CE St Edmundsbury Cathedral 18th May 2011

[DracoM]

CE St Edmundsbury Cathedral


Order of Service:


Introit: We wait for thy loving-kindness (James Thomas)
Responses: Leighton
Office Hymn: Drop, drop, slow tears (Song 46)
Psalms: 93, 94 (Macfarran, Bertalot)
First Lesson: Genesis 2: 4b-9
Canticles: Wood in F (Collegium Regale)
Second Lesson: 1 Corinthians 15: 35-49
Anthem: Blessed city, heavenly Salem (Bairstow)
Hymn: Alleluia! Alleluia! Hearts to heaven and voices raise (Lux Eoi)


Organ Voluntary: Rhapsody No 3 in C sharp minor (Howells)


Assistant Director of Music: David Humphreys
Director of Music: James Thomas

[Finzi4ever]

This will be the first chance to hear the new H&H organ, as mentioned elsewhere, with its two new fantastic cases - the final glory to complete this now truly impressive place.

http://www.stedscathedral.co.uk/news/177-new-stedmundsbury-cathedral-organ

If you haven't seen the millennium central tower then google it, and fast: no "monstrous carbuncle" this!

[DracoM]

Men starred - strong, confident leadership. Good precentor and no fuss at the start - terrific. Liked the organ too.

Boys good and valiant in middle parts of stave, but tended to shy a bit at fences a touch higher up - altos were discreet, excellent support at times too. The Bairstow is a big sing, and it had bags of attack and energy. Liked the James Thomas introit - very simple, earworm piece.

Tx levels at the very start were incredibly low - really had to ramp up the volume for the whole boradcast.

[ardcarp]

Agree about the precentor.

[DracoM]

Did just the two of us listen to this CE?
Big issue how far the lads have to be ferried in from in that area, and I was wondering if anyone who lives in the town knows the schools net they choose from and how far away they are from the church?

[ardcarp]

We have close friends who live in Bury St E whose son began in the choir (but didn't hack it after probationer stage) and he just went to a local primary school. This was a while ago, so whether they have a more formal arrangement now I don't know. I'll try to find out. An old singing friend of mine became the precentor...Martin Shaw (no not that one)... and he had a fabulous voice. Maybe that was him doing the responses. Again, I'll find out.

[decantor]

I always listen, Draco - you know that. And I am favourably disposed to any service that opens with the General Confession - makes me feel at home.

I have to say that little of the music (closing voluntary apart) was of the sort I would choose, yet I thoroughly enjoyed this CE. The introit, like all opening gambits, was not in itself a match-winner, but it served its purpose well enough; in truth, for one of my peculiar tastes, the musical highlight was the Leighton Responses, though I accept Wood and Bairstow as quality standard fare. The psalmody was sound if a tad ponderous. What kept me on the edge of my pew was the apparent vulnerability of the treble line - nice fresh timbre, capable of nuance, lots of 'go' if apparently limited power, but ever that feeling that the first violins were working near the edge of their comfort zone. Is one allowed to say that without risk of being flamed? I must confess that I am one of those strange beings who, in the CE context at least, would rather hear committed boys mistuning some tricky bits than women achieving perfection. St Ed's won me over because they were honest and of this world - I do not patronise, I applaud. I wish them well, and am grateful for their broadcast (despite those irritating satellite glitches!).

I see from their website that St Ed's run a 'colts' choir of boys aged 7-10 who sing a service once a month. I think that's a brilliant idea. It's another reason to cheer a cathedral that - to my shame - I have only ever whizzed past on the A14 en route for Aldeburgh.

[salymap]

May an outsider say that I remember visiting St Edmundsbury Cathedral and thought it a beautiful, if very cold place when I was there. That was many years ago but the new organ looks a terrific addition, wish I could get there now. Best wishes

[DracoM]

Very little between of any height to stop the chilling blast in St Edmundsbury - non-stop straight out of Siberia, salymap! And Ely in Feb? .....ahem!

Yes, decantor, absolutely agree about lads on top line giving it wellie whatever the risks. And as you say, NONE of that repertoire sang itself. It's what I love about the webcasts from various places when we eavesdrop on their everyday, rare warts and all - NCO, St J's St T NYC - incidentally good Leighton reponses from there on the very day St Edmundsbury sang.

And the generally amazingly high standard of thde material on those webcasts is a constant reminder of the dizzyingly highy standards cathedrals achieve unheard by the millions day in day out. Cause for celebration. The constant frantic restlessness in the media for the new maybe stops us looking at the excellence flourishing untrumpeted in our midst week by week?

Woops, slipping into wallow and mush.

[ardcarp]

I have only ever whizzed past on the A14 en route for Aldeburgh.

The old site of The Abbey of St Edmund is certainly worth a visit. The present 'cathedral' was one of several churches built into the outer walls of the Benedictine monastery. The original abbey church...whose ground plan you can see...was truly massive, one of the largest, I believe, in Medieval Europe.

[Keraulophone]

What kept me on the edge of my pew was the apparent vulnerability of the treble line - nice fresh timbre, capable of nuance, lots of 'go' if apparently limited power, but ever that feeling that the first violins were working near the edge of their comfort zone. Is one allowed to say that without risk of being flamed? I must confess that I am one of those strange beings who, in the CE context at least, would rather hear committed boys mistuning some tricky bits than women achieving perfection.

Well said, decantor! I thoroughly agree with those sentiments, particularly during the current debate (see the current edition of Friends of Cathedral Music magazine, 'Cathedral Music', including articles by James Bowman and Andrew Reed of Peterborough Cath) about substituting female altos where male ones can't be recruited - I can't believe this has now been discussed at Chapter level in our local cathedral. I would only qualify the first part of the above by not wanting the trebles' proximity to their comfort zone to be too perilously close, as this might blunt their confidence, and our ears. Our probationers have recently been 'made up', returning the front rows to their maximum of eighteen, and to hear them piping up confidently when invited to sing solo in rehearsal, though in miniature as it were, banishes any temporary doubts one may have about the future excellence of such choirs.
Yes, and I much enjoyed the broadcast too!

[Keraulophone]

Yes, decantor, absolutely agree about lads on top line giving it wellie whatever the risks. And as you say, NONE of that repertoire sang itself. It's what I love about the webcasts from various places when we eavesdrop on their everyday, rare warts and all - NCO, St J's St T NYC

Draco, all being well, you will soon be able to add us to your list of webcasters. We will be webcasting Evensong on Tuesday 28th June. This is an experiment, partly to estimate the future costs of webcasting, and will involve recording the ‘live’ service and putting it on our website (sound only). The equipment will not be plumbed in permanently until a Chapter decision has been made based on the success of the initial webcast, and its financial impilcations.

When I am late for a weekday pre-Evensong rehearsal, as I approach the choirstalls from crypt level, I amazed how webcastable/broadcastable is the sound - it's probably because I haven't joined in yet! - so for a few more than the regular weekday handful sitting in the quire to be able to listen and participate, albeit in time-shift, would be a great opportunity to further the Cathedral's aims re mission and outreach.

[DracoM]

< you will soon be able to add us to your list of webcasters >

Wil there be a website we can contact to check it out? Can you give us details?

[Keraulophone]

Will there be a website we can contact to check it out? Can you give us details?

I'll post details here nearer the time of the proposed webcast next month.

[DracoM]

Excellent.