CE Tewkesbury Abbey Wed,18th May 2016

[DracoM]

CE Tewkesbury Abbey
Sung by the Abbey's Schola Cantorum


Order of Service:


Introit: Gracious Spirit, Holy Ghost (Sebastian Forbes)
Responses: Richard Shephard
Psalms 93, 94 (Bell, Deffell (after Cherubini), Peterson)
Office Hymn: Breathe on me, Breath of God (Carlisle)
First Lesson: Genesis 15
Canticles: Westminster Service (Howells)
Second Lesson: Romans 4:1-8
Anthem: Dum complerentur (Palestrina)
Final Hymn: Come down, O Love divine (Down Ampney)


Organ Voluntary: Tongues of Fire (Arthur Wills)


Organist: Carleton Etherington
Director: Simon Bell

[ardcarp]

For info:

http://www.scholacantorum.org.uk/

[DracoM]

Today @ 3.30 p.m.

[Colonel Danby]

Just listening live to Choral Evensong, my highlight of the week on R3: well sung, and as a huge Herbert Howells fan, it was good to hear his Westminster Service canticles. And of course RWV's 'Come down' to the setting of Down Ampney (his birthplace) to close (apart from the organ Voluntary by Arthur Wills). Is there is actually a school attached to the abbey at Tewkesbury, or they have to bus the boys in for the occasion?

[ardcarp]

See post #2. The school is in Cheltenham and they bus them in, usually 4X per week.

But see also:

http://www.gloucestershireecho.co.uk/Founder-Tewkesbury-s-Abbey-School-Miles-Amherst/story-19013278-detail/story.html

[Nazard]

Yep, the Abbey School, Tewkesbury was the youngest choir school in England, being founded in 1973 as per your link above, ardcarp. The school was just next door to the Abbey and it was always the case that the new choir would just sing the office of Choral Evensong on weeknights (the weekend services - and those at major festivals - already being sung by the Abbey (also known as the Parish) Choir). Alas, in 2006, the Abbey School was forced to close, but the choir goes from strength to strength given the foresight of Ben Nicholas and those in charge of Dean Close School, Cheltenham at the time.

Dean Close became the choir school from September 2006 (so not a service was missed in the handover) and the choir was renamed the Tewkesbury Abbey Schola Cantorum [of Dean Close Preparatory School]. As ardcarp says, they tend to sing Evensong four weekday evenings per week during term-time alongside other projects and the occasional Sunday outing in the Abbey. It's a triumph, frankly, that the choir is still going strong and a lot of praise needs to be given to those involved at the time of the changeover and those in charge of Dean Close School now, that this happy arrangement continues.

[DracoM]

Valiantly done - those Howells Westminster canticles are not for the faint-hearted,
Had some reservations about the responses, but the Palestrina was reasonably secure.
A demanding service undertaken with some courage.

[DT1]

What were your responsorial reservations DracoM?

[DracoM]

Slightly edgy tuning? Tiny bit hesitant in ensemble at times?
Merest quibbles.

[LTFC1990]

I really enjoyed this service, very committed stylish singing from men and boys throughout, I particularly enjoyed Howells Westminster, which is heard too infrequently in my opinion. Surely Tewkesbury must be one of the very finest Parish Church choirs in the country?

[greenilex]

Tongues of Fire at the end was very exciting.

[Keraulophone]

Tewkesbury must be one of the very finest Parish Church choirs in the country?

(See ardcarp's link)

The Tewkesbury Abbey Schola Cantorum of Dean Close Prep School is one of the very finest choirs singing in a Parish Church in the country. They sing four weekday Evensongs in the Abbey (and make brilliant CD recordings).

On Sundays, a voluntary choir of boys, girls and men, drawn from Tewkesbury and the surrounding area, sing at the 11.00am Sung Eucharist, whilst Evensong at 5.00pm is sung by a mixed choir of ladies and men. Separately and together on Special Feast days, they make up the Parish Church Choir. Are A,T and B (partly) shared between the Schola and the Parish Choir, I wonder?

I really enjoyed the service, particularly the infrequently broadcast Westminster Service, displaying the classic Howells ingredients to the full.

[Nazard]

(See ardcarp's link)

The Tewkesbury Abbey Schola Cantorum of Dean Close Prep School is one of the very finest choirs singing in a Parish Church in the country. They sing four weekday Evensongs in the Abbey (and make brilliant CD recordings).

On Sundays, a voluntary choir of boys, girls and men, drawn from Tewkesbury and the surrounding area, sing at the 11.00am Sung Eucharist, whilst Evensong at 5.00pm is sung by a mixed choir of ladies and men. Separately and together on Special Feast days, they make up the Parish Church Choir. Are A,T and B (partly) shared between the Schola and the Parish Choir, I wonder?

I really enjoyed the service, particularly the infrequently broadcast Westminster Service, displaying the classic Howells ingredients to the full.

Not really, in my experience. The Schola lay-clerks are paid-up pros, who largely take up other gigs at the weekend, whereas the Parish Choir has its own loyal back-row membership. There are, of course, occasions where there might be exceptions to this but they are few and far between, I think.

[ardcarp]

Not quite a parish church choir. See earlier posts.

[DT1]

Fair enough. Jolly good effort all round I would say.