Internet Carol Service Broadcasts

**Philip** · 23-12-12, 23:44

New College, Oxford have put their Christmas Carol service (held on Advent Sunday - such are University Terms I guess!) on webcast at http://www.newcollegechoir.com/webcasts.html. A wealth of choral stuff including Tallis, Lassus, Parsons, Pearsall, Darke, Leighton, Howells and three of Poulenc's four Christmas motets (these alone are worth a listen, surely?!). Had a whizz through bits of it this afternoon and all sounded good.

I guess like many others though I've been out at my own 'gig' tonight - we had a full church and all went pretty smoothly; nine lessons, six hymns and five choir carols, almost exactly an hour. Everyone happy!

**ardcarp** · 24-12-12, 00:56

Everyone happy!

An hour is good. Mrs A and I were parachuted in to bump up a C/S last night. An hour and forty bloody minutes. Far too long. Far too many choir items, all rather lugubrious of the Pott/Chilcott ilk. People just get carried away. What the congregation wants is a few Ding Dongs a bit of Holly (and, OK, maybe a Manger) then off to the pub.

Look forward to hearing NCO tho'.

**Nick Armstrong** · 24-12-12, 15:34

Originally posted by ardcarp View Post

An hour and forty bloody minutes.

Happy Christmas to you too, ardy!

(PS I'd have been swearing too

)

**Rolmill** · 24-12-12, 18:36

Originally posted by ardcarp View Post

An hour is good. Mrs A and I were parachuted in to bump up a C/S last night. An hour and forty bloody minutes. Far too long. Far too many choir items...

Yes, an hour is excellent, 100 minutes is daft - or at least, the singing had better be superb to justify that length!

Ours was an hour and ten minutes, similar structure to Philip's but also included a ten minute sermon (standard practice at our carol services, but I suspect not at many others). Church was pretty full (numbers have gradually dropped over the 20+ years I have been involved, used to be people standing at the back). Generally went OK, but one disaster: at start of Susanni our organist gave his upbeats whilst still walking across from the organ console, unaware that none of the basses could see his hands...result, chaos for a couple of bars

Maybe we should have thread for carol service bloopers (anonymous, of course

).

**Philip** · 25-12-12, 01:15

A member of clergy once posted on another forum that at a carol service the readings and music should speak for themselves. A sermon is superfluous IMO - save it for Midnight Mass.

**Keraulophone** · 27-12-12, 12:17

Truro Cathedral - Nine Lessons and Carols 2012

Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols from Truro Cathedral at 7.00 pm on 23rd and 24th December 2012

https://soundcloud.com/truro-cathedral/sets/festival-of-nine-lesson-and

The format of the service of Nine Lessons and carols was devised by the first Bishop of Truro, Edward White Benson, in 1880. Since then, it has travelled all over the world with much of its fame due t

**Simon Biazeck** · 27-12-12, 16:15

Originally posted by Keraulophone View Post

https://soundcloud.com/truro-cathedr...ine-lesson-and

Thanks very much! Of it's type, by far the best I've heard outside London this year! Exceptional choral singing - front and back rows as one, and beautifully expressive without being overwrought. (NB!) I'm a complete sucker for Rutter's 'What Sweeter Music' too - one of his very best by a long way! I would love to hear some Britten from them.

**Keraulophone** · 27-12-12, 17:06

Originally posted by Simon Biazeck View Post

I would love to hear some Britten from them.

Recorded a couple of years ago:

Product not available | Presto Music

http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/r/Regent/REGCD349

**terratogen** · 27-12-12, 18:42

Not a carol service, really, but a fine performance—in full—of Britten's Ceremony of Carols, as sung by the choristers of the Madeleine Choir School. A Roman Catholic cathedral in the heart of Mormon Utah seems an unlikely place to find this element of the 'choral tradition' alive and thriving, but what do you know?

The Madeleine Choir School, 'A Ceremony of Carols' 2012

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XCoOOGWOReA

'A Ceremony of Carols' (1942) -performed by The Madeleine Choir School of Salt Lake City. (5th through 8th Grades) Conducted by MCS Ms. Melanie Malinka with...

**Simon Biazeck** · 27-12-12, 19:24

Originally posted by terratogen View Post

Not a carol service, really, but a fine performance—in full—of Britten's Ceremony of Carols, as sung by the choristers of the Madeleine Choir School. A Roman Catholic cathedral in the heart of Mormon Utah seems an unlikely place to find this element of the 'choral tradition' alive and thriving, but what do you know?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XCoOOGWOReA

A glimpse of the company of heaven! Britten's legacy continues to inspire another generation of boys and girls to musical excellence with its dazzling invention, peerless craftsmanship and joyful lyricsim. Moved to tears! Thank you.

**decantor** · 27-12-12, 20:06

Originally posted by Keraulophone View Post

https://soundcloud.com/truro-cathedr...ine-lesson-and

Many thanks for the 'heads-up' - wonderful stuff, excellent singing (I didn't check the reading!). I was especially taken by the main soloist in the new Philips piece: just how a liturgical treble should sound - good wind control, dead-centre tuning, sensitivity without showmanship, but still vulnerable, just unus e pluribus. Definitely worth double chips!

On a technical point...... I would love to have filled my sitting-room with Truro's music, but Soundcloud doesn't seem to have sufficient oomph for that - a pity. I must make the effort to visit Truro next year.

**ardcarp** · 27-12-12, 22:47

Indeed, Decantor, you must visit Truro next year! Agree about Soundcloud...one had to infer the quality of the singing from very inferior sound. If you want a treble who isn't vulnerable and isn't one from the many, try the soloist in Leighton's Lully, Lulla from NCO. Supremely confident and 'professional' but maybe not to everyone's taste.

Can I thank all the heads ups from everyone on this thread? I've spent a pleasant afternoon trawling the carols out of St Thomas NY (various services with different music...how do they do it?), Truro and NCO, followed by that lovely Britten C of C from Utah. What a find.

**Roger Judd** · 30-12-12, 22:02

I actually attended the Midnight Service at Truro - Jonathan Dove's Missa Brevis (which I'd not heard before), absolutely splendid with great singing and playing, and some carols at the communion. The Cathedral was packed and apart from some inevitable coughing, you could have heard a pin drop during the music - a truly great service (not a performance), and what a fine musical set-up there. Bravo, Chris Gray and Luke Bond.
RJ

**DracoM** · 30-12-12, 22:14

Very envious, Roger!

Truro's promise to webcast has rather stalled - July last one, I think. Huge pity - could be money, of course.
For me, with Hereford, Truro is among the very best around.

Internet Carol Service Broadcasts

Internet Carol Service Broadcasts

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