Rumours from The Temple Church

[ardcarp]

I have heard from a somewhat distant source that The Temple Church might be 'doing a Belfast' and chucking out its singing men. Please tell me I'm wrong, someone. Surely all those rich lawyers have plenty of cash? And such a historic institution in every way.

[smittims]

Coincidentally I've just been listening to a famous recording made there: Barbirolli's 1962 'Fantasia on a theme by Thomas Tallis'. Surely if tradition is worth continuing,this is one of the places where it is most justified.

[Subtuum]

I have heard from a somewhat distant source that The Temple Church might be 'doing a Belfast' and chucking out its singing men. Please tell me I'm wrong, someone. Surely all those rich lawyers have plenty of cash? And such a historic institution in every way.

The current line up of ATB (12 I think) will be reduced to a regular team of 8 (SATB) - the choristers will still exist, but original members of the back row will have to re audition for one of the 6 ‘new’ jobs. There are new stipulations on minimum attendance and compulsory services.

All change.

[Caussade]

I have heard from a somewhat distant source that The Temple Church might be 'doing a Belfast' and chucking out its singing men. Please tell me I'm wrong, someone. Surely all those rich lawyers have plenty of cash? And such a historic institution in every way.

I think your source is possibly a bit excitable. I have no connection with the place but I've heard a less dramatic version. There has been an occasional suggestion - no more - that the Temple may possibly be reducing the numbers in the back row, but there hasn't been any talk of them disbanding entirely. It would be all around London if that were the case. Wheeling out tropes about 'rich lawyers' misses the point. The individual lawyers may be rich, but I don't think they're the ones paying for the music (in which I suspect quite a few have no interest whatsoever, which is their prerogative of course). 'The Temple' as a foundation, entity, whatever you call it, pays the bills, and there have been suggestions - who knows whether they have any substance- that the underlying difficulty is that income from the rental of chambers is greatly reduced as previous tenants increasingly work from home. Less money means harder decisions about what to spend it on, and after all the core business of the Temple is law, not choral music. 'Historic' cuts no ice here, in the cold light of budget deficits. There's going to be more of this sort of thing, I suspect, as the full financial impacts of the last 2 years become clear, so brace yourselves.
[Crossed with subtuum, who seems to have confirmed that the version I've heard was in fact the correct one]

[Subtuum]

I think your source is possibly a bit excitable. I have no connection with the place but I've heard a less dramatic version. There has been an occasional suggestion - no more - that the Temple may possibly be reducing the numbers in the back row, but there hasn't been any talk of them disbanding entirely. It would be all around London if that were the case. Wheeling out tropes about 'rich lawyers' misses the point. The individual lawyers may be rich, but I don't think they're the ones paying for the music (in which I suspect quite a few have no interest whatsoever, which is their prerogative of course). 'The Temple' as a foundation, entity, whatever you call it, pays the bills, and there have been suggestions - who knows whether they have any substance- that the underlying difficulty is that income from the rental of chambers is greatly reduced as previous tenants increasingly work from home. Less money means harder decisions about what to spend it on, and after all the core business of the Temple is law, not choral music. 'Historic' cuts no ice here, in the cold light of budget deficits. There's going to be more of this sort of thing, I suspect, as the full financial impacts of the last 2 years become clear, so brace yourselves.
[Crossed with subtuum, who seems to have confirmed that the version I've heard was in fact the correct one]

I don’t really buy the lack of money thing. Temple Choir has not been a happy place for a while, and I think this is the powers that be stamping their authority and ‘removing’ the problems. There has been no mention of cash issues etc during the process. This is someone wanting to stamp their authority and vision on the set-up.

And don’t forget this will now be the end to that fat, rich back row sound that Temple always had - it was a starry line up of singers. Amazing of the place to think the original 12 would want to re audition for the streamlined version.

[ardcarp]

So there was some substance to the rumour. One of my relatives-by-marriage is currently in the back row of the Temple Choir. He's being a bit cagey about it, so something must be up.