Choirbook for the Queen

[ardcarp]

I am not sure whether a thread has been dedicated to this Choirbook before, but as some of its contents have been aired on almost every CE this year, I thought it might be good to get a few opinions about it, e.g.

-is the idea of producing it a good one?
-what of the contents?
-what of the price? (cheaper on Amazon in paperback!)
-will it be widely used?
-how will posterity see it?

Here are some links:

http://www.choirbookforthequeen.org.uk/book/

http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=choir+book+for+the+queen&tag=googhydr-21&index=aps&hvadid=9682991072&hvpos=1t1&hvexid=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=2872122901324513756&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=e&ref=pd_sl_26qh0vyqu3_e

http://www.choirbookforthequeen.org.uk/book/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&id=36&layout=blog&Itemid=53

(that one liists all the anthems)

...or you can just Google everything.

[mercia]

wasn't a similar choral collection put together in 1953 ? [? Garland for the Queen ] - I may be mistaken

[Simon Biazeck]

wasn't a similar choral collection put together in 1953 ? [? Garland for the Queen ] - I may be mistaken

It was indeed. All the works used secular texts.

[decantor]

-is the idea of producing it a good one?
-what of the contents?
-what of the price? (cheaper on Amazon in paperback!)
-will it be widely used?
-how will posterity see it?

---Good idea? Of course! It is a statement that the established church can still inspire evocative music, still has choirs that can deliver it whatever the level of technical difficulty, and still wants to do both. It is a vote of confidence as much as an archive.

---Contents? It must have occurred to the editors to offer a spectrum of the music created during HM's reign. But since so much of that is already well established, it would be pointless. Better, therefore, to do what they have done: "this is the sort of music that interests us in the year of HM's Diamond Jubilee". Opinions over the degree of interest in each piece will vary - and that is how it should be. Time will be the arbiter of value.

---Price? Hard copy is expensive in all genres. How could any compendium of new music be cheaper than this?

---Widely used? I doubt it, outside the foundations that receive free copies. But that does not invalidate the concept. With parish music at large in so parlous a state, a volume of anthems within reach of all would have no great musical value.

---Posterity? Impossible to say, pointless to surmise. Is the Choirbook a summary of the state of play, or the valedictory of a long tradition? Whichever posterity decides, they cannot but acknowledge that the composers of 2012 were committed to producing worthwhile liturgical music. Hard to say which will be the Maunder, which the Stanford.

We have heard so far on CE, I think, 21 of the 44 Choirbook items: there are treats in store, presumably. Whether they all survive in the cathedral repertoire is not quite the point. We have left a time-capsule for the future: if it has half the value of the Eton Choirbook, it will have justified itself.

[ardcarp]

A great post, Decantor and...

Hard to say which will be the Maunder, which the Stanford.

..is a nice way of putting it.

[Gabriel Jackson]

---Good idea? Of course! It is a statement that the established church can still inspire evocative music, still has choirs that can deliver it whatever the level of technical difficulty, and still wants to do both. It is a vote of confidence as much as an archive.

---Contents? It must have occurred to the editors to offer a spectrum of the music created during HM's reign. But since so much of that is already well established, it would be pointless. Better, therefore, to do what they have done: "this is the sort of music that interests us in the year of HM's Diamond Jubilee". Opinions over the degree of interest in each piece will vary - and that is how it should be. Time will be the arbiter of value.

---Price? Hard copy is expensive in all genres. How could any compendium of new music be cheaper than this?

---Widely used? I doubt it, outside the foundations that receive free copies. But that does not invalidate the concept. With parish music at large in so parlous a state, a volume of anthems within reach of all would have no great musical value.

---Posterity? Impossible to say, pointless to surmise. Is the Choirbook a summary of the state of play, or the valedictory of a long tradition? Whichever posterity decides, they cannot but acknowledge that the composers of 2012 were committed to producing worthwhile liturgical music. Hard to say which will be the Maunder, which the Stanford.

We have heard so far on CE, I think, 21 of the 44 Choirbook items: there are treats in store, presumably. Whether they all survive in the cathedral repertoire is not quite the point. We have left a time-capsule for the future: if it has half the value of the Eton Choirbook, it will have justified itself.

Indeed!

As to the complaint that some of the pieces are really quite difficult - which they are - so what? They are unlikely to receive frequent performances but, again, so what? Music which is (rightly) considered difficult when first performed may not be difficult to future generations.

[bach736]

Those who weren't fortunate enough to get a free copy and baulked at paying forty quid for one, may care to know that the two volume set is in the Canterbury Press sale, marked down to £25.

http://www.canterburypress.co.uk/winter-sale.aspx

[AuntyKezia]

Thanks for the link, bach, which led me to Icons of the Incarnation, also in the sale (reduced from £14.99 to £4), a beautifully illustrated record of the collaboration between an abstract artist, Sophie Hacker, and the then Assistant DoM at Winchester Cathedral, Sarah Baldock, to honour Olivier Messiaen in his centenary year. The resulting artwork was displayed in the Cathedral to accompany the performance of La Nativite du Seigneur by Sarah and Andrew Lumsden. There are contributions from Sarah as well as Sophie in the text. The only thing lacking is a CD of the actual music, but perhaps anyone interested would have one already ...

[mercia]

just perusing youtube, there seems to be a set of videos

http://www.youtube.com/user/ChoirBook?feature=watch

[Simon]

Indeed!

As to the complaint that some of the pieces are really quite difficult - which they are - so what? They are unlikely to receive frequent performances but, again, so what? Music which is (rightly) considered difficult when first performed may not be difficult to future generations.

Absolutely.

But whilst I agree with all the positive comments above and think the idea good, it is clear that some of the works have merit and some, well, don't. That's irrespective of whether they are difficult to sing, or not.

I don't think it would be a very tough ask to have a stab at guessing which pieces will stay in the repertoire and be enjoyed in the future, and which will disappear into obscurity.

[Gabriel Jackson]

Absolutely.

But whilst I agree with all the positive comments above and think the idea good, it is clear that some of the works have merit and some, well, don't. That's irrespective of whether they are difficult to sing, or not.

I don't think anyone would disagree that there are some good pieces, and some less good ones. They might disagree about which ones, of course...

I don't think it would be a very tough ask to have a stab at guessing which pieces will stay in the repertoire and be enjoyed in the future, and which will disappear into obscurity.

One can never be quite sure, though...wasn't Granville Bantock thought a very fine and significant composer in his lifetime?!

[ardcarp]

wasn't Granville Bantock thought a very fine and significant composer in his lifetime?!

How are the mighty fallen. On the other hand.....

http://granvillebantock.com/

[Simon]

One can never be quite sure, though...

I wasn't talking about "one", Gabriel. I was talking about me. And I am quite sure.

[MrGongGong]

I wasn't talking about "one", Gabriel. I was talking about me. And I am quite sure.

and obviously right about everything

[Beef Oven]

and obviously right about everything

We Kippers are seldom wrong