CE St Peter's Collegiate Church, Wolverhampton [R] 28.vi.23

[DracoM]

CE St Peter's Collegiate Church, Wolverhampton [R]
Eve of the Feast of Peter the Apostle

Order of Service:

Introit: Justorum animae (Stanford)
Responses: Paul Spicer
Psalms 66, 67 (Lindsay Gray, Bairstow)
First Lesson: Ezekiel 3: 4-11
Canticles: Murrill in E
Second Lesson: Acts 9: 32-43
Anthem: Blessed City, heavenly Salem (Bairstow)
Hymn: Thou art the Christ, O Lord (Love unknown)

Voluntary: Evocation (Allegro deciso) (Dupré)

Charles Francis (Assistant Director of Music)
Callum Alger (Director of Music)
Recorded 3 June.

[ardcarp]

Anthem: Blessed City, Heavenly Salem (Bairstow)

At some random point on R3 in the past week, a version 'orchestrated' by Bairstow himself was played. (Anyone remember where/when?) He scored it for strings and piano of all things. It lost most of its colour IMO, especially where that short but loud organ solo bit in the middle occurs. It cried out for brass there, but also for some woodwind solos in the more tender moments.

[Pulcinella]

At some random point on R3 in the past week, a version 'orchestrated' by Bairstow himself was played. (Anyone remember where/when?) He scored it for strings and piano of all things. It lost most of its colour IMO, especially where that short but loud organ solo bit in the middle occurs. It cried out for brass there, but also for some woodwind solos in the more tender moments.

I suspect that it was from this new CD though I've no idea when it might have been played.

https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/products/9489845--orchestral-anthems-elgar-finzi-dyson-howells

[ttam.esor]

Matt, a bass (sometimes tenor) from St. Peter's here, thought it might be useful to provide a little insight..

Despite not being live (half the back row are teachers and unlikely to have got the time off) this was a thrill to record, I guess there's something about the red light going on that makes things feel a little different.

Ben Collingwood, and his colleague, were both incredibly professional and offered some fantastic insight in how we could sound the best we could; particularly in our incredibly dry acoustic.
Our Director of Music, Callum Alger (brief note on him below), I'm sure, felt incredibly validated with Ben saying the same things that Callum has been saying to us for years...(!)

Despite Covid ravaging the traditional methods of recruitment over the past three years, there's good stuff going on at St. Peter's.
We keep two Choral Evensongs and a Choral Eucharist each week. A Cathedral tour for a week in the Summer (Wells last year, Lincoln coming up in August), as well as a day out a couple of times a year (Westminster Abbey, Gloucester and St George's Windsor, over the past year or so.)

The music for the service is standard rep. and we didn't particularly rehearse any more than we would have done for any other service (well, maybe slightly). This is eavesdropping in the truest sense.

An interesting note, to me at least, is that the 'waffle' about how long St. Peter's has been around, and the 'introduction' before the Psalms, etc. is actually requested by the BBC. It's not the Clergy (at least in our case) wanting to give a history lecture.

Much thanks must go to Callum Alger our DoM. He's a top bloke and incredibly professional in dealing with us bunch of amateurs. We take it seriously, sure, but we're amateurs. He really does get the best out of all of us. His persistence in getting the BBC to come is something measured in years, rather than months.

Also, a note must go to Charles Francis, who's heading off to Eastman School of Music (Rochester, NY) in the new academic year to study under, amongst others, Nathan Laube. He'll be greatly missed for his stellar playing and excellent company.

I do hope this begins to open the door to other 'lesser' places (not to diminish those 'greater'), giving more people the insight into the good stuff that is being achieved.

In the past 10 years, we could only think of St Mary, Warwick and Croydon Minster that were done with a Church's own choir, with kids on the top line.. (Who are we missing?)
Thanks to the BBC and I can't wait to hear it on the radio. I do hope you enjoy.

A fun story..
A few of the back row arrived rather early, to find Ben having just finished setting up microphones and the like, exchanged pleasantries, etc.
Ben, shortly after, excused himself to "go and get some lunch". 10 minutes later, we found him in the Choir Pub, not 10 metres from the Church's Lych Gate, pint in hand. "Errrrr, I'm in here, ummm, preparing.." he said. "That's what we're about to do!" we replied :)

[antongould]

Matt, a bass (sometimes tenor) from St. Peter's here, thought it might be useful to provide a little insight..

Despite not being live (half the back row are teachers and unlikely to have got the time off) this was a thrill to record, I guess there's something about the red light going on that makes things feel a little different.

Ben Collingwood, and his colleague, were both incredibly professional and offered some fantastic insight in how we could sound the best we could; particularly in our incredibly dry acoustic.
Our Director of Music, Callum Alger (brief note on him below), I'm sure, felt incredibly validated with Ben saying the same things that Callum has been saying to us for years...(!)

Despite Covid ravaging the traditional methods of recruitment over the past three years, there's good stuff going on at St. Peter's.
We keep two Choral Evensongs and a Choral Eucharist each week. A Cathedral tour for a week in the Summer (Wells last year, Lincoln coming up in August), as well as a day out a couple of times a year (Westminster Abbey, Gloucester and St George's Windsor, over the past year or so.)

The music for the service is standard rep. and we didn't particularly rehearse any more than we would have done for any other service (well, maybe slightly). This is eavesdropping in the truest sense.

An interesting note, to me at least, is that the 'waffle' about how long St. Peter's has been around, and the 'introduction' before the Psalms, etc. is actually requested by the BBC. It's not the Clergy (at least in our case) wanting to give a history lecture.

Much thanks must go to Callum Alger our DoM. He's a top bloke and incredibly professional in dealing with us bunch of amateurs. We take it seriously, sure, but we're amateurs. He really does get the best out of all of us. His persistence in getting the BBC to come is something measured in years, rather than months.

Also, a note must go to Charles Francis, who's heading off to Eastman School of Music (Rochester, NY) in the new academic year to study under, amongst others, Nathan Laube. He'll be greatly missed for his stellar playing and excellent company.

I do hope this begins to open the door to other 'lesser' places (not to diminish those 'greater'), giving more people the insight into the good stuff that is being achieved.

In the past 10 years, we could only think of St Mary, Warwick and Croydon Minster that were done with a Church's own choir, with kids on the top line.. (Who are we missing?)
Thanks to the BBC and I can't wait to hear it on the radio. I do hope you enjoy.

A fun story..
A few of the back row arrived rather early, to find Ben having just finished setting up microphones and the like, exchanged pleasantries, etc.
Ben, shortly after, excused himself to "go and get some lunch". 10 minutes later, we found him in the Choir Pub, not 10 metres from the Church's Lych Gate, pint in hand. "Errrrr, I'm in here, ummm, preparing.." he said. "That's what we're about to do!" we replied :)

Many thanks for this wonderful post …….

[jonfan]

Many thanks for this wonderful post …….

Agree.CollersB twitter posts are a useful source of info into CEs.

[DracoM]

[ardcarp]

from me too. It's great that a few places (such as yours) manage to sustain the Anglican traditon of music.

An interesting note, to me at least, is that the 'waffle' about how long St. Peter's has been around, and the 'introduction' before the Psalms, etc. is actually requested by the BBC.

I guessed as much and suggested it in a much earlier post. Actually I don't mind the introduction about the place of worship at the start as part of the 'welcome'. But before psalms, hymns and anthems it just wrecks the flow of that minor art-form which is Choral Evensong.

[Pulcinella]

from me too. It's great that a few places (such as yours) manage to sustain the Anglican traditon of music.



I guessed as much and suggested it in a much earlier post. Actually I don't mind the introduction about the place of worship at the start as part of the 'welcome'. But before psalms, hymns and anthems it just wrecks the flow of that minor art-form which is Choral Evensong.

If the BBC website were up to snuff, it could provide the words of the psalms and the texts of the hymns, anthems, etc and avoid the wreckage. It certainly puts me off listening (but now that it's not available on my internet radio I'm seldom listening anyway).

[Guest]

I'm afraid I remain unconvinced about recorded worship.

[jonfan]

Full on, passionate singing with no hiding in the quite dry acoustic. Very particular care in preparation was evident in every bar. Congratulations on a very moving act of worship.

[DracoM]

[ardcarp]

Well put jonfan. Exceptional quality of musicianship must come from a very talented DoM.

[ardcarp]

A bit of history:

St Peter's Collegiate Church Wolverhampton was founded in AD994 by Lady Wulfruna. The present building dates from 1200 to 1500, with a Victorian Chancel. From 1480 to 1846 the church was a 'Royal Peculiar', linked with St George's Chapel in Windsor Castle. The Dean of Windsor was also Dean of Wolverhampton.

The Royal Peculiar bit means that it was at one time not under the control of the local diocese...presumably Lichfield, nor indeed governed by Canterbury.

[ttam.esor]

The Royal Peculiar bit means that it was at one time not under the control of the local diocese...presumably Lichfield, nor indeed governed by Canterbury.

Indeed so. I believe this is why we're 'permitted' the Scarlet Red cassocks(?)