CE Ripon Cathedral 13th July 2011

**DracoM** · 12-07-11, 20:04

Reminder, mesdames et messieurs.

The Vierne 'Ave Maria' introit will certainly sort out the trebles in the first minute!

**cantenor2** · 13-07-11, 15:37

Trebles or Girls? I note the Choir School term ended on 9th July and Cathedral notices say Cathedral Choir on holiday until 1st September.

**gainasbass** · 13-07-11, 15:53

Sounds like girls!

**DracoM** · 13-07-11, 16:07

Surprised, Have to say the notion of girls singing the top line never occurred to me, but am checking.

**decantor** · 13-07-11, 17:39

OK, I'll throw my hat in the ring and say I thought we were listening to boys. Just conceivably it was a mix, with a strong and valiant boys' section. If today's top line was all girls, I'll eat my hat (I keep a small chocolate one handy for these occasions).

More to the point...... if circumstances required me to worship regularly at Ripon, I would not, to judge from today's CE, feel short-changed by the music department. Though I was grateful for and enjoyed it all, I found Psalm 70 especially moving. If pressed, I might add that I thought the front rows, of whatever gender, were a tad more accomplished than those behind them. But well done, all at Ripon, and thank you.

**ardcarp** · 13-07-11, 19:26

I'm with decantor here. Blow the sex. (OK, that's not quite what he said!) It was a very enjoyable CE... a well prepared and executed service. I personally wish they had done something other than Stanford in C. I can understand their choosing a pot-boiler which everyone could do without too much preparation...but I felt the choir could have given us something that showed off their talents a bit more. Right from the opening Vierne, it was clear there was a very capable top-line.

**DracoM** · 13-07-11, 20:10

One of the best front lines we've heard for some time. The Vierne was spot on, and the psalms for me were a quiet, intimate revelation. Slow, expressive, with lovely phrasing and slightly off regular chants that truly spoke. As usual on R3, we get nice close-ups for the excellent psalms, then in the canticles, engineering-wise, the choir suddenly disappear half way down the hill, but they sang the Stanford with some energy - fine Glory Be's.

Certainly agree with decantor that the men not quite in the same league as those trebles. OK, with term having ended a few days ago and maybe meaningful singing further off than that, it could be that they played safe with the Stanford, but given the quality of the trebles, and if it had to be a Stanford, then why not in G major in which the trebles could have shone? Certainly their phrasing throughout the service was careful and well-shaped

The Moore anthem does not sing itself at all - trickyish syncopation, and that baritone solo. The guy will sing it better on another day.

I liked the pace of the service, and it had a quiet, thoughtful feel about it.

**gainasbass** · 13-07-11, 23:05

I agree, especially with DracoM. The psalms were vg, and it was a nice change to hear Stanford's tempi observed in the Mag and Nunc in C.

**Roger Pont L'Eveque** · 14-07-11, 07:39

It's always useful to have an inside view. The recording was trouble-free, unlike last year, which was a bit of a disaster as some of you may remember, even if the sound engineers amongst you valiantly defended their ex-colleagues.

The choir consisted of the year 6-8 boys and girls, and Dec and Can were mixed, so the top line will have both. All choristers leave after Year 8, so the girls have a freshness that isn't present with older girl choristers.

Credit should go to the six leavers this year, who came back for the service.

**DracoM** · 14-07-11, 08:53

So the fun thing is that all treble-gendering factions were right!!

I have to say that for me it felt from a purely subjective pov more boy than girl, but I imagine that if you exepct to hear boys, you do, and if boys and girls are singing alongside each other regularly enough, each gender unconsciously begins to imitate the other's sound creating a hybrid. After all, the reason probationers / youngest choristers are often paired with more senior members, and why choirs develop their own idiosyncratic sound seems to come from the fact that by singing together all the time the youngest incomers approximate to the dominant sound around them whether they realise they are doing so or not, irrespective of the sex of that dominance and quite apart from DoM's audition process and subsequent input in daily practice sessions.

**cantenor2** · 14-07-11, 13:45

I too enjoyed the service and I support most comments posted so far. However, there was something niggling me from the very start about the timbre of the front row. To me it wasn’t a sound I would expect from a choir of trebles. Thank you Roger P L’E for clarifying this.

Begs the question though as to whether boys and girls voices should be mixed.... Technically it was a fine performance but not a sound I would personally endorse.

**DracoM** · 14-07-11, 16:26

< not a sound I would personally endorse >

Erm.........not sure I understand what that actually means?

**cantenor2** · 14-07-11, 16:55

Ooops, am I in danger of getting myself into deep water here! What I'm trying to say in the politest possible way is that it wasn't a blend I particularly liked and IMO at this level it should either be boys OR girls - not combined.

**DracoM** · 14-07-11, 17:38

Given the problems some foundations have in terms of recruitment, maybe that is the sound of the future for some?

CE Ripon Cathedral 13th July 2011

CE Ripon Cathedral 13th July 2011

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment