CE Chapel of Keble College, Oxford [L] Wed, Nov 17th 2021

[DracoM]

Rpt Sunday @ 3 p.m.

[ardcarp]

It seems a shame that a college choir of this quality are restricted to singing Evensong on just one day a week (Wednesdays).

Agreed. However there may be reasons. My own daughter was a Cambridge choral scholar, but she was studying Natski (Natural Sciences). Unlike an arts student, there is far more dedicated contact time in labs in addition to tutorials. So she was advised to opt for Gonville and Caius which only did two weekday evensongs. Even then, in her final year, her commitments were quite heavy.
So it may be that science undergrads who happen to have good voices deliberately choose a college where the 'choir time' fits in with their studies.

In those days...nearly 30 years ago... only a few Cambridge colleges had a 'professional' DoM...G&C being one of them. (Clare and Trinity did too, obviously, in addition to Kings and Johns.) The rest were left in the hands of the senior organ scholar, which was great experience for them. Now there are far more 'professionals' running the college choirs. [Please correct me if I have details wrong.]

Ms Ardcarp had a great time in G&C's choir. The (then) DoM explored a wide and interesting repertoire, produced CDs, e.g. of Puccini's choral music (!) and the choir had a big annual tour in the Summer vac. I recall Bulgaria being one country visited, only recently out of Soviet influence, and the citizens being generally very poor. All great experiences.

Among other interesting CDs were choral works by Samuel Wesley (not SS), Rebecca Clark, Patrick Hadley and Charles Wood (his St Mark Passion).

[jonfan]

Very enjoyable CE, and yes, agreed, the Rose is very fine. It may have been the reverberance of the room, or the engineering - the lower parts in the Rose seemed a little unclear. jonfan, give the piece another chance via a youtube or commercial recording. I have found it to be a pleasure to sing and to listen to. In fact, I was so taken by it upon first encounter that I asked myself where it had been all these years, given some of the frequently rehashed 'standard repertoire'.

Thanks for the advice. I’ll give it a serious listen.

[Simon Biazeck]

It was also the final encore of this fabulous concert (also from St Paul's, but under the tenure of Barry Rose): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IPL2ChcC5A0

WOW! It's difficult to imagine more perfect choral sound and music-making. Miraculous! And Alan Green on tenor solo, if I am not mistaken. He was still there in John Scott's time when I first started deputising and was very friendly and encouraging.

[subcontrabass]

The rest were left in the hands of the senior organ scholar, which was great experience for them.

"Senior" organ scholar? When I started as an organ scholar at an Oxford college in 1965 I was the only organ scholar. Many other colleges then also had only one organ scholar. In my second year the college moved to electing an organ scholar every two years, so that there would be an overlap. This was apparently a consequece of problems that my predecessor had experienced in his third year when trying to combine organ scholar duties (six services a week - only one with choir) with final examinations.

[Keraulophone]

So it may be that science undergrads who happen to have good voices deliberately choose a college where the 'choir time' fits in with their studies.

This is very understandable. Trinity College Choir sing 'only' three Evensongs per week (as do Clare; Caius are listed as singing 1 CE, 1 Choral Vespers & 1 Choral Eucharist weekly), but of course there's more to learn 'beneath the surface', eg their Christmas Oratorio coming up at St John's Smith Square in addition to preparation for recordings and planned tours (which may or may not happen). Trinity is renowned for its scientists, and they do exist in the choir, so they must have a tight timetable. Even though a non-NatSci, my daughter (in Trinity Ch) finds there is very little time for anything else outside choir. What is extraordinary is that Trinity College Music Society managed to mount a full production of The Marriage of Figaro in four weeks earlier this term, with many of the cast committed to existing choir duties. They must be able to write their essays in half the usual time.
.

[ardcarp]

the college moved to electing an organ scholar every two years

I think several (most?) Oxbridge colleges have two organ scholars on the go at any one time, probably for reasons that you mention....one 'senior' and one 'junior' or whatever they care to call them.

[subcontrabass]

I think several (most?) Oxbridge colleges have two organ scholars on the go at any one time, probably for reasons that you mention....one 'senior' and one 'junior' or whatever they care to call them.

They do now. They did not in the past.