Cathedral choirs on Today Programme

[ardcarp]

Shortly after 0740 there was an item on R4 (featuring Llandaff) about the general financial threat facing the maintaining of cathedral choirs.

[Richard Tarleton]

Inc. brief but good interview with Andrew Carwood, with a bit of Tallis...

It was actually just after 7.40, you're taking after the presenters ardcarp

[ardcarp]

Oops.

[Old Grumpy]

It was actually just after 7.40, you're taking after the presenters ardcarp

I thought this was an objection to the 24 hour clock (i.e. 0740) until I noted Ardcarp's post had been edited. Mind you I wouldn't be surprised at anything on these boards!

[DracoM]

Now we've got over angst about what TIME this clip was on, how about telling us what was said etc?

[njfreestone]

Now we've got over angst about what TIME this clip was on, how about telling us what was said etc?

You can listen for yourself, here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p01syzs4

[Old Grumpy]

You can listen for yourself, here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p01syzs4

Where the time will be useful to know...

[ardcarp]

If you click on the above you will be taken to the right spot in the programme. Nothing is new to most of us here, but it is very good, IMO, to have the importance of maintaining our unique cathedral music heritage flagged up on a major news channel. Not every day you hear Videte Miraculum on the Today programme. Well a bit of it anyway.

[Old Grumpy]

If you click on the above you will be taken to the right spot in the programme. Nothing is new to most of us here, but it is very good, IMO, to have the importance of maintaining our unique cathedral music heritage flagged up on a major news channel.

Agreed, and thanks for the link @njfreestone.

OG

[Magnificat]

If you click on the above you will be taken to the right spot in the programme. Nothing is new to most of us here, but it is very good, IMO, to have the importance of maintaining our unique cathedral music heritage flagged up on a major news channel. Not every day you hear Videte Miraculum on the Today programme. Well a bit of it anyway.

ardcarp,

There was also an article in last Friday's Daily Telegraph entitled ' A cathedral without a choir is unthinkable' which was a report on the current state of cathedral music by Michael White. It mentioned this programme on 'Today' and thought it rather alarmist.

Evidently the author feels that there are two good reasons to be optimistic. One is that whilst parish church congregations are slumping attendance figures at cathedrals are increasing and choral evensong - always the best free concert on the planet and the most therapeutic - is becoming seriously popular as a refuge from the stress of daily life and the second is that the last few years have seen a surge of interest in choral singing thanks to certain TV programmes and this has had a marked effect on chorister recruitment. He says that not so long ago it was hard to find children or parents prepared to make the commitment that joining a cathedral choir demands from the whole family. Worse still it wasn't cool but now it is and is perceived as a great start in life.

I would have queried the optimism on recruitment knowing from this board and other sources just how flat it has been in most foundations in recent times. But he may well be right as I have just been told that at St Albans after a concerted campaign by the music department, parents and music staff at the feeder primary/prep schools there has been a very big increase in applications for auditions for the cathedral choir from boys after a very slow trickle of recruits over the last few years.

It would be interesting to know whether this increase in interest has, in fact, been seen generally from any members who have connections elsewhere. I very much hope it is indeed evident.

VCC

[jean]

Here is a link to the article.

There sre really two separate problems here, aren't there? One is the cost of maintaining a choir, the other the difficulty of recruiting a top line (of boys? I note the article doesn't mention girls).

[Magnificat]

Here is a link to the article.

There sre really two separate problems here, aren't there? One is the cost of maintaining a choir, the other the difficulty of recruiting a top line (of boys? I note the article doesn't mention girls).

Jean,

The author actually refers to children but probably is referring mainly to boys. Generally speaking it seems to me that there is no great difficulty in getting girls to sing in choirs.

VCC.

[Gabriel Jackson]

Here is a link to the article.

There sre really two separate problems here, aren't there? One is the cost of maintaining a choir, the other the difficulty of recruiting a top line (of boys? I note the article doesn't mention girls).

What isn't often talked about is the very real problems with recruiting men. That's never going to be a difficulty in London (or Oxford and Cambridge) but in many smaller cathedral cities good men who want/are able to make that major commitment to a liturgical choir can be quite thin on the ground.

[Honoured Guest]

The modern awareness of historic paedophilia must deter many men from joining cathedral choirs, and also deter many parents from permitting their children to join.

[teamsaint]

The modern awareness of historic paedophilia must deter many men from joining cathedral choirs, and also deter many parents from permitting their children to join.

I think you are confusing the BBC with cathedral choirs, HG.

I have NEVER heard that concern from parents, or heard it second hand. Most people would assume that safeguards are in place.