CE Chapel of Keble College, Oxford Wed, Dec 6th 2017

[DracoM]

CE Chapel of Keble College, Oxford


Order of Service:


Introit: Nova, nova (Grayston Ives)
Responses: Gibbons and Barnard
Psalms 32, 33, 34 (Martin, Howells, Bairstow)
First Lesson: Isaiah 65: 17 – 66: 2
Canticles: Evening Service (Brian Chapple)
Second Lesson: Matthew 24: 1-14
Anthem: Give me the wings of faith (Leighton)
Hymn: God moves in a mysterious way (London New)
Marian Antiphon: Alma redemptoris Mater (Palestrina)

Organ Voluntary: Symphonie-Passion (Le monde dans l'attente du Sauveur) (Dupré)


Aine Kennedy (Organ Scholar)
Jeremy Filsell (Organist)

Matthew Martin (Director of Music)

[DracoM]

Reminder: today @ 3.30 p.m.

[jean]

Did Gibbons really write those responses, or did someone make them up out of his Oh my love, how comely now?

And what was it that sneaked in before the Magnificat? Too long to be an antiphon!

[mw963]

Having been bewailing the lack of Cathedral Evensongs over the last year or so, I must redress the balance by saying that if all college broadcasts were as good as the one I've just heard I'd be very content indeed.

Not just because I know that Mr Martin is on here, I thought that was a superb CE, in spite of the fact that those who know me will know that I couldn't stick the Leighton.

But the Psalms were to die for, every word clear, beautiful pacing and accompaniment, and with two of my all time favourite chants (the Bairstow and the Howells) joined by the equally enjoyable Martin.

At the risk of annoying some, I also relished the lack of wobble in the top line which is what often sullies my enjoyment of this sort of venue.

A really really enjoyable and top notch broadcast, thank you!

And thank you Jean for confirming that there was something terribly familiar about bits of those Responses....

[jonfan]

Did Gibbons really write those responses, or did someone make them up out of his Oh my love, how comely now?

And what was it that sneaked in before the Magnificat? Too long to be an antiphon!

According to iplayer it is the Office Hymn: Iste Confessor (Plainsong,Mode viii). This was not listed in Radio Times either.
A beautifully sung service with superb blend of voices with a lovely warm quality well caught by the engineering. Agree with comments above about the psalms and also noting colourful organ accompaniments illustrating every nuance of the text. The superb Kenneth Tickell organ was brilliantly captured in the closing voluntary. I could listen to this choir all the time; balm for the soul. They are recording another CE at 1.30pm tomorrow for broadcast next April, according to the Chapel info site.

[Vox Humana]

Did Gibbons really write those responses

Gibbons wrote two sets of preces along with a psalm or two to go with them, but no responses. Barnard conveniently wrote a set of responses with no preces, so...

Agree that this was a very fine service and concur with mw963 on all points. Loved the psalms and the chants particularly, I like a lot of Leighton, but I'm afraid I have never managed to click with this anthem. My fault, not Leighton's, of course.

But yet again we have an alumnus brought in to play the organ. Queen's also did this back in February when they featured David Bednall. I'm certainly not objecting in any way to either player, both of whom are totally superb players, but why bus outsiders in for these services? Why not let the resident organ scholars have their moment of glory? Just curious.

[Caussade]

Gibbons wrote two sets of preces along with a psalm or two to go with them, but no responses. Barnard conveniently wrote a set of responses with no preces, so...

Agree that this was a very fine service and concur with mw963 on all points. Loved the psalms and the chants particularly, I like a lot of Leighton, but I'm afraid I have never managed to click with this anthem. My fault, not Leighton's, of course.

But yet again we have an alumnus brought in to play the organ. Queen's also did this back in February when they featured David Bednall. I'm certainly not objecting in any way to either player, both of whom are totally superb players, but why bus outsiders in for these services? Why not let the resident organ scholars have their moment of glory? Just curious.

I'm sure Matthew Martin will comment if he feels so inclined, but in both cases I suspect it's because the organ scholar has only been in post a few weeks and it seemed a bit too stressful for them to have a live broadcast to contend with at the same time as the usual Christmas extras in chapel. Your moment of glory = their major stress point. DoMs know their own circumstances in this regard better than anyone.

[Roger Judd]

I don't know the inner workings of Keble College, but I suspect that there will be two organ scholars at any one time, so one of them at least will have been in post a year. i shall be corrected, I'm sure, if wrong on this.
RJ

[Vox Humana]

I'm sure Matthew Martin will comment if he feels so inclined, but in both cases I suspect it's because the organ scholar has only been in post a few weeks and it seemed a bit too stressful for them to have a live broadcast to contend with at the same time as the usual Christmas extras in chapel. Your moment of glory = their major stress point. DoMs know their own circumstances in this regard better than anyone.

Could be. Not necessarily related to these broadcasts, but I'd also guess that a major trial for many new organ scholars today would be the psalms and Anglican chanting. Fine if you have a cathedral background, but even then the college pointing might be unfamiliar, and it's probably more of a hurdle if you come from a parish, even if your church does still sing Evensong.

[subcontrabass]

I don't know the inner workings of Keble College, but I suspect that there will be two organ scholars at any one time, so one of them at least will have been in post a year. i shall be corrected, I'm sure, if wrong on this.
RJ

According to the relevant webpage ( https://www.ox.ac.uk/admissions/unde...-awards?wssl=1 ) the next organ scholarships at Keble come up for 2018 and 2019, which means that the current organ scholars are in their second and third years.

[mopsus]

I very much enjoyed this service, particularly the beautifully together ensemble of the choir.

How long has Keble had a professional Director of Music? I think that when Merton set up its choral foundation a decade ago only Queen's and Worcester of the mixed-voice College choirs had one?

[Caussade]

According to the relevant webpage ( https://www.ox.ac.uk/admissions/unde...-awards?wssl=1 ) the next organ scholarships at Keble come up for 2018 and 2019, which means that the current organ scholars are in their second and third years.

Try looking at the current Keble music list, which is rather more up to date than a general University admissions website written months ago. Organ scholar and organ student are not the same thing, before we go down that route.

[jean]

Did Gibbons really write those responses, or did someone make them up out of his Oh my love, how comely now?

Gibbons wrote two sets of preces along with a psalm or two to go with them, but no responses. Barnard conveniently wrote a set of responses with no preces, so...

I've never quite understood why one set of versicles & responses is called the preces, and the very similar set of versicles & responses after the creed is called the responses. Both involve prayers, and both require responses.

There weren't any preces here according to the order of Service.

Can anyone explain?

[Dafydd y G.W.]

I've never quite understood why one set of versicles & responses is called the preces, and the very similar set of versicles & responses after the creed is called the responses. Both involve prayers, and both require responses.

There weren't any preces here according to the order of Service.

Can anyone explain?

It's a mistake - fairly recent one, I think. Strictly speaking the preces are what the priest sings, and the responses the answer by choir (or congregation), so both sets are "preces and responses". In the past "the preces" or "the responses" were used as shorthand for a whole set of preces and responses, and without any distinction between the set at the start and the set near the end of the service.

I think the mistake may have arisen when someone tried to rationalise the indiscriminate use of the two terms (or maybe it was a deliberate decision - "Since the two terms are equivalent we might as well settle on the convention of allotting one to the first set and the other to the latter so we have a handy way of distinguishing between the two").

[mw963]

deleted.