News from Sheffield

[DracoM]

Nasty - if proved to be true.

[Vox Humana]

Nasty - if proved to be true.

Nasty either way, I should imagine.

[mw963]

It's probably too late now, but it might actually be best to be very guarded about this. The person I mention above with Sheffield connections has just been filled me in on a lot of the background detail to this case. It explains pretty much everything and none of it is what it seems publicly at first glance. As others have commented, there is a lot that is not being told and probably can't be. Please don't send me PMs about this: I have promised confidentiality so will not respond.

Point taken, although it seems pretty idiotic to use the "inclusive" tag for the public explanation if that isn't the case, surely another "excuse" could have been found....

[Frances_iom]

just what is a 'non-binary member' referred in the the Guardian article?

[oddoneout]

just what is a 'non-binary member' referred in the the Guardian article?

Not identifying with the either/or, male/female(ie binary) construct. This came up on another thread but I'm afraid I can't remember which.

[Ein Heldenleben]

The Guardian now reports that a bullying and harassment claims investigation is going on:

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/...assment-claims

Thanks.So the truth will emerge as it must....

[Jack Pudding]

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2020/jul/24/sheffield-cathedral-to-investigate-bullying-and-harassment-claims

[Jack Pudding]

https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/why-is-sheffield-cathedral-s-choir-being-disbanded-for-inclusivity-

[Andrew Butler]

The Dean on Times Radio just now and not really being clear about anything but saying diversity means "more Tudor repertory e.g. Purcell".

I heard that but got shot down in flames elsewhere, and was told that's not what he said!?

[cat]

I heard that but got shot down in flames elsewhere, and was told that's not what he said!?

I just listened again and have transcribed the relevant part of the interview:

Interviewer: So tell me, when you talk about increasing diversity, are you talking about increasing the range of people who might come and join you and sing, or the kind of music they are going to be giving us?

Dean: Well, within the cathedral music tradition, there is opportunities to be singing other, sort of slightly wider repertoire, more contemporary repertoire and so on. I think our repertoire had become rather limited, but...

Interviewer: Give me an example, what sort of thing could we look forward to hearing under the new regime that we might not have heard before

Dean: Well it's not really a new regime but we've sung very little of the sort of beautiful Anglican Tudor repertory, it's very demanding, it's very beautiful, and we sing some of it but I want to bring all of it back into use. Repertory say by Purcell, which is very beautiful and as it happens we have not sung. And i think there are contemporary composers like say Panufnik an English woman composer, who [is] really beautiful we could be singing.

[cat]

The bizarre thing is that when asked about the stated reason for disbanding the choir, i.e. increasing diversity, the first thing he mentions is Tudor repertoire. It's the sort of reply one might find in a comedy skit.

[oddoneout]

The bizarre thing is that when asked about the stated reason for disbanding the choir, i.e. increasing diversity, the first thing he mentions is Tudor repertoire. It's the sort of reply one might find in a comedy skit.

It was at that point I decided that there was another story underneath what was being publicly aired, an opinion supported by my two peripheral experiences of the 'choir as smokescreen' manoeuvre more than 35 years ago.
As with marriage breakdowns, what a great shame that children suffer the damage of adults falling out.

[BBMmk2]

I was most saddened to hear this news. Quite shocked, actually!

[Andrew Butler]

I just listened again and have transcribed the relevant part of the interview:

Interviewer: So tell me, when you talk about increasing diversity, are you talking about increasing the range of people who might come and join you and sing, or the kind of music they are going to be giving us?

Dean: Well, within the cathedral music tradition, there is opportunities to be singing other, sort of slightly wider repertoire, more contemporary repertoire and so on. I think our repertoire had become rather limited, but...

Interviewer: Give me an example, what sort of thing could we look forward to hearing under the new regime that we might not have heard before

Dean: Well it's not really a new regime but we've sung very little of the sort of beautiful Anglican Tudor repertory, it's very demanding, it's very beautiful, and we sing some of it but I want to bring all of it back into use. Repertory say by Purcell, which is very beautiful and as it happens we have not sung. And i think there are contemporary composers like say Panufnik an English woman composer, who [is] really beautiful we could be singing.

I agree that it can be "heard" either way having seen the transcript. But why is it necessary to disband a music department just to introduce Purcell or Panufnik?

[Ein Heldenleben]

I just listened again and have transcribed the relevant part of the interview:

Interviewer: So tell me, when you talk about increasing diversity, are you talking about increasing the range of people who might come and join you and sing, or the kind of music they are going to be giving us?

Dean: Well, within the cathedral music tradition, there is opportunities to be singing other, sort of slightly wider repertoire, more contemporary repertoire and so on. I think our repertoire had become rather limited, but...

Interviewer: Give me an example, what sort of thing could we look forward to hearing under the new regime that we might not have heard before

Dean: Well it's not really a new regime but we've sung very little of the sort of beautiful Anglican Tudor repertory, it's very demanding, it's very beautiful, and we sing some of it but I want to bring all of it back into use. Repertory say by Purcell, which is very beautiful and as it happens we have not sung. And i think there are contemporary composers like say Panufnik an English woman composer, who [is] really beautiful we could be singing.

Thanks for the quote. It all sounds wierdly similar to that timeless phrase used in the Melody Maker and NME in ths seventies when a rock legend band broke up 'citing musical differences'. Perhaps it is just possible the entire thing is about repertoire . It's amazing how people can fall out over music isnt it?