief, and AJ need not go to any of them. Let the BBC use their own news reporter network. With questions set, they then edit up the responses and send them to Bristol / Cardiff or wherever The Choir is produced..

[decantor]

Of course - simples! But the psychological advantage would be that a choir would know that its achievements, aspirations, idiosyncrasies, and personalities would be in the limelight for ten minutes or so on a Sunday evening - to the fascination of listeners both locally and nationwide. But it might be better not to mention that aspect to Auntie, who is (I fear) reluctant to wade any deeper into ecclesiastical waters.