CE Liverpool Cathedral Wed, 8th June 2016

[jean]

Does jean know at what stage in proceedings they made the cut?

Jean
The music list stated girls and men. I wonder why they changed to girls and boys for this repertoire?

I cannot answer your questions!

But if I see anyone who might know, I will ask them.

[decantor]

Jean

The music list stated girls and men. I wonder why they changed to girls and boys for this repertoire?

With respect, Magnificat, the cathedral's online music list does show "Boys', Girls' and Men's voices". I thought it slightly odd, as the same programme of music was sung on the previous Sunday (as often happens) but with only the Boys' treble unit. The girls didn't get a trial run!

I might add that I much enjoyed all the music of this CE: it was, I thought, sung with sensitivity and spirit. My thanks go to all at Liverpool.

[subcontrabass]

With respect, Magnificat, the cathedral's online music list does show "Boys', Girls' and Men's voices". I thought it slightly odd, as the same programme of music was sung on the previous Sunday (as often happens) but with only the Boys' treble unit. The girls didn't get a trial run!

They did (for the most part) on 22nd May.

[mopsus]

They told us there wasn't time for it.

We may have lost Ps. 41, but Pss. 42/43 are still much more psalmody than you typically get at Liverpool, even on a weekday. Looking at a music list when I last went there, you seem to get only a few verses at a typical evensong. This is a pity, as the psalm singing was sensitive and expressively accompanied (e.g. on 'water pipes' and 'the enemy oppresseth me'). The other place that badly short-changes congregations in this respect is St George's Windsor - perhaps to cope with perceived short attention spans of tourists.

[Roger Judd]

I was interested in the reference to psalmody at St George's. Up to the time that I retired, we followed a rota of all 150 psalms as drawn up by a previous Precentor and liturgist, Canon Bryan Bentley. The rota was divided into two sequences, morning and evening, spread over a period of 48 days, rather than the 30 day sequence in the BCP. At the end of the 48 days, the rota was switched, so that over 96 days, all 150 psalms were sung at the choral services, or said at the services without choir.
The greatly reduced portions of psalmody these days certainly has nothing to do with tourists, who form a small proportion of the daily congregation.
RJ

[mopsus]

The greatly reduced portions of psalmody these days certainly has nothing to do with tourists, who form a small proportion of the daily congregation.
RJ

So why is it? Is there a psalm-hater among the clergy there?

[Pulcinella]

It came over well on the radio. The acoustic (dread or otherwise) is quite a gift for treble voices which soar very effectively (and did!) and the engineers got a pretty good balance IMO. I can only imagine what a mush it must have been in the nave. Did the organ predominate? I need to LA because my 'listening hour' was sadly interrupted. Good to hear the VW Te Deum in G...even if we didn't get all of it! Glad the organist didn't stick to the letter of Herbert Murrill's arrangement of Crown Imperial. Many touches were more faithful to the orchestral score.

Having just been reminded of the Murrill arrangement (on the Alphabet Associations thread) I dug out my copy of a CfP organ recital disc that Ian Tracey made on which Crown Imperial features, in an arrangement attributed to him (Tracey), so perhaps that is what is/was used there.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Organ-Recital-Ian-Tracey/dp/B000003X4M/ref=sr_1_12?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1469285118&sr=1-12&keywords=Organ+tracey