CE Hereford Cathedral Wed,13th April 2016

[mopsus]

No wonder they left out the final hymn!

For myself, I would rather hymns were left out altogether rather then having the weirdly truncated versions we've occasionally been treated to recently - it's not unknown to have only three verses of a hymn which would usually have five unstarred verses, and the one in the recent Westminster Abbey service was missing the last two verses altogether which felt very odd.

The Tunnard responses are a real rarity - I suspect only in the repertoire in a few places. I have sung them myself, but I think I've only heard them once before on a broadcast. [a search of the wonderful BBC Genome site reveals that they were quite popular in broadcasts for a few years after their publication in 1976, but then were not heard on a broadcast again till after 2009]

[decantor]

Oddly enough, I first encountered the name (but not the music) of Wm. Sterndale Bennett as a teenager (60 yrs ago – sshh!). My school DoM frequently mentioned the name in the same breath as that of Ebenezer Prout, but sadly I can’t recall the exact reason for this coupling.

I agree with ardcarp’s remark (# 12) that the zeitgeist of the period imbued its liturgical music with a sort of aspidistra piety. Against that background, today’s introit served its purpose well enough. The rest of Hereford’s service was magnificent – intense, controlled, unhurried singing throughout. I would not have complained had they sung the Taverner twice without a break...... ah, those aromata!

[DracoM]

Roger Judd

I hope I did not seem to suggest that G.Bowen / Hereford delivered fine services ONLY on BBC CE days, because if I seemed to, that was utterly alien to my intention!!

[Roger Judd]

No, no - I was merely saying that that is their normal performing standard. Come any day of the week and you'll hear singing of that quality - we are blessed.
RJ

[ardcarp]

The Tunnard responses are a real rarity

...was he Thomas Tunnard, erstwhile organist of Birmingham Cathedral where Roy Massey later presided? If so that would explain how they came into Hereford's repertoire.

[Nick Armstrong]

One of the very best CEs.

Trebles, who sounded like boys giving it their all as you jolly well have to if you want to deliver those particular Howells canticles. They were in noble, unafraid form, savouring the rhetoric as well as the quiet.

And I would also like to pass on tributes to the altos who were in terrific nick. And everyone had to be in the Taverner - a deceptively tricky piece and finely balanced.

And that wonderfully apocalyptic Langlais..........crikey!

Now wonder they left out the final hymn!
How does Geraint Bowen deliver such high-quality services

Agreed - and it's because he's a superlative musician! (He learnt his trade at an excellent college, of course )

My only tiny gripe - I don't like the showy sf on the first syllable of "glory" towards the end of the Nunc (before the final Glory section). There are ways of doing it without making it sound as if it's crept in from Saturday Night at the Palladium.

Otherwise - fantastic CE


.

PS Mr Drax - I've tried to send you a PM but your inbox is bulging...

[Nevilevelis]

My only tiny gripe - I don't like the showy sf on the first syllable of "glory" towards the end of the Nunc (before the final Glory section). There are ways of doing it without making it sound as if it's crept in from Saturday Night at the Palladium.

I didn't like it either. It's an interpretation of what Howells wrote, but not the most tasteful one. The phrase starts f and there is a marcato accent on glo-. Quite different from the accented f, subito decrescendo, cresc. we see elsewhere in Howells e.g. b. 21 of the New College Nunc dimittis. Some may argue that's what he meant anyway. I wouldn't.

It's been said many times, but I am always struck by how extraordinary the St. Paul's Mag. & Nunc is, the Nunc especially. Singing it with John Scott on site, was an unforgettable experience. A Danish conductor and composer heard this set blind on the radio (i.e. not knowing the composer or the performers) and was understandably blown away by it. He was thrown by the impressionistic harmony and thought of Duruflè, but knew it couldn't be.

[DracoM]

Well. sorry, I rather like that theatrical sf. Only the really top ensembles can manage the breath control / pitch control and team work to bring it off properly - as per this p.m.

[ardcarp]

There was a lot of chat about the subito p followed by a < a little while ago (related to St John's CC?). Personally, it doesn't worry me. If a choir is doing something planned, unanimous and with musical intent, good for them.

[Nevilevelis]

There was a lot of chat about the subito p followed by a < a little while ago (related to St John's CC?). Personally, it doesn't worry me. If a choir is doing something planned, unanimous and with musical intent, good for them.

I didn't say it wasn't "good for them". Please don't misinterpret my remarks. I was responding to Caliban.

[Nevilevelis]

Well. sorry, I rather like that theatrical sf. Only the really top ensembles can manage the breath control / pitch control and team work to bring it off properly - as per this p.m.

Good for you, but it's not in the score and find it a little OTT, as explained.

[Nick Armstrong]

I didn't like it either. It's an interpretation of what Howells wrote, but not the most tasteful one. The phrase starts f and there is a marcato accent on glo-. Quite different from the accented f, subito decrescendo, cresc. we see elsewhere in Howells e.g. b. 21 of the New College Nunc dimittis. Some may argue that's what he meant anyway. I wouldn't.

It's been said many times, but I am always struck by how extraordinary the St. Paul's Mag. & Nunc is, the Nunc especially.

[Awkwardlistener]

Utterly accomplished. A real pleasure to listen to. I'm fine with the subito piano in the Nunc. It was such a small part of the service I'm not sure it merits much discussion.

[Nick Armstrong]

Utterly accomplished. A real pleasure to listen to. I'm fine with the subito piano in the Nunc. It was such a small part of the service I'm not sure it merits much discussion.

My only tiny gripe

(But I was glad to learn what the score said; and comforted that I'm not out on a solitary limb here! )

[Miles Coverdale]

There was a lot of chat about the subito p followed by a < a little while ago (related to St John's CC?). Personally, it doesn't worry me. If a choir is doing something planned, unanimous and with musical intent, good for them.

It's something John's tend to do quite a lot, almost for the sake of doing it; the effect isn't known as 'pressing the John's button' for nothing. But if it's only done occasionally, I can't say I object to it. And here it was done for a good enough reason: it's not easy to make an effective crescendo from f to ff, but if you start from p ...

Anyway, music-making would be a bit monochrome if you always played only what was in the score, wouldn't it?