CE St Mary’s Cathedral, Edinburgh [L] 17.8.2022

[DracoM]

CE St Mary’s Cathedral, Edinburgh
Edinburgh International Festival


Order of Service:


Introit: O come ye servants of the Lord (Tye)
Responses: Smith
Psalm 89 (Walmisley, Howells, Surplice)
First Lesson: John 6 : 1-15
Canticles: First Service (Parsons)
Second Lesson: Acts 8 : 14-25
Anthem: Great Lord of Lords (Gibbons)
Prayer Anthem: Ave Maria (Parsons)
Hymn: Eternal ruler of the ceaseless round (Song 1)

Voluntary: Prelude and Fugue in C, BWV 531 (Bach)


Imogen Morgan (Assistant Master of the Music)
Duncan Ferguson (Master of the Music)

[DracoM]

Reminder: today @ 4 p.m.

[Londoner]

There's definitely been a change in editorial policy in the last six weeks or so, requiring wordier introductions to readings and music.

[DracoM]

Agreed and IMO not truly a change for the better, maybe?
Sorry, but really did not think much of either the singing or the service.

[ardcarp]

There's definitely been a change in editorial policy in the last six weeks or so, requiring wordier introductions to readings and music.

'fraid so, Londoner. I suppose the BBC want to make the contents of CE more 'accessible' by explaining the 'meaning' of Psalms, Hymns and Bible-readings. (Some of the latter, especially obscure OT ones, may best be left in the dark!)

CE has often been described as an art-form, which it certainly is to me. Its flow is horribly disturbed by these interruptions, however well-meant. I suppose a short welcome and a very brief description of the place might be OK right at the start. Otherwise let the Book of Common Prayer run its course.

PS There is an alternative explanation which leaves 'BBC Policy' out of the loop. It is perfectly possible that the 'over-explaining' on CE broadcasts has just spread among the clergy (who presumably listen to broadcast CE on occasions) and they personally feel the need to provide 'accessibility' to the average Radio 3 listener, perhaps not realising the nature of such listeners. At the last couple of weekday CEs I've attended in person (Winchster and Wells) there was no such extra-liturgical wordage. Indeed we were in and out in about 40 minutes!

[Lordgeous]

The Book of Common Prayer? Isn't this the Catholic Cathedral?

[mopsus]

The Book of Common Prayer? Isn't this the Catholic Cathedral?

There are 2 St Mary's Cathedrals in Edinburgh, and this broadcast came from the Episcopal (i.e. Anglican) one.

As for the introductions to readings and so on, this is an increasing trend in some choral foundations. At Bath Abbey lots of liturgical items are introduced in this way. For myself, I sometimes appreciate a few words about the anthem, and I think it's essential to give some indication of the meaning of the text to the congregation if it is not in English. (I once sang at a service in Ely where the anthem was introduced with the words 'The choir will now sing Rheinberger's Abendlied' and nothing else!)

[cat]

I can cope with a few words about the anthem, and I suppose a few words about the psalms might be tolerable, although attempting to tenuously link them to some current event is pretty silly. However what's most objectionable are the introductions to the place that would never be included in a non-broadcast service. It totally ruins any sense of eavesdropping on a regular service, and surely this it can be done by the continuity announcer beforehand if deemed necessary? But really, do we need to know that there was a comedy festival in Edinburgh that weekend, that there are around 50 students at St Stepehen's House including PGCE students, or that the three choirs festival features exhibitions and talks?

[ardcarp]

Further to my PS afterthought on Post#5, I have had a conversation with a current DoM who says there has been no official BBC dictat about 'explaining' everything. So this must be something arising from the clergy themselves, especially with regard to broadcasts.

There haven't been many comments about the singing from St Mary's. I thought they did a great job, my only reservation being that the Parsons canticles were a bit 'notey'. By that I mean somewhat lacking in phrasing. This happens all too often in the 'short service' format where the text is largely set to chords. (George Guest always used to say that no two adjacent notes should be sung with the same emphasis. A bit of a challenge!)
I think St Mary's Episcopal Cathedral Choir was the first to have a boy and girl mixed treble line, as far back as 1978. They sang with great confidence in the broadcast. Good for them.

https://www.cathedral.net/music/choir/

[mopsus]

Further to my PS afterthought on Post#5, I have had a conversation with a current DoM who says there has been no official BBC dictat about 'explaining' everything. So this must be something arising from the clergy themselves, especially with regard to broadcasts.

There haven't been many comments about the singing from St Mary's. I thought they did a great job, my only reservation being that the Parsons canticles were a bit 'notey'. ...

The practice of prefacing the anthem with more than its name and text goes back some way. I have a treasured off-air recording from King's College Chapel in the late 1980s in which the anthem (Valiant-for-Truth by Vaughan Williams) is introduced with an explanation of the theological significance of the words - perhaps more necessary when the text is not scriptural, and allegorical. Often the occasion the anthem was originally written for is mentioned in such introductions.

I think the 'notiness' of the Parsons may be rather inherent in the music. A choir I sing with programmed these canticles, hoping they might be as good as his Ave Maria, and was sadly disappointed with them.

[jonfan]

A fine, decisive attack from the choir; a beautiful sound and a worthy Parsons fest. The repeated car alarm didn't disturb the priest one bit; it always seemed to happen as she started speaking!

[AuntyKezia]

[QUOTE=ardcarp;890470]Further to my PS afterthought on Post#5, I have had a conversation with a current DoM who says there has been no official BBC dictat about 'explaining' everything. So this must be something arising from the clergy themselves, especially with regard to broadcasts.

This week's Church Times (out today rather than Friday, I suppose because of the impending Bank Holiday) contains a letter headed "Ad libs during evensong" in which the Rector of Kirtlington issues a plea to "deans, precentors, and the producer of Radio 3's Choral Evensong ... to let the liturgy speak for itself. ... I will concede that a very brief welcome after the introit might be desirable, but please leave it at that."

[ardcarp]

This week's Church Times (out today rather than Friday, I suppose because of the impending Bank Holiday) contains a letter headed "Ad libs during evensong" in which the Rector of Kirtlington issues a plea to "deans, precentors, and the producer of Radio 3's Choral Evensong ... to let the liturgy speak for itself. ... I will concede that a very brief welcome after the introit might be desirable, but please leave it at that."

Good for the Rector of Kirtlington! He seems more settled in his churchmanship than The Vicar of Bray.