News from Sheffield

[Constantbee]

Well, I gave a (Widow’s Mite sized) donation to the Friends of Cathedral Music recently. It was as a result of a request to donate to an emergency fund to raise money for cathedral choral foundations in need during the current crisis. When I read stories like this it makes me wonder why I bother. You hear such a lot of stories about people in cathedral music falling out with one another you wonder whether all the stress is doing them any good at all. In fact, they're beginning to sound more and more like the brass band fraternity, where competitions and league tables are a big part of what it's all about. Perhaps that's what the problem is

[ardcarp]

Only just spotted the Sheffield news. (Yes I am posting from the wilderness.). How dreadful. IIRC their recent rebroadcast CE was good. On the subject of musical ‘falling out’, I’d just mention that in recent times when Exeter D and C we’re in melt down, it was the choir and DOM that kept the whole show on the road.

[oddoneout]

Well, I gave a (Widow’s Mite sized) donation to the Friends of Cathedral Music recently. It was as a result of a request to donate to an emergency fund to raise money for cathedral choral foundations in need during the current crisis. When I read stories like this it makes me wonder why I bother. You hear such a lot of stories about people in cathedral music falling out with one another you wonder whether all the stress is doing them any good at all. In fact, they're beginning to sound more and more like the brass band fraternity, where competitions and league tables are a big part of what it's all about. Perhaps that's what the problem is

Not just cathedral circles and not a recent phenomenon. Over hundreds of years there have been 'differences of opinion' over such matters, the causes sometimes genuinely to do with the music but often(too often?) have had more to do with clash of personalities and matters not directly related to the music and the music-makers. What saddens me is that exactly the same things still seem to be occurring in much the same way despite, one would have thought, better ways of dealing with such conflicts these days. Even in 'normal' times, removing one of the reasons people might choose to visit and/or support a particular establishment would not have seemed, to an outsider, the best move.

[DracoM]

Only just spotted the Sheffield news. (Yes I am posting from the wilderness.). How dreadful. IIRC their recent rebroadcast CE was good. On the subject of musical ‘falling out’, I’d just mention that in recent times when Exeter D and C we’re in melt down, it was the choir and DOM that kept the whole show on the road.

......yes, yes, yes.................as it so often IS!!!! Congregations HEAR / relate to and gain from the choir / music at a very intense level, and deffo NOT the political in-fighting between many 'clerics' etc behind the scenes - that is NOT what thy relate to.

[Flay]

Surely if the clergy want to appeal to a broader community they should be thinking about changing the services themselves, their dress, and their (frequently) stuffy presentation, rather than fiddling with the choir?

[richardlongman]

Hello,

I'm a member of the Save Sheffield Cathedral Choir collective - I'm a one-time cathedral musician now earning a crust elsewhere. Like many of you, I was horrified to see the recent turn of events at Sheffield Cathedral. Earlier in this thread, some of you allude to the turmoil of recent years at Sheffield, and (inevitably!?) to the organ; whilst others recall some of the fabulous music making to come out of the cathedral in terms of performances, recordings, broadcasts. I've been lucky to share in some exciting times there - the Royal Maundy in 2015, for example - but, right now, the future is looking particularly bleak.

Knowing that this forum is place where the value of cathedral music and all its associated benefits are taken as read, I wanted to drop in and, briefly, share our hopes as a collective.

In short, we believe the closing of Sheffield Cathedral Choir is short-sighted and has been done without clear explanation. We contest the Dean and Chapter's actions and their underlying arguments. Our aim is to correct the record, collect and promote shared views on how the Cathedral can move forward from this situation, and challenge the divisive narrative being advanced by those with responsibility for leading and managing the wider Cathedral community.

You can find out more at www.savesheffieldcathedralchoir.com and we are active on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. I'd encourage you to connect with our campaign.

Please sign our petition, calling on the Dean & Chapter of Sheffield Cathedral to reconsider their recent decision. This link will take you to sign:

https://www.change.org/p/dean-and-chapter-of-sheffield-cathedral-save-sheffield-cathedral-choir?recruiter=1134922432&utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=copylink&utm_campaign=share_petition

I'd be very grateful if you could share this amongst your choral music loving networks, and amongst those who would be opposed to such wanton destruction more generally. We're doing all we can to protect Sheffield's music and musicians.

One final but important point. In response to some comments made on social media relating to our campaign, we state unequivocally that we condemn any and all accusations that the Cathedral’s behaviour is an attack on "white culture". All members of the Save Sheffield Cathedral Choir campaign encourage the Cathedral to continue to pursue a policy of diversity and inclusion. We believe that traditional music making should work with diversity for a richer more inclusive future, not against it.

Sorry to intrude on your space but hope you will be glad of the opportunity to hear of some direct action being taken to support the music we all love.

Keep safe and well,
Richard

[cat]

From the details on their website I am surprised how small and insular the Chapter of Sheffield appears to be (they've apparently had two vacancies since 2013):

The Dean
The Canon Missioner
A Minor Canon (Church Army)
A Minor Canon (Church Army)
Honorary Cathedral Evangelist

Compare that to St Edmundsbury, a cathedral perhaps of similar stature:

The Dean
The Precentor
The Canon Pastor
The Canon Theologan
The Archdeacon for Rural Mission
Lay Member (Cathedral Warden)
Lay Member (Cathedral Warden)
Lay Member (appointed by the Bishop)
Lay Member (elected by the aAnnual Parochial Church Meeting)

[mopsus]

Sheffield is in the process of appointing a new Precentor. I don't know why they have no lay representation ex officio on chapter, but cathedral governance is something I'm pretty ignorant about.

[Cockney Sparrow]

I've just listened to a trailer for the "World this weekend" 1pm today. They will be covering the story arising from the Sheffield news story.

Just to say. There might be time to influence the piece. But don't raise your hopes, they'll find someone on the end of a phone (or has beaten a path to them already**) and it will probably be an ill-informed off-beam journalistic effort thrown together in a couple of hours.

** Lebrecht anybody? Editors/Producers seem to have a speed dial list to certain voices who know the ropes and need no editing - for example that idiot Tim Martin lecturing us on the prospects for all of British industry post Brexit when he just runs a chain of pubs - I'd like to hear his informed comment on Biotech, software engineering, research science etc

[ardcarp]

Thanks for posting that Richardlongman. I am sure many of us here will sign the petition (I have)and I’m sure we all wish you every success in your campaign to save Sheffield’s choir. What clergy often miss is that a choir with children is often a church’s biggest youth organisation. This is certainly the case in those parish churches which manage to maintain a flourishing treble line of youngsters. If anyone wants to hear what music might be like in a worst scenario future Sheffield Cathdral, listen to the first verse of the first hymn of today’s Sunday Worship. (0810 BBC Radio 4).

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m000l7bt

[jonfan]

Thanks for posting that Richardlongman. I am sure many of us here will sign the petition (I have)and I’m sure we all wish you every success in your campaign to save Sheffield’s choir. What clergy often miss is that a choir with children is often a church’s biggest youth organisation. This is certainly the case in those parish churches which manage to maintain a flourishing treble line of youngsters.

Absolutely. Involve young people with a practical role in the liturgy and they feel to be part of the bigger community, not only in singing but lesson reading and taking intercessions. The music ministry is the biggest area of youth work in many churches and messing with it unnecessarily as at Sheffield is a disaster, coupled as it seems with a quite unChristian attitude to force through the changes. It seems to me the idea is to with involving the ‘happy clappy’ element in cathedral music which will not work in that setting, as it wouldn’t if formal cathedral liturgy was part of a church where a freer worship style was the norm. There’s room for both but in separate places and/or times.

[Vile Consort]

Have I read this right? The cathedral now has no precentor, no director of music and no choir, and in a few weeks' time the Dean expects to be hearing masses by Taverner, canticles by Weelkes and some nice contemporary anthems. Good luck with that, Your Reverence.

[cat]

Statement by the Dean given at today's service: https://www.sheffieldcathedral.org/n...-choir-address

[cat]

Have I read this right? The cathedral now has no precentor, no director of music and no choir, and in a few weeks' time the Dean expects to be hearing masses by Taverner, canticles by Weelkes and some nice contemporary anthems. Good luck with that, Your Reverence.

From the statement I've just posted above, they want to change service times, livestream all choral services and extend the range of schools they recruit from. The best way to a achieve this is, as discovered through their prayerful discernment, to close the choir.

They "hope that children and adults who will not be singing during the coming year will continue to be regular members of our worshipping community, and we hope that many of them will consider joining our new choir (or choirs)."

So that seems like no choral services for a while then.

[Keraulophone]

Have I read this right? The cathedral now has no precentor, no director of music and no choir, and in a few weeks' time the Dean expects to be hearing masses by Taverner, canticles by Weelkes and some nice contemporary anthems. Good luck with that, Your Reverence.

“once again we will be one of the best, if not the best, Cathedral choir in the UK” - Dean of Sheffield.

Good luck with that too, Your Reverence.