CE St Paul’s Cathedral, London [L] Wed, November 7th 2018

[DracoM]

Muffins included in your stipend, sir?'

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Muffins included in your stipend, sir?'

"No, no - I said a trumpet stop!"

Ah........Specsavers do a nice handy hearing aid..........pardon? Didn't cat..................ah! Baker? I thought he was the DO......? Oh, right, lovely...crumpets, silly me, I thought you said..............yes, like them warm.

[jonfan]

Very fine CE.
For me, the MacMillan stood out as a piece, but the Parry took some singing.

Agree. The trebles attacked everything they were given, a thrilling sound.

[Keraulophone]

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At the beginning of half term the Truro Cathedral girls (13-18, including my daughter [PDM]) sang Evensong with the St Paul’s back row, including the Howells St Paul’s Service and Bruckner Christus factus est. It sounded absolutely thrilling; obviously different to their boys’ sound, but smooth and powerful. It was an interesting experiment, perhaps for their music department to demonstrate what it might be like to have a girl chorister top line of their own.

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[jonfan]

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At the beginning of half term the Truro Cathedral girls (13-18, including my daughter [PDM]) sang Evensong with the St Paul’s back row, including the Howells St Paul’s Service and Bruckner Christus factus est. It sounded absolutely thrilling; obviously different to their boys’ sound, but smooth and powerful. It was an interesting experiment, perhaps for their music department to demonstrate what it might be like to have a girl chorister top line of their own.

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Yes and well over due. As far as I’m aware St Paul’s and the Abbey have no plans to have a girls’ top line at any time in the near future. A shameful state of affairs from the premier C of E choirs in London. They are well behind in this by almost everywhere else, Truro being a superb example. To be honest we’re done with calling it an experiment to have a female top line. It should be the norm for both boys and girls top line to run separately or together. All this adding to the rich diversity of the cathedral choral tradition so obviously vibrant today.

[terratogen]

Yes and well over due. As far as I’m aware St Paul’s and the Abbey have no plans to have a girls’ top line at any time in the near future. A shameful state of affairs from the premier C of E choirs in London. They are well behind in this by almost everywhere else, Truro being a superb example. To be honest we’re done with calling it an experiment to have a female top line. It should be the norm for both boys and girls top line to run separately or together. All this adding to the rich diversity of the cathedral choral tradition so obviously vibrant today.

Absolutely agreed. (But: really no plans? Even with Saint Paul's building a new boarding house—?) I do hope that when these London hold-outs do welcome girls, they welcome them into the same roles and responsibilities (and with the same remuneration) as they do the boys; momentarily leaving aside Truro—where the girls are just phenomenal—because its girls are older and have been thoughtfully incorporated into the life of the Cathedral with attention paid to their exam needs, etc., we can hear at places like York that a commitment to parity creates real excellence. And what a world for any child to grow up in.

[DracoM]

So that's the end of boy-led choirs, is it?

[Pulcinella]

So that's the end of boy-led choirs, is it?

No, Draco.
Boy-led and girl-led choirs can be run separately or together, as in York (and I imagine other places).
The end of the world as you know it is perhaps not quite so nigh.

[Keraulophone]

So that's the end of boy-led choirs, is it?

If I may say so, that’s rather an ig****nt and pe****nt question to ask.

[Keraulophone]

Boy-led and girl-led choirs can be run separately or together, as in York (and I imagine other places).
The end of the world as you know it is perhaps not quite so nigh.

[BasilHarwood]

So that's the end of boy-led choirs, is it?

Way to turn it round so quickly!

[BasilHarwood]

Incidentally, Southwark (Anglican) Cathedral has a girls’ choir; they have the opportunity to really promote them seeing as the other two establishments don’t seem to have girls at the top of their musical list (I’d like to think St. Paul’s might set one up in the near future...).

Incidentally, I hear that Peter Wright will be leaving Southwark at the end of the academic year. The end of an era.

[DracoM]

If I may say so, that’s rather an ig****nt and pe****nt question to ask.

Thank you for the graceful correction.
It was meant as a simple question.

[Keraulophone]

It was meant as a simple question.

If so, the simple answer should be ‘no’.

However, even though it may seem to be a simple question, IMO the answer is complex.

Hereabouts, we have always valued our two top lines equally, and strive to make each as distinctive and expert as possible. They complement one another and on the whole sing different repertoire, apart from on a few occasions such as Christmas morning and the live evening concert broadcast in July when they may join together (and make a joyous sound).

[jonfan]

Absolutely agreed. (But: really no plans? Even with Saint Paul's building a new boarding house—?) I do hope that when these London hold-outs do welcome girls, they welcome them into the same roles and responsibilities (and with the same remuneration) as they do the boys; momentarily leaving aside Truro—where the girls are just phenomenal—because its girls are older and have been thoughtfully incorporated into the life of the Cathedral with attention paid to their exam needs, etc., we can hear at places like York that a commitment to parity creates real excellence. And what a world for any child to grow up in.

It would be interesting if anyone from St Paul’s or Westminster Abbey can inform us about their intentions, or not, of forming a top line of girl choristers.
There are many places now where funding and places are happening for girls and boys in equal measure. It’s hats off to those cathedrals who don’t have that luxury. I’m thinking of Wakefield, but also St Davids which achieves incredible standards with a very small catchment area but takes girls for ten years from age 8 to 18; what an incredible, enriching experience that must be.