Chingford P.C. Chamber Choir at Westminster Abbey Friday, 29.08.2018
Westminster Abbey Evensong Friday 31st August, 2018
Visiting choir: Chingford Parish Church Chamber Choir.
Attended by a representative of the High Commissioner for Malaysia.
The Chamber Choir: one of 4 choirs based at Chingford Parish Church. What riches in 2018!
What a tribute to the enthusiasm of the Organists and Music Director (Mike Emerson) in Chingford Parish Church who have dedicated themselves over decades to building a Choral tradition whilst maintaining networking links with former choir members so they can draw on the past and the present for their Chamber choir whilst securing the present with a Ladies’ Choir and then future with a band of boy trebles.
The programme:
William Byrdresponses
Psalms 149 (Percy Whitlock) & 150 (with descant, Reverend Robert. R. Goodenough)
Canticles: John Blowin F
Bring us, O Lord God –William Harris(words by John Donne)
The choir was around 40 strong spilt into cantores and decani. Its glory, perhaps, was a great gaggle of young lady sopranos, perhaps numbering about 16, that included a number of former regulars returning for fun during a summer vacation at Uni.. They sang with a fine blend and with delightful musicality. All the other parts were male with a numerical bias towards altos and tenors; the basses, being small in number, did sound, occasionally, rather recessed. The sound of the whole choir was well nourished; clearly their Director had trained his voices carefully so that they neither sounded forced nor ever ‘sang through their tone’. Their diction was fine and I enjoyed their care over the pronunciation of ‘old’ words like ‘sprit’, although to be super-critical I did worry a tad about “world withoutend” during Glorias.
What of the music? The Byrd responses were confidently sung- no doubt they are in repertoire. I loved the two psalms: 149 for the good choice of a double chant by Percy Whitlock (Rochester Cathedral and St. Stephen’s, Bournemouth where he was my father’s organ tutor) and the Goodenough for its simple effectiveness due to judicious mixture of unison, SATB, and for its climax, a soaring soprano descant (the sopranos floated with complete ease to a top A, well-supported by the marvellous acoustics of the Abbey).
The canticles in F by John Blow who became Organist of Westminster Abbey 350 years ago, were an appropriate choice. They were sung with care and respect but did sound like “work in progress” rather than a well-drilled favourite of the choir. Nevertheless, I was pleased to hear the work.
The Harris Anthem is for double choir and shows the composer at his best. I was delighted with the way Mike Emerson shaped its dynamics and took care of its phrasing and punctuation, for the piece can congeal in less sensitive hands. There’s a wonderful tenor line in the coda that was sung with insight and sensitivity. Whilst the choir’s balance was pretty good, a couple more basses: one with a good bottom range, would further improve matters.
I thoroughly enjoyed hearing Chingford Parish Choir singing well in the Abbey and my enjoyment was enhanced by the sensitive welcome that I received from the Verger manning the West Door. Seeing my stick and poor mobility, he sent me straight to sit in the nave, thence I was ushered into a front (spare) seat in the Quire: no need to get tired in the queue that became 400 strong. The honoured guest from Malaysia was treated no better: he sat at the back of the Choirstalls!
Visiting choir: Chingford Parish Church Chamber Choir.
Attended by a representative of the High Commissioner for Malaysia.
The Chamber Choir: one of 4 choirs based at Chingford Parish Church. What riches in 2018!
What a tribute to the enthusiasm of the Organists and Music Director (Mike Emerson) in Chingford Parish Church who have dedicated themselves over decades to building a Choral tradition whilst maintaining networking links with former choir members so they can draw on the past and the present for their Chamber choir whilst securing the present with a Ladies’ Choir and then future with a band of boy trebles.
The programme:
William Byrdresponses
Psalms 149 (Percy Whitlock) & 150 (with descant, Reverend Robert. R. Goodenough)
Canticles: John Blowin F
Bring us, O Lord God –William Harris(words by John Donne)
The choir was around 40 strong spilt into cantores and decani. Its glory, perhaps, was a great gaggle of young lady sopranos, perhaps numbering about 16, that included a number of former regulars returning for fun during a summer vacation at Uni.. They sang with a fine blend and with delightful musicality. All the other parts were male with a numerical bias towards altos and tenors; the basses, being small in number, did sound, occasionally, rather recessed. The sound of the whole choir was well nourished; clearly their Director had trained his voices carefully so that they neither sounded forced nor ever ‘sang through their tone’. Their diction was fine and I enjoyed their care over the pronunciation of ‘old’ words like ‘sprit’, although to be super-critical I did worry a tad about “world withoutend” during Glorias.
What of the music? The Byrd responses were confidently sung- no doubt they are in repertoire. I loved the two psalms: 149 for the good choice of a double chant by Percy Whitlock (Rochester Cathedral and St. Stephen’s, Bournemouth where he was my father’s organ tutor) and the Goodenough for its simple effectiveness due to judicious mixture of unison, SATB, and for its climax, a soaring soprano descant (the sopranos floated with complete ease to a top A, well-supported by the marvellous acoustics of the Abbey).
The canticles in F by John Blow who became Organist of Westminster Abbey 350 years ago, were an appropriate choice. They were sung with care and respect but did sound like “work in progress” rather than a well-drilled favourite of the choir. Nevertheless, I was pleased to hear the work.
The Harris Anthem is for double choir and shows the composer at his best. I was delighted with the way Mike Emerson shaped its dynamics and took care of its phrasing and punctuation, for the piece can congeal in less sensitive hands. There’s a wonderful tenor line in the coda that was sung with insight and sensitivity. Whilst the choir’s balance was pretty good, a couple more basses: one with a good bottom range, would further improve matters.
I thoroughly enjoyed hearing Chingford Parish Choir singing well in the Abbey and my enjoyment was enhanced by the sensitive welcome that I received from the Verger manning the West Door. Seeing my stick and poor mobility, he sent me straight to sit in the nave, thence I was ushered into a front (spare) seat in the Quire: no need to get tired in the queue that became 400 strong. The honoured guest from Malaysia was treated no better: he sat at the back of the Choirstalls!
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