A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols Dec 25th 2012 2 p.m.

[EnzoElgar]

Perhaps there's simply a sensitivity to the recent tragic news from Conneticut.

[Rupert P Matley]

I shall go to bed,. happy!

So shall I!

[Rupert P Matley]

However, I wasn't impressed by the organ scholar's rendition of the BWV 729 In Dulci Jubilo. Too fast for that acoustic and over ornamented for my liking.

[Contre Bombarde]

I conversely was very impressed with BWV 729; the acoustic was deadened to some extent by all the well wrapped bodies and for me the ornamentation was a welcome addition to a piece often played with formulaic dullness. The Duruflé was a superbly mature performance of a none too easy part of the repertoire. I did just hear the start of some applause before the fade-out...

Compliments of the season to all; a well-earned (well, I think so) break in Paris from tomorrow.

[AuntyKezia]

Re Unto us: the Herod verse was included in today's Daily Service, sung by the Manchester Chamber Choir; also the Coventry Carol.

[mw963]

Just as a matter of interest, as I listen to the Christmas Eve R4 broadcast not having time on Christmas Day, what's the difference between R4 and R3? Also, does the music ever change (apart from arrangers), from memory it's the same year to year (which is lovely, not complaining!)

In the recent past one other difference (important to me) is that the Radio 4 live version is subject to dynamics processing (the dreaded Optimod or similar) which has very obviously knocked back the big congregational carols for example - particularly on the Ds and Es and octave above middle C (if you see what I mean) where the max power of the congregational "roar" is developed. However, Radio 3's repeat is unprocessed PROVIDED one listens on one of the digital platforms (ie DAB, DTT, or DSat). Radio 3 FM is of course compressed.

Until about 2006 Radio 4 Optimod on FM was switched out for this ONE broadcast every year (in about 2003 they forgot and it had to be switched out at about 3.30 pm). However, since then it's been on - sadly.

Having said all that, I haven't heard much of this year's Radio 4 version - it's sitting on a DAT which I shall get round to listening to eventually. So maybe this year it won't have been so bad....?

(The effects of Optimod can be mitigated if the programme is sent out from the OB at a deliberately reduced level; I've no idea if the engineers at King's would dare to that though. (This technique was used in about 1989 to counter the effects of Optimod on a Clapton concert from the RAH on Radio 1 - and as a result it sounded superb on FM. Sadly a number of angry memos subsequently were fired off and I doubt anyone in today's BBC has the guts to try it again!)

[Nick Armstrong]

There's a (probably apocryphal) story of the new choral scholar who was a bit up himself. The other men informed him that the shout was so loud, no-one could actually hear the word 'Noel' and it was a tradition in the choir to shout whatever word they liked. They agreed privately amongst themselves not to shout anything at all and bribed the choirboys into silence too. So the piece ended with a loud pedal note and the hapless fellow shouting 'B******S at the top of his voice.

Reminds me of the (possibly also apocryphal) story of the sessions for the Harnoncourt / CMW 'St Matthew Passion' in which the choral scholars of KCC participated - NH asked for so many retakes of the shouts of "Barrabam!!!" that on one take the gents of King's shouted "Up yer b*m!!" instead of "Barrabam" - and that's the passionate take that appears on the recording...

[mercia]

I only take issue with the First Lesson, which for me is too long, too repetitive, linguistically dated and is a trial for a young chorister to get through.

yes, in this discussion with his successors, Sir David mentions the difficulties of this lesson but says the boys seem to enjoy the drama of it

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tAvmyyqYm2Q

[DracoM]

Truly fascinating video.
Ledger and Willcocks particularly good on the fine detail and technicalities of being the DoM there. SC comes across as strangely humourless in that company.

[ardcarp]

Oh dear. I thought they all came over as...well...cloistered! I have enormous respect for DW in whose era many of us cut our choral teeth; but I think one of my grandchildren might have said, "Get a life". But thanks for the clip anyway, mercia.

[DracoM]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rr6yZ-deibU

Here is the 1954 Ord / KCC Nine Lessons in b/w they talked about. Worth it for the diction / voice production of that opening treb solo.

[Nick Armstrong]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rr6yZ-deibU

Here is the 1954 Ord / KCC Nine Lessons in b/w they talked about. Worth it for the diction / voice production of that opening treb solo.

We watched this over Christmas - I have this DVD http://www.base.com/buy/product/caro...gc-oa0822d.htm which as well as carols from 2000 has the discussion between the DoMs (mentioned above) plus the 1954 archive recording. The DVD usually gets dusted off over the festive season.

[ardcarp]

Here is the 1954 Ord / KCC Nine Lessons in b/w they talked about. Worth it for the diction / voice production of that opening treb solo.

Worth it for a lot of things, IMO. A fabulously prepared choir with the minimal conducting gestures common in those days. The phrasing and subtle 'commas' were incredible...no great artificial gaps between lines. Above all, there was a truly devotional 'feel' to the whole thing, including the readings of the (generally shorter) lessons. I'm asking myself do I love this clip because it is of my childhood era? No, I don't think so. No rose-tinted specs. It has something very special. The fact that it was unusual for voices to break before the age of 14 probably helped.

[Mr Stoat]

Oh dear. I thought they all came over as...well...cloistered! I have enormous respect for DW in whose era many of us cut our choral teeth; but I think one of my grandchildren might have said, "Get a life". But thanks for the clip anyway, mercia.

A dictionary definition of "Cloistered" is "Sheltered from the world; Protected". I don't think that anyone charged with running a high-profile choir like Kings could be described thus. What came over to me was three people talking about a job they had in common - in the same way I discuss what my (totally unknown!) choir has done/is doing, and related anecdotes. My stepchildren tell me to "Get a life" !

[DracoM]

Worth it for a lot of things, IMO. A fabulously prepared choir with the minimal conducting gestures common in those days. The phrasing and subtle 'commas' were incredible...no great artificial gaps between lines. Above all, there was a truly devotional 'feel' to the whole thing, including the readings of the (generally shorter) lessons. I'm asking myself do I love this clip because it is of my childhood era? No, I don't think so. No rose-tinted specs. It has something very special. The fact that it was unusual for voices to break before the age of 14 probably helped.

I think ardcarp has put his finger on it: the sound of that choir is much influenced by the age of voice-change for the boys - richer the longer past 12 they can keep the voice still flying. It gives depth and authority to the treble line, and those who sing past their 13th birthday are usually at their richest just before the change happens. If you have a front line with several in that position, you have a complex and interestingly 'mature' sound. The other thing that struck me forcefully was that the back desks are not shouting and muscling the boys aside to make sure they get heard - mayhap by some scouting agent for the big London / Oxbridge choirs, but blending, accepting that ensemble is not just a matter of the accident of geography, i.e. everyone being in the same room and singing, but actively participating by moulding one's individual voice to suit overall balance.

No doubt I shall get torpedoed for even daring to suggest such a thing. More or less every Oxbridge college and London ensemble has woken up to the potential of a choir as a PR tool, such that the value of having recording contracts / tour dates / youtube clips etc is critical. The competition to be heard / snapped up is far greater now than heretofore. That 1954 KCC ethos seems light years away from what we regularly hear on the circuit these days.