CE Chapel of St John's College, Cambridge Wed 27th April

[DracoM]

CE Chapel of St John's College, Cambridge



Order of Service:



Introit: Jesu, grant me this, I pray (Christopher Robinson)
Responses: Clucas
Psalms 126, 127, 128, 129, 130, 131 (Turle, Lemon, Goss, Harris,Parratt, Elgar)
First Lesson: Hosea 13: 4-14
Canticles: Sumsion in A
Second Lesson: 1 Corinthians 15: 50-58
Anthem: Faire is the heaven (Harris)
Hymn: Praise my soul, the King of heaven (desc: Robinson)


Organ Voluntary: Imperial March (Elgar, arr. Martin)



Junior Organ Student: Glen Dempsey
Herbert Howells Organ Student: Joseph Wicks

Director of Music: Andrew Nethsingha

[ardcarp]

I'm sure many of us are looking forward to this.
It will be wonderful if lots of forumistas post in with their views on the music and the choir; maybe just to say 'I enjoyed it' or maybe to to air some particular musical likes or dislikes.
Here is an opportunity for The Choir Forum to be seen at its best, a place for discussion.

[Roger Judd]

The appearance of Christopher Robinson's name in the music scheme is a typically generous gesture by Andrew Nethsingha, honouring his distinguished predecessor's 80th birthday on April 20th.
RJ

[DracoM]

Reminder: today @ 3.30 p.m.

[mw963]

I thought it superb. Having had the privilege (and it truly was a privilege) to be able to attend on a weekly basis the Evensongs - always exquisite - at Exeter of Mr Nethsingha (senior) during the 1990s I think I can safely say that there's a real talent running through from father to son. Very enjoyable.

[ardcarp]

I thought it superb.

Me too.

[EdgeleyRob]

I always enjoy William Harris's 'Faire is the Heaven',it's a wonderful anthem.
I have a cd somewhere of organ pieces of his (c/w some Howells,Bliss,Parry and others)must dig it out.
And of course there is the major work for Solo,Chorus and Orchestra 'The Hound of Heaven'
I'd love to hear a performance or recording of that some day,unlikely though
Some light reading here

http://ir.uiowa.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=5491&context=etd

[DracoM]

The Harris was as good as you'd hear it.

[EdgeleyRob]

The Harris was as good as you'd hear it.

I thought so too.

[Magnificat]

I thought the psalms were very well done. Shame, though, that they never used the Clucas setting of the Lord's Prayer rather than plain chant.

The best broadcast CE from the College Choir so far under Andrew Nethsingha in my opinion.

St John's were advertising for lay clerks in the Church Times recently are they finding it difficult to find choral scholars who can get the A Level grades again?

VCC.

[ardcarp]

I doubt if there's any shortage of applicants! I think John's may always have had a lay clerk or two in addition to the scholars. King's used to also, but not sure if they still do.
I quite like the Clucas with a straightforward intoned Our Father. His setting of it came later than the responses, I think. If I had one tiny criticism of the responses it was that the 'cantor' was too slow and lugubrious to match the chutzpah of Clucas. As you would know, VCC, Barry was always particular about the timing of the call and response, and would speak his mind to any wayward priest!

A lovely service though, and IIRC, St J's last broadcast was pretty good too.

[DracoM]

Interestingly, Andrew Nethsingha is off to NYC to preside over the annual Choirmasters' Conference at St Thomas Fifth Ave this weekend.
Material can be heard live on the church's website.

[greenilex]

Must listen to the Hound of Heaven. I didn't know about Francis Thompson's addiction. Explains a lot.

[EdgeleyRob]

Must listen to the Hound of Heaven. I didn't know about Francis Thompson's addiction. Explains a lot.

If only this was possible, in the Sir William Henry Harris setting at any rate

[Caussade]

I doubt if there's any shortage of applicants! I think John's may always have had a lay clerk or two in addition to the scholars. King's used to also, but not sure if they still do.
I quite like the Clucas with a straightforward intoned Our Father. His setting of it came later than the responses, I think. If I had one tiny criticism of the responses it was that the 'cantor' was too slow and lugubrious to match the chutzpah of Clucas. As you would know, VCC, Barry was always particular about the timing of the call and response, and would speak his mind to any wayward priest!

A lovely service though, and IIRC, St J's last broadcast was pretty good too.

They haven't always had a layclerk or two, I think - certainly not on a regular basis. Year by year the number of people who can sing and get the academic grades as well gets a bit smaller - and it's an issue with organ scholarship applications too. That's not the same thing as a shortage of applicants per se (although organ scholarship applications in recent years have been noticeably a bit thinner on the ground: not enough to go round all the colleges offering places in some years). Admissions tutors will no longer bend the rules as they might have ten or fifteen years ago. In the early 80s organ scholars only had to get EE grades to get in. Try that now.