CE Old Royal Naval College Chapel, Greenwich. Wed, 20th March 2013

[DracoM]

CE Old Royal Naval College Chapel, Greenwich
Trinity Laban Chapel Choir



Order of Service:



Introit: My days are gone like a shadow (Blow)
Responses: Ayleward
Psalm 104 (Walmisley, Vann, Edwards)
First Lesson: Exodus 9: 1-12
Office Hymn: Ah, Holy Jesu, how hast thou offended (Herzliebster Jesu)
Magnificat secondo a 4, from Selva morale e spirituale SV 282 (Monteverdi)
Second Lesson: Hebrews 12: 3-13
Nunc Dimittis: Plainchant
Anthem: O Jesu Christ, meins Lebens Licht BWV 118 (JS Bach)
Final Hymn: The duteous day now closeth (Innsbruck)



Organ Voluntary: Valet will ich dir geben, BWV 736 (JS Bach)



James Grainger (Assistant Organist
Ralph Allwood (Director of Chapel Music)

[DracoM]

Reminder: today @ 3.30 p.m.

[DracoM]

Erm............right.
Tad scrappy, I thought: sops seemed to be always fractionally ahead of anyone else, and basses almost inaudible. How much of the plainchant bits had they rehearsed? Sorry, not impressed at all.
And Mr Allwood pops up again?

[VodkaDilc]

Erm............right.
Tad scrappy, I thought: sops seemed to be always fractionally ahead of anyone else, and basses almost inaudible. How much of the plainchant bits had they rehearsed? Sorry, not impressed at all.
And Mr Allwood pops up again?

Thought he'd retired!!

[ardcarp]

The trouble is, CE is like a gem which we all like to see polished in our own way. And maybe flaws are perceived by some and not others.

I have no idea how much practice time Trinity Laban have cf Royal Holloway which we heard a short time ago. I have to agree that maybe we didn't have such a polished gemstone this time, but there was much to enjoy, not least a full and free choral sound, which on the whole was well-tuned (if we disregard a slight drop in pitch in the plainsong Nunc). Psalm 104 is (IMO) one of the great psalms of which much can be made. Was it Dec- and Can-ed? I wonder if the Vann chant...a lovely one...was quite at ease here? And the organist beat the choir to it in "full of sap"!

I thought men's plainsong in the Monteverdi Mag was rather effecctive, Draco. In all the pieces though I agree with you that the tenors predominated over the basses, which one had to strain to hear. This was probably a miking/mixing problem, talking of which, the 'aural placement' of that chamber organ was all wrong. The organist had clearly migrated to it for the office hymn, a Bach chorale, and the effect was of the organ being a microsecond ahead of the choir throughout; uncomfortable, especially over 4 unrelieved verses.

The Ayleward responses were taken at a Lenten tempo by RA...which is fine. But it was almost amusing that the 'cantor' gabbled his bits as if embarrassed at the thought of sustaining a note and anxious to be done with it. I hate to risk rousing up another round of St Barry worship (none for a while?) but I have seen him spend a lot of time getting the balance between priest and choir just right, especially in terms of pacing and timing. Perhaps it takes a BR to speak truth to power.

OK I've rambled enough. I would like to thank T/L for an enjoyable evensong with some interesting repertoire (Blow and Monteverdi). Keep up the good work.

[decantor]

The trouble is, CE is like a gem which we all like to see polished in our own way. And maybe flaws are perceived by some and not others.......

..........Perhaps it takes a BR to speak truth to power.

A thought-provoking post (#5), ardcarp. Thank you for detailing your reaction.

I realise that I risk triggering bloodshed in this response, but the service neatly exposed my prejudices with regard to the cutting of the gem. I sighed over the introit - the unashamed femininity of the upper voices diminished the Blow for me, as it did the Responses; the sound was wrong to my ears, because unaccustomed. But, come the Magnificat and anthem, the issue dissolved - without liturgical preconceptions in either case, I could latch directly into the music. Point taken.

"Truth to power"? Yes, a rhythmic balance between Versicle and Response is always pleasing. But I am rarely upset by the vagaries of the priest-cantor - it is a simple happenstance that characterises a live service, most likely an amateur musician intoning for professional singers. It differentiates between an act of worship and a musical performance. But I would not expect BR to agree with me.

Ralph Allwood has retired from Eton (after 30 years?), but it is surely an excellent thing that his enthusiasm and expertise is still available to those making their way in the choral world.

[ardcarp]

But I am rarely upset by the vagaries of the priest-cantor

...and here I have to expose my prejudices though nothing to do with this particular CE. It's a personal thing (shared by the way by Mrs A.) but I can't bear 'cantoring' in the treble/soprano register. It really isn't an anti-woman-vicar thing. It's just that the pitch sounds all wrong. For me, it just needs to be at the lower octave.

[decantor]

....... I can't bear 'cantoring' in the treble/soprano register. It really isn't an anti-woman-vicar thing. It's just that the pitch sounds all wrong. For me, it just needs to be at the lower octave.

Emboldened by a Host's words, I can confess to the same prejudice. For five years I directed a chapel choir where the cantoring was provided by an excellent Deaconess with a fine voice: the choir didn't seem to mind, but I never got used to it.

[DracoM]

It is said that, ironically, it is more often the trebs [girls or boys] who find women harder to pitch from in a cappella responses than the men. Had some experience and I am with decantor - find it very difficult.

[AscribeUntoTheLad]

It is said that, ironically, it is more often the trebs [girls or boys] who find women harder to pitch from in a cappella responses than the men.

Surely that's just because the 'norm' has been for the cantor to be a man rather than a woman?

[DracoM]

Yup, could be. Was merely passing it on from another as an observation.

[Simon]

I'd be interested to hear the views of the trebles on this one. I'll ask at my old place. We never had women precentors, so it didn't arise. It never sounds right, but then again, I can't generally stand soprano voices except where they are meant to be, i.e. in Opera, where they can be glorious. As here - the greatest singing the greatest in the most amazing circumstances - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FIQQv39dcNE.