CE Chichester Cathedral Wed, 25th November 2015

[DracoM]

CE Chichester Cathedral



Order of Service:



Introit: Prayer of St Richard of Chichester (Frederick Stocken)
Responses: Smith
Office Hymn: The Lord is King (Yanworth)
Psalm 119 vv 73-104 (Walker, Cooke, Pye, Attwood)
First Lesson: Jeremiah 31: 1-9
Canticles: Sixth Service (Weelkes)
Second Lesson: Matthew 15: 21-31
Anthem: Great Lord of Lords (Gibbons)
Final Hymn: Christ triumphant, ever reigning (Guiting Power)


Organ Voluntary: Fantasia and Fugue in C minor BWV 537 (Bach)


Assistant Organist: Timothy Ravalde
Organist and Master of the Choristers: Charles Harrison

[BBMmk2]

Ah, has this choir a new Master of the Choristers?

[ardcarp]

Yes, Sarah Baldock has left. I wonder if they will have viols for the Weelkes and Gibbons?

[DracoM]

Mr Harrison is ex-Lincoln Cath

[light_calibre_baritone]

Ah, has this choir a new Master of the Choristers?

Has been there for over a year...........

[BBMmk2]

That does seem rather a short time.

[chrisjstanley]

There is a Southwell connection here as well.

[from Wikipedia]
Harrison was a cathedral chorister at Southwell Minster, where he was tutored by Kenneth Beard and Paul Hale, and he took up the organ scholarship at Southwell in 1991 while he studied for A-levels at Southwell Minster School. In the following year, he started as an organ scholar at Jesus College, Cambridge in 1992, where he read for a degree in music. Whilst at Cambridge, he studied the organ with David Sanger and, in his second year, became a prizewinning Fellow of the Royal College of Organists. When he graduated, he was appointed to the position of Assistant Organist at Carlisle Cathedral.

Frederick Stocken could have been a contempoary at Southwell.

[from www.frederickstocken.com]
Frederick began studying the organ with Kenneth Beard whilst a boy chorister at Southwell Minster in Nottinghamshire. He then studied with Derrick Cantrill as a student at Chetham’s School of Music in Manchester, passing his ARCO, with five prizes, whilst still at school.
He gained an organ scholarship to St Catharine’s College, Cambridge where he studied with Peter Hurford, passing his FRCO with three prizes. In both his Royal College of Organists diplomas Frederick gained the highest overall mark of any candidate in that particular exam session.
Prior to his appointment at Southwark Catholic Cathedral Frederick was Director of Music at St Mary’s, Woodford in north-east London, which has a renowned Grant, Degens and Bradbeer organ.
Frederick has given many recitals in venues that include leading city churches in London, cathedrals and King’s College, Cambridge. He often plays his own music in his recitals. In 2014 he gave recitals at St Lawrence Jewry; Bechhofen (Germany); and Southwark Catholic Cathedral where he is now organist and assistant DoM.

The introit is apparently one of his latest (2015) compositions.

bws
Chris S

[DracoM]

Reminder that today's CE is NOT repeated on Sunday - Advent Carol Service from John's instead.

[mopsus]

I sang on a choir tour for Frederick Stocken (and made recordings at the end of music by Edward Dent and others, but the recording was never released) and indeed a couple of years later I shared a house with him for a while. He was organ scholar of St Catharine's Cambridge back in the 1980's so a few years older than Harrison. His early inspirations included the Eton Choirbook and he was taken up by Classic FM in the 1990's - I recall a broadcast of a piece relating to the civil war in former Yugoslavia. At that time he also was one of the founders of the Hecklers, who protested publicly at performances of music by the likes of Birtwistle.

[mercia]

who wrote Guiting Power ? - I've not heard it before

[subcontrabass]

who wrote Guiting Power ? - I've not heard it before

John Barnard ( see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_B...%28composer%29 )

[DracoM]

Laser altos, one tenor who sounded about 17, another who sounded VERY like the young Nigel Short - he should be so lucky - fairly distant and young sounding treble line. 'Robust' Bach in the vol.

Anthem star of show for me.

And NO 'tripadvisor' stuff either - hurray!

[ardcarp]

I found that a really superb evensong. Chichester is back to its tradition of clean unforced singing. I trust 'laser altos' was a compliment, Draco. I found their verse duetting very pleasing indeed. The homgeneity of the choir was a wonder to behold...no overblown singing...and the whole thing was helped along by the dignified Tim Schofield, precentor. Those who know Chichester (a smallish cathedral with a lovely acoustic) will recognise this polished yet intimate CE as their house-style. Well done to them all.

[usher]

I found that a really superb evensong. Chichester is back to its tradition of clean unforced singing. I trust 'laser altos' was a compliment, Draco. I found their verse duetting very pleasing indeed. The homgeneity of the choir was a wonder to behold...no overblown singing...and the whole thing was helped along by the dignified Tim Schofield, precentor. Those who know Chichester (a smallish cathedral with a lovely acoustic) will recognise this polished yet intimate CE as their house-style. Well done to them all.

It was very good indeed, even to my very untutored ear which misses so much. The prayers hit exactly the right note for me, too.

[Magnificat]

I found that a really superb evensong. Chichester is back to its tradition of clean unforced singing. I trust 'laser altos' was a compliment, Draco. I found their verse duetting very pleasing indeed. The homgeneity of the choir was a wonder to behold...no overblown singing...and the whole thing was helped along by the dignified Tim Schofield, precentor. Those who know Chichester (a smallish cathedral with a lovely acoustic) will recognise this polished yet intimate CE as their house-style. Well done to them all.

ardcarp

The boys made a rather sweet sound. It suited the repertoire and made a change from the rather fierce treble singing we have had from recent boys' top lines
.
The men were a bit weak I thought.

The Precentor was very good indeed.

VCC