Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols 2021 from the Chapel of King's College, Cambridge

[cat]

For some reason the repeat was scheduled for the two whole hours between 13:00 to 15:00, but commenced at 13:26 with the first 25 minutes being filled with random stuff.

Very taken with the renditions of The Angel Gabriel and In Dulci Jubilo on second hearing, the new commission not so much.

[oddoneout]

For some reason the repeat was scheduled for the two whole hours between 13:00 to 15:00, but commenced at 13:26 with the first 25 minutes being filled with random stuff.

Very taken with the renditions of The Angel Gabriel and In Dulci Dubilo on second hearing, the new commission not so much.

Yes I wondered about that when I first noted the schedule (haven't got the local rag's TV and radio supplement so having to resort to pen and paper and internet), and Petroc wasn't forthcoming about the reason for the delay to the start. I had assumed that it would start on time then fill in spare minutes at the end, but it would appear not.
Second time around the new piece didn't appeal any more than the first hearing, not least as I didn't feel it fulfilled this purpose

a moment of quiet contemplation and stillness in the service

. However that's just personal opinion and I'm sure others will have liked it.
Strange lash up and stow on the schedule front - cut and pasted radio 4 listing with the R3 infill pieces tacked on the end - although of course they preceded the broadcast.

[Ein Heldenleben]

Nit-picking aside, Christmas wouldn't be Christmas without King's...so, pausing from the job which is within my pay-grade ....doing the pickled cabbage....may I wish one and all a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS.

Thanks Merry Christmas to all . Have laid table , washed up lunch , stuffed Turkey, opened bottle of red . Heard the service while all that in train. The first half glass went very well with the superbly played Organ voluntaries….

[DracoM]

What a schedule mess - why no mention on air??
Weird.

[oddoneout]

What a schedule mess - why no mention on air??
Weird.

Well it was - sort of - but only in passing by Petroc during his slot, so easily missed.

[cloughie]

Well it was - sort of - but only in passing by Petroc during his slot, so easily missed.

I may have misheard, but probably not as it turned out, that Petroc he’d be there for the next four and a half hours!

[Alison]

I may have misheard, but probably not as it turned out, that Petroc he’d be there for the next four and a half hours!

That’s right. I heard the beginning and end and might have been more persuaded to stay tuned had Stephen Hough been able to appear as planned. It was a bit odd that 9 lessons started at 13.23 or whenever it was. I suppose it has never been a two hour gig.

But it did seem a tad unimaginative to feature Petroc, who I don’t dislike, for so long.

[jonfan]

It very clearly states that only the final verses are by the listed arranger; OUP lists Willcocks as arranger of vv.1–5 of O come, all ye faithful, in CfK (as does, I believe NEH); and the harmony in Once in royal is Mann’s own harmony, heard in each verse for the repeat of the first line of music.

Apologies, I notice now that the final verse composers are correctly listed on the KC service sheet.
Willcocks clearly states in Carol for Choirs 1 that the harmonies for verses 1 to 5 of 'O come' are from the English Hymnal of 1933, so clearly not by DW.
Only verse 2 sung of 'Once in royal' is completely by Mann, so odd the mish-mash. Clearly Mann valued his arrangement of Irby as his publisher Novello holds the copyright, perhaps now expired? The other popular publication to print his version is the University Carol Book edited by Erik Routley also, like CC1, puiblished in 1961. UCB is a rich, practical resource of many carols from around the world, in particular Basque Carols which were totally ignored by Jacques and Willcocks.

[ardcarp]

Rather extraordinary to think that A.H. (Daddy) Mann was taught to play the organ by someone born in the 18th (yes, eighteenth) century, one Zechariah Buck.

[jonfan]

Rather extraordinary to think that A.H. (Daddy) Mann was taught to play the organ by someone born in the 18th (yes, eighteenth) century, one Zechariah Buck.

Yes, links today's music with the past and hopefully continuing into the future.

[oddoneout]

I thought it all exceptionally good..and I particularly liked the arrangement by June Nixon of The Holly and the Ivy.

As I noted at the time I also liked this arrangement. Having mentioned it at choir last night I decided to try and find out a bit more about June Nixon and came across this https://musforum.org/interview-with-june-nixon/
I've just noticed from another site that apparently this wasn't the first outing of that arrangement; it was also in the 2010 service.

[cat]

it was also in the 2010 service.

...with quite a different descant I think.