Andrew Nethsingha to move from St John's to Westminster Abbey

[Keraulophone]

has there been any royal funeral music written since Purcell's?

Handel wrote his Funeral Anthem for Queen Caroline ‘The ways of Zion do mourn’ (words previously set for use at the Chapel Royal by Michael Wise, c1647–1687) for the funeral of Caroline of Ansbach, consort of George II, at Westminster Abbey on 17 December 1737.

https://youtu.be/VCpZV8kwf9k

[cat]

Also William Croft's The souls of the righteous for Queen Anne's funeral in the Lady Chapel.

[Vox Humana]

PS: As a side thought, has there been any royal funeral music written since Purcell's?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sthH9pBy0ZQ

[Keraulophone]

[ardcarp]

Also William Croft's The souls of the righteous for Queen Anne's funeral in the Lady Chapel.

Hurray! Another Croft fan.

[cat]

Hurray! Another Croft fan.

Sadly out of fashion it seems. I don't think James O'Donnell has recorded any of Croft's works during his tenure, despite Croft being a former organist, and other former organist composers such as Edmund Hooper receiving more airtime at the Abbey than elsewhere.

Andrew Nethsingha seems to have a preference for 20th/21st century works, but maybe the Abbey's lengthy history will inspire him.

[Keraulophone]

Andrew Nethsingha seems to have a preference for 20th/21st century works, but maybe the Abbey's lengthy history will inspire him.

A regular worshipper at the Abbey has repeatedly complained to me of an alleged Roman Catholic bias in the music lists of JO'D. Be that as it may, my friend is still rejoicing that O'D is leaving, a reaction that his colleagues in the business have not replicated, to my knowledge; one well known DoM describing him as the foremost church musician of the day. I have only their series of excellent CD recordings for Hyperion to judge from, but this regular member of the congregation, who happens to be a knowledgeable organist, assures me that the daily music offer at the Abbey is currently at a lower ebb than one would expect, not only regarding repertoire choice but also the quality of singing and organ playing. Has anyone on here had a similar reaction after attending services at the Abbey in recent times?

AMN's taste, as far as I can tell, is for church music of high quality that is meaningful, relevant and perhaps challenging (in a good way), from every era - from traditional favourites to contemporary commissions. The latter will no doubt continue, but not, I think, to the exclusion of the great musical tradition held dear by (at least a great part of) the congegation and musicians of Westminster Abbey. There are great times just around the corner, and it's not often we can say (or croon) that with confidence in contemporary Britain.

[cat]

I would have loved a greater RC bias but certainly haven't seen it, either day-to-day or in recordings. For example I think his Ludford recording was quite exceptional, and I can't imagine AN doing that project. There were rumours of a follow-up but instead we had more Parry, Bairstow etc, and plenty of contemporary works, Martin, Dove etc. It was almost like he was going out of his way not to appear too RC.

I can't knock the daily services I've heard. I'd say the psalms perhaps haven't been the strongest point, but on the other hand I'd rather hear a Tudor verse anthem under JOD at the Abbey than under AN at St John's.

[Keraulophone]

Very interesting comments, thank you cat. I must get up there before the changeover to see and hear for myself. I see that the choir school's autumn term starts on 1st Sept so I look forward to hearing the choir under JO'D before concluding my late-season Proms jaunt with the Philadelphia Orchestra the following week.

[Triforium]

I am rather taken with the Morley - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fs09QdKX_2s

[Triforium]

A regular worshipper at the Abbey has repeatedly complained to me of an alleged Roman Catholic bias in the music lists of JO'D. Be that as it may, my friend is still rejoicing that O'D is leaving, a reaction that his colleagues in the business have not replicated, to my knowledge; one well known DoM describing him as the foremost church musician of the day. I have only their series of excellent CD recordings for Hyperion to judge from, but this regular member of the congregation, who happens to be a knowledgeable organist, assures me that the daily music offer at the Abbey is currently at a lower ebb than one would expect, not only regarding repertoire choice but also the quality of singing and organ playing. Has anyone on here had a similar reaction after attending services at the Abbey in recent times?

AMN's taste, as far as I can tell, is for church music of high quality that is meaningful, relevant and perhaps challenging (in a good way), from every era - from traditional favourites to contemporary commissions. The latter will no doubt continue, but not, I think, to the exclusion of the great musical tradition held dear by (at least a great part of) the congegation and musicians of Westminster Abbey. There are great times just around the corner, and it's not often we can say (or croon) that with confidence in contemporary Britain.

Not sure about the music lists, but this reads as though the regular worshiper has a bias.

[Keraulophone]

Not sure about the music lists, but this reads as though the regular worshiper has a bias.

Just looking at the recent music lists, there is a mixture of RC and Anglican that does not appear to be biased one way or the other, so you may well be right, i.e. that he does not approve of even this number of Latin settings such as Francis Grier's Missa Trinitatis Sanctae and motets by Palestrina and Tallis. The same week in late June began with the world première of Sir James MacMillan's [I]Mass of St Edward the Confessor, commissioned by parents of one of the choristers. The text is in Latin, as one would expect from this RC composer, who (I hadn't known) is also Professor of Theology, Imagination, and the Arts at the University of St Andrews.

[Caussade]

Not sure about the music lists, but this reads as though the regular worshiper has a bias.

The music lists for the last month or two looks pretty remarkable to me, in breadth and ambition - I can't think of another choir that comes close - and if we're worried about 'the great works' (by which people usually mean Howells, Wood and Stanford) - Howells, Harris, Walton Te Deum, Bairstow, huge bits of Elgar, Gibbons, bit of the Byrd Great Service, etc. Also a new commissioned mass by James Macmillan, big mass by Grier, Part Beatitudes. I'ts quite a line up. My sense of James O'Donnell's programming is that is broader, more imaginative. and better liturgically informed than most people's, and if that means drawing on Catholic repertoire, well, there you are. If they've had a wobbly patch recently, well that happens too, however well prepared the choir. Anyone less likely than James O'Donnell to be lackadaisical about these things it is hard to imagine. One aspect of his work that isn't being mentioned much in all this is that he also maintains a high profile as a superb solo recitalist - not something that many people in his position seem to do.