A SERVICE FOR ADVENT WITH CAROLS 27th Nov 2011

[DracoM]

A SERVICE FOR ADVENT WITH CAROLS
Chapel of St John's College, Cambridge


Order of Service:


Carol: Es ist ein Ros' entsprungen (arr. Nield)
Processional Hymn: O come, O come, Emmanuel (Veni Emmanuel) (descant: Hill)
Bidding Prayer
Carol: The Cherry Tree Carol (arr. Cleobury)

I The Message of Advent
Sentence and Collect
Antiphons: O Sapientia and O Adonai
First lesson: Isaiah 11: 1-5
Carol: A Tender Shoot (Goldschmidt)
Second lesson: 1 Thessalonians 5: 1-11
Out of your Sleep (Milner)

II The Word of God
Sentence and Collect
Antiphons: O Radix Jesse and O Clavis David
Anthem: Adam lay ibounden (Swayne)
Third lesson: Micah 4: 1-4
Carol: The Truth from Above (arr. Vaughan Williams/ Robinson)
Fourth lesson: Luke 4: 14-21
Hymn: Come, thou long-expected Jesus (Cross of Jesus) (descant: Robinson)

III The Prophetic Call
Sentence and Collect
Antiphons: O Oriens and O Rex Gentium
Motet: Rorate coeli (Guerrero)
Fifth lesson: Malachi 3: 1-7
Anthem: How lovely are the messengers (Mendelssohn)
Sixth lesson: Matthew 3: 1-11
Hymn: On Jordan's bank the Baptist's cry (Winchester New) (descant: Robinson)

IV The Christ-Bearer
Sentence and Collect
Antiphon: O Emmanuel
Carol: The Annunciation (Jonathan Harvey) (first performance)
Seventh lesson: Luke 1: 39-49
Motet: Übers Gebirg Maria geht (Eccard)
Magnificat: Stanford in B flat
Eighth lesson: John 3:1-8
Sentence and Christmas Collect
Carol: Tomorrow shall be my dancing day (Gardner)
Hymn: Lo! He comes with clouds descending (Helmsley) (descant: Robinson)
College Prayer and Blessing



Organ Voluntary:
Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme BWV 645 (J.S. Bach)



Assistant Organist: John Challenger
Director of Music: Andrew Nethsingha

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

This one's always worth a listen. I've been following it since the days of George Guest.

[Magnificat]

I know it is appropriate and they always do one but for me Stanford in B Flat Mag is for Evensong. Why can't they give us one of the many lovely settings of the Ave Maria for a change?

VCC

[Alison]

Good to end with a proper advent carol instead of Hark the herald !

It doesn't seem the most imaginative selection this year. Tomorrow shall be dancing day a big turn off for me !!

Let's hope the Harvey delivers :)

[DracoM]

I wonder if, rather like KCC, their 'big' services might have become a straitjacket, such that improvisation of format, structure and musical repertoire is constrained by the need to remember or be reminded of their global audience. In the end, they and KCC can far too readily be defined by the image makers and even embalmed in aspic by their very successes in a particular format.

These are fine musicians, and at times I feel immensely sorry for them as they set out on what might seem like both millstone and the annual treadmill. As soon as a choir become indelibly associated with an annual ritual, they can become trapped.

I always wonder what Stephen Cleobury must be thinking as he steps up to read for the unflagging Nth time that same lesson from Luke every year.

[pole_2_pole]

FYI - John Challenger (Assistant Organist at John's) has been appointed as Assistant Director of Music at Salisbury Cathedral following Daniel Cook's imminent move to Wales....

[Nick Armstrong]

I know it is appropriate and they always do one but for me Stanford in B Flat Mag is for Evensong. Why can't they give us one of the many lovely settings of the Ave Maria for a change?

VCC

Like Alps, I have had this on most if not all Advent Sundays since the Guest days... (It is the time I try and start writing some Christmas cards, ideally do all the ones going abroad)

But I totally agree with you Mags: I wish they'd get away from a bloomin' Stanford Magnificat which can be aired all year... So much great seasonal music instead.

[ardcarp]

Yes, if they must do a bloomin' Stanford Mag, then at least the one in G with its associations of Mary at her anachronistic spinning wheel would be more picturesqe.

To an earlier poster may I say that I like that Gardner 'Dancing Day'... a most original piece. It's his 'Holly and Ivy' that I can't bear! Oh well, chacun.......

[Wolsey]

FYI - John Challenger (Assistant Organist at John's) has been appointed as Assistant Director of Music at Salisbury Cathedral following Daniel Cook's imminent move to Wales....

Daniel Cook took up his post at St David's at the beginning of this month.

[mopsus]

Stephen Cleobury has had a change of lesson since he arrived at King's. A few years ago they rejigged who read which lesson and the Director of Music's changed, though I forget which one it was before.

[Wolsey]

Stephen Cleobury has had a change of lesson since he arrived at King's. A few years ago they rejigged who read which lesson and the Director of Music's changed, though I forget which one it was before.

Quite so. The Director of Music used to read the fifth lesson (the Annunciation), but now reads the seventh (the Shepherds).

[BBMmk2]

There has been a lot of good radio, just recently and this is another 'must hear programme.

[Anna]

A Heads Up for this, on in 10 mins. I love Advent, I love O Come Emmanuel, that is my favourite and also, Lo He Comes and On Jordan's Bank. Actually, what is there not to like about the Season? Oh, and can I open a window of the Advent Calendar?

[VodkaDilc]

This was most enjoyable. I had not looked at the order of service, so was pleasantly surprised to hear the Mendelssohn (though at break-neck speed) - and the Gardner was wonderful (though, perversely, at a steadier speed than I have normally heard it taken at). I was expecting a different last verse of Lo he comes; doesn't St John's normally have the last verse with outrageous organ harmonies - or am I thinking of some years ago?

I am no sound engineer and talk of compression and suchlike leaves me mystified - but, listening on a good FM tuner, I was struck by the lowish volume levels and rather mushy sound of the big hymns. Was that caused by someone fiddling with the sound? The Bach at the end was magical after the thick sound of the hymn (even if, as I heard it at home, there was some slight lack of synchronisation between limbs towards the end.)

[salymap]

I had to turn it off, sadly, as it didn't go with my tinnitus which is bad today. Mushy sound indeed here.

AND I was looking forward to it.