CE York Minster Wed, 22nd March 2017

[DracoM]

CE York Minster


Order of Service:


Introit: Libera nos, salva nos (Sheppard)
Responses: Byrd
Psalms 108, 109 (Hanforth, Goss, Jackson)
First Lesson: Genesis 9: 8-17
Canticles: Collegium Sancti Johannis Cantabrigiense (Howells)
Second Lesson: 1 Peter 3: 18-22
Anthem: Vide Domine afflictionem (Byrd)
Hymn: O love divine, how sweet thou art! (Cornwall)


Organ Voluntary: Prélude - Suite Op. 5 (Duruflé)


Benjamin Morris (Assistant Director of Music)
Robert Sharpe (Director of Music)

[Pulcinella]

I intend to be seated in the Minster by 3:15, as requested.
If any other forumite will be there and would like to meet up, I could be persuaded to reveal the true self behind my commedia dell'arte persona with advance notice via a PM.

As a newcomer to the building, I'm still trying to find a good place to sit for best balance: individual voices seem rather too prominent in most of the positions I've been in. So it will be interesting to listen to the broadcast later to see how they come across. And I wonder if the introit will be sung from under the central tower, as it has been at services I've been to.

[DracoM]

Today @ 3.30 p.m.

[BBMmk2]

Special memories for me of this place, DracoM.

[DracoM]

Fine place to have memories of!

[vinteuil]

.

... and if the service palls, you can admire the building - and the memorials, including one of of my all time favourites (in the north choir aisle) -

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/69/Memorial_to_Lora_Burton_Dawnay%2C_Viscountess_Downe_in_York_Minster.jpg

[Finzi4ever]

.

... and if the service palls, you can admire the building - and the memorials, including one of of my all time favourites (in the north choir aisle) -

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...rk_Minster.jpg

(in ref to the memorial) Priceless! What a wonderful, overweening pride the aristocracy manifested in the Regency period - no humility even in death, or even any religious sensibility perceptible here.

We're being really spoilt with the quality of CEs of late. Another great one yesterday: thank you York. The choir has come on magnificently under Robert Sharpe over (what must be about) 10 years.

[DracoM]

Not sure I'd call it 'great'.
Yes, totally agree about the expertise and leadership of Robert Sharpe.

[BBMmk2]

Fine place to have memories of!

Indeed. My mother's brother had a chapel dedicated to either The Yorkshire Volunteers or The Green Howards(of which he was the Regimental Colonel). We held his Memorial Service there.

[ardcarp]

Just listening to York CE on i-player. The sound level seems incredibly 'remote' as compared the the continuity announcer's volume. I feel as if I'm on a chair at the West end. Is there any reason for this?

[mw963]

Perhaps because you normally listen on FM and suffer the dynamics processing, which levels out changes in volume....? Can't you simply ignore the announcer and turn up your volume control for the Evensong?

In the days when Radio 3 actually worried about these things, there was a constant debate as to whether such things as string quartets should ever "peak to six", because by definition a small group of musicians can never make as much noise as a full orchestra, so should this difference in overall power in the real world be preserved in the way music was transmitted on radio? Once one starts to agonise on that, what should be done with the voice of an announcer in terms of level - should it blast out after a quiet quartet or be completely inaudible after a symphonic climax?

It's a perennial problem. Personally I favour having to reach for the volume control occasionally so that the signal can be left unprocessed, so loud can be loud and quiet can be quiet, so I make a point of NOT listening on FM where the dynamics are mangled. It may be that York seemed quiet but that there was the odd peak which reached the limits of the system, one has to distinguish between peak volume and average volume, but if one broadcasts an unprocessed version then everything that isn't loud has to be held back to accommodate the odd peak to max.

However, I only listen to Radio 3 for Choral Evensong, and I normally dive for the volume control to shut Ms Dereham's jolly-hockey-sticks up straight after the organ voluntary, so I've got to get to the control before she does. Problem solved, although she's often too quick for me.

Then it's back to the civilisation of German Radio.

[vinteuil]

(in ref to the memorial) Priceless! What a wonderful, overweening pride the aristocracy manifested in the Regency period - no humility even in death, or even any religious sensibility perceptible here.

... as you liked that one, I have to share with you my current favourite, from Sherborne Abbey -

Here lyes IOHN LORD DIGBY BARON DIGBY of SHERBORNE
and EARL OF BRISTOL
Titles to which ye merit of his Grandfather first gave lustre,
And which he himself laid down unsully'd.
He was naturally enclined to avoid the Hurry of a publick Life,
Yet carefull to keep up the port of his Quality.
Was willing to be at ease, but scorned obscurity;
And therefore never made his Retirement a pretence to draw
Himself within a narrower compass, or to shun such expence
As Charity, Hospitality, & his Honour call'd for.
His Religion was that which by LAW is Established:
And the Conduct of his life shew'd the power of it in his Heart.

His distinction from others never made him forget himself or them:
He was kind & obliging to his Neighbours, generous & condescending
to his inferiours, and just to all Mankind.
Nor had the temptations of honour & pleasure in this world
Strength enough to withdraw his Eyes from that great
Object of his hope, wch we reasonably assure ourselves he now enjoys.

He dyed Sept XII Ann Dom
MDCXCVIII

[ ... and you can tell he 'scorned obscurity' by checking out his tomb :

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c3/Memorial_to_John%2C_Lord_Digby%2C_Earl_of_Bristol_in_Sherborne_Abbey.JPG

.

[oddoneout]

Yet carefull to keep up the port of his Quality.

and the quality of his port ....

[DracoM]

But surely, R3 engineers etc MUST know what is happening to the CA studio sound vs live sound on tx stuff, who why is it still so far part?

[Barry Rose]

But surely, R3 engineers etc MUST know what is happening to the CA studio sound vs live sound on tx stuff, who why is it still so far part?

This is one of my very rare posts here, and I hope it might be helpful in the context of the current discussion about the start of Choral Evensong. During my 20 years at the BBC, not only was I editor of the programme, but also producer at the venue on many occasions, and it was always my suggestion that we came over to the Cathedral/Collegiate Chapel with the organ playing in the background under the opening announcement. The logic behind this was the announcer's voice peaked high and was very immediate, and that the listener's ear would take 15 to 20 seconds to adjust to the great space of the building from which we were broadcasting - almost as though you, the listener, were walking into church to attend Evensong. That practice seems to have fallen by the wayside over the past years (I left the Corporation in 1991), but when we broadcast from St.Albans in the 1990's I always managed to persuade the producer that we should start with the organ and give the listener.'s ear time to adjust to the space. Here's an example, from June 1991, and you can judge for yourselves whether or not it works - https://www.dropbox.com/s/drgidxr48t...01991.mp3?dl=0