CE St Ann’s Church, Manchester [L] Wed, April 6th 2022

[DracoM]

CE St Ann’s Church, Manchester [L]
HeartEdge Manchester Choral Scholars

Order of Service:

Introit: It is a thing most wonderful (Bob Chilcott)
Responses: Sumsion
Psalms 32, 33, 34 (Atkins, Pye, Lawes)
First Lesson: Job 36: 1-12
Office hymn: Father, hear the prayer we offer (Sussex)
Canticles: Sumsion in G
Second Lesson: John 14: 1-14
Anthem: Save us, O Lord (Bairstow)
Prayer anthem: We shall walk through the valley in peace (Trad., arr. Undine Smith Moore)
Hymn: Praise to the holiest in the height (Chorus Angelorum)

Olivia Tait (Choral Conducting Fellow)
Andrew Earis (Director of Music)

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0015vnj

[subcontrabass]

Note: same personnel as the broadcast from Sacred Trinity, Salford, last November.

[CallMePaul]

Sadly I will be travelling so am unable either to be in the church or to listen to it live on R3. If comments are favourable I may try to catch the Sunday repeat.

[jonfan]

Note: same personnel as the broadcast from Sacred Trinity, Salford, last November.

They were very impressive then so looking forward to hearing them again.

[ardcarp]

Is this a good scheme to get choral scholars but not in the Oxbridge sense? I'd be interested to know more about Heart Edge.

[subcontrabass]

Is this a good scheme to get choral scholars but not in the Oxbridge sense? I'd be interested to know more about Heart Edge.

This is their website: https://heartedgemanchester.org/

[ardcarp]

Thanks, SubCB. After a load of new-speak, the substance comes in the final paragraph:

Music is at the heart of this project, with plans to build a new church music programme in Manchester through establishing new choral education programmes, alongside community choirs and children’s music-making activity.

[mopsus]

St. Ann's is not a stranger to BBC broadcasts. I sang in the church choir there (still going strong now) in the 1990s, and we did a Daily Service, soon after it had moved to Manchester. In those days all regular services at the church were strictly 1662 BCP, but that appears to have been relaxed some years ago. The organ had a rebuild (or at least major work) in the mid-90s, then suffered some damage in the 1996 bombing which had to be repaired.

'Building a new church music programme in Manchester' seems a good aim to me. When I lived there I was told that the number of church choirs in the Diocese which sang in 4 parts every week could be counted on the fingers of one hand.

[ardcarp]

Here in our area of the darkest Southwest, I know of two churches with very capapble organists and good organs which manage to maintain a good, regular 4-part choir, one with kids on the top line. It's a struggle...and sadly one of them is having its music tradition threatened by a new vicar (no names, no pack-drill). He's the one that's banned the service of music and readings on Good Friday. The O&C is very gloomy about future music. Don't these clergy realise that music and music makers are likely to put more bums on pews?

[DracoM]

Today @ 4 p.m.

Why do vicars think that doing away with or eating away at the music involvement in the parish is doing good? It is NOT 'THEIR' parish but the people's !

[MSM69]

I think you will find that there are more than a handful of choirs in the Diocese of Manchester which can sing in four-parts. Not many sing Evensong weekly, but the offering is there. My parish in north Manchester has a strong choral tradition with Evensong every week, and children singing treble supported by a a few adult sopranos.

[ardcarp]

Excellent MSM. Glad to hear it.

Really enjoyed the CE today, with T+Bs that surely any cathedral/college would covet. Psalms and diction excellent. Whilst I think Sumsion's Canticles in G are his best, I felt that the Bairstow anthem was not an inspired choice. Surely something less saccharine would have highlighted the choir's abilities better? Be that as it may, the choir was clearly directed with great care, with attention to matching vowel sounds and sensitive phrasing. Do I gather some folk from St Martin in the Fields were involved too?

PS Is anyone able to post up some details of the organ at St Ann's church? I've drawn a blank.

[jonfan]

Agree Mr A re the singing but disagree about the Bairstow anthem, one of my favourites and lovingly done today. I also very much enjoyed the Chilcott introit.
Best wishes for the future of this fantastic enterprise. Thank you to all involved.
The organ is by George Sixsmith according to the pipe organ register.

[ardcarp]

Cetainly well-done. But I've sung it more often than I care to remember and dislike it a bit more each time! I've nothing against the often sentimental style of of the Victorians...but Bairstow (a 20th century figure although born in the 19th) IMVHO let himself down a bit here. His Blessed City Heavenly Salem is a tour de force. But one man's meat, etc, etc

[mopsus]

I think you will find that there are more than a handful of choirs in the Diocese of Manchester which can sing in four-parts. Not many sing Evensong weekly, but the offering is there. My parish in north Manchester has a strong choral tradition with Evensong every week, and children singing treble supported by a a few adult sopranos.

I think my time living in the area may have been at something of a low point, as I've heard of churches which now have choirs singing weekly which used not to. (Also more chamber choirs, as a whole lot were set up around the millennium. When I was there it was the William Byrd Singers and.... er........)