Sunday Worship

[ardcarp]

This came from the chapel of Bishopthorpe Palace, with John Sentemu preaching. The music was sung by a small 'professional' ensemble and there were string players discreetly present....but no reference was made to them in the final announcements, apart from the fact Richard Shephard was directing them. Anyone know the set-up there, or were they brought in for the occasion? Members of The Chapter House Choir perhaps?

[jonfan]

No idea about the singers but the oddest bit of the service was that the Archbishop chose to preach about the wedding at Cana, which is down for Epiphany 3, and not the Feast of Epiphany and the Magi's visit.

[fsharpminor]

No idea about the singers but the oddest bit of the service was that the Archbishop chose to preach about the wedding at Cana, which is down for Epiphany 3, and not the Feast of Epiphany and the Magi's visit.

That was odd, but even odder was the mournful tone of the whole service - no joy for the revelation of Christ to the world, just lugubrious tempi for all the hymns, a slow motet and a downbeat delivery throughout, I thought.

[mw963]

Yes, I really only heard the first hymn but marveled (not necessarily in a good way) at how slowly it was taken, although it was beautifully sung. Full marks to the child that read the lesson about the Wedding at Cana though!

[Alison]

That was odd, but even odder was the mournful tone of the whole service - no joy for the revelation of Christ to the world, just lugubrious tempi for all the hymns, a slow motet and a downbeat delivery throughout, I thought.

[ardcarp]

Full marks to the child that read the lesson about the Wedding at Cana though!

Yes!

[Serial_Apologist]

You've both been exposed to too much happy-clappy stuff by recent Sunday Worships, in my view! I wanted to welcome back the return to that more contemplative side of Christian worship that seems to be being abandoned everywhere - not that it would tempt me back into a belief system I found tarnished in more ways than suit this thread, many years ago.

[jonfan]

You've both been exposed to too much happy-clappy stuff by recent Sunday Worships, in my view! I wanted to welcome back the return to that more contemplative side of Christian worship that seems to be being abandoned everywhere - not that it would tempt me back into a belief system I found tarnished in more ways than suit this thread, many years ago.

Let me get this straight SA. There’s too much exhuberant joy at Christmastide and we should welcome contemplative worship instead but it’s all futile nonsense anyway. Something like that?

[Serial_Apologist]

Let me get this straight SA. There’s too much exhuberant joy at Christmastide and we should welcome contemplative worship instead but it’s all futile nonsense anyway. Something like that?

On the contrary jon, exhuberant joy in any undertaking is its own reward and to be welcomed without need for external reference as means to justification.

[Once Was 4]

This came from the chapel of Bishopthorpe Palace, with John Sentemu preaching. The music was sung by a small 'professional' ensemble and there were string players discreetly present....but no reference was made to them in the final announcements, apart from the fact Richard Shephard was directing them. Anyone know the set-up there, or were they brought in for the occasion? Members of The Chapter House Choir perhaps?

Got to say: namedropping perhaps but I had the great privilage, just before Christmas, of playing in a brass quintet at York Minster for the NHS carol service. Dr Sentamu officiated. What a wonderful man!!!!

Enough said (recently crossed swords with a female happy-clappy vicar and the service in York restored my support of the C of E ).

[Serial_Apologist]

Got to say: namedropping perhaps but I had the great privilage, just before Christmas, of playing in a brass quintet at York Minster for the NHS carol service. Dr Sentamu officiated. What a wonderful man!!!!

Enough said (recently crossed swords with a female happy-clappy vicar and the service in York restored my support of the C of E ).

That said, I do have rather to agree with fsharpminor (above) that the whole tone of musical proceedings was a tad flat, almost offering a propaganda victory to the happy clappies' ofttimes claim that the CofE needs to up its profile with younger generations if it is to hold onto its congregations - while mentioning something I should have said in my response to jonfan, namely that this was not of course a Christmastide festive-type service, but an Epiphenomenal one.

[Vox Humana]

just lugubrious tempi for all the hymns

All the hymn speeds were absolutely fine for me. For once it was nice not to hear them being insensitively trivialised. Just my NSH opinion, you understand. :) I wonder whether the restrained mood of the service might have been at least partly dictated by the fact that the keyboard accompaniment was a harmonium rather than an organ.

[jonfan]

Got to say: namedropping perhaps but I had the great privilage, just before Christmas, of playing in a brass quintet at York Minster for the NHS carol service. Dr Sentamu officiated. What a wonderful man!!!!

Enough said (recently crossed swords with a female happy-clappy vicar and the service in York restored my support of the C of E ).

The C of E is a broad church and there’s room for both as shown by the worship in the Minster contrasted with that in St Michael le Belfry next door. No need to cross swords with either as both are needed.

[ardcarp]

the keyboard accompaniment was a harmonium rather than an organ.

Really?

[mopsus]

The gloomiest voice on the broadcast services I've heard recently is that of the chaplain of one of the London colleges. He once introduced Bach's 'Lobet den Herrn' in such depressed tones that you'd never have guessed that praising God was meant to be a joyful matter.