St Pauls Choristers

[Guest]

http://www.stpauls.co.uk/View-St-Pauls-Videos

The first video in the list is currently some edited highlights (presumably) of an evening with the choristers and AC. What do we think of the singing?

Has the standard sunk or is it too harsh to judge from these small excerpts?

I do have my own opinions but wondered what our "experts" thought?

I know what VCC will say!!

[Double Diapason]

http://barryrose.co.uk/mp3pages/stpauls-blatchlymag.html

Here's something to compare it with.

[DracoM]

Well, frankly, the Carwood choristers sounded ragged and indisciplined. Or was that the quality of the sound?

[Magnificat]

http://www.stpauls.co.uk/View-St-Pauls-Videos

The first video in the list is currently some edited highlights (presumably) of an evening with the choristers and AC. What do we think of the singing?

Has the standard sunk or is it too harsh to judge from these small excerpts?

I do have my own opinions but wondered what our "experts" thought?

I know what VCC will say!!

DD

I think it may be too harsh to judge on the basis of this video. When St Paul's broadcast CE earlier this year I thought they sounded better than the previous two broadcasts under AC.

When Barry went to St Paul's he was, of course, vastly experienced with boys' voices unlike AC who really had, as far as I am aware, no great experience of what I consider to be very much a specialism and the aspect of the musical side of a cathedral DoM's job in a place which has a choir of men and boys that I believe to be more important than being a brilliant organist or an organist at all.

AC may well be a natural but it is obviously going to take him some considerable time to make his mark. I suppose it is possible to learn as you go along but AC's appointment was always, in this respect anyway, a gamble to say the least.

There are many fine cathedral choirmasters but when it comes to training boys to sing I doubt that any of them will get within a million miles of BR.

There didn't seem to be that many choristers in the video.

VCC

[muticus]

Ummm - is it me, or is Magnificat 'channelling' VCC? Perhaps they are possessed!

[Double Diapason]

I agree with you both Draco & VCC! They do sound undisciplined and while the quality of the sound is not good there are some things you just cannot hide! I counted 20 boys. At times BR fielded no more than 20 - I assume these are the full choristers the rest being junior/probationers?

[decantor]

Yes, they were a bit frayed at the edges: let's hope it's not typical. Perhaps they were under-rehearsed, or even sight-singing? Perhaps it was late in the evening after a tough day? Perhaps they'd been force-fed sprouts for supper? So let's be positive - one lad gave us a laugh ("now we sing too much"), and another got his Latin right.

St Barry's 1980 group was a great listen - splendid chest- as well as head-register. No mistaking that lot for girls!