Ash Wednesday from Gloucester Cathedral March 5th 2014

[DracoM]

Ash Wednesday from Gloucester Cathedral 5th March 2014



Order of Service:



Introit: Hear my prayer (Purcell)
Responses: Radcliffe
Psalm 51: Miserere mei, Deus (Allegri)
First Lesson: Isaiah 1:10-18
Canticles: Short Service (Causton)
Second Lesson: Luke 15: 11-32
Anthem: Cast me not away from thy presence (S.S. Wesley)
Hymn: Praise to the holiest in the height (Somervell)



Organ Voluntary: Fantasia in four parts (Gibbons)



Stephen Power (Organ Scholar)
Adrian Partington (Director of Music)




Please excuse early posting - busy weekend ahead.

[DracoM]

Reminder: today @ 3.30 p.m.

[light_calibre_baritone]

Gloucester's new Assistant Director of Music, Jonathan Hope, starts on Monday 10th having previously been at Southwark and Winchester. I'm sure we'll get a very decent service today.

[mw963]

Oh dear - a sermon. What a pity, it was going so well.

[ardcarp]

You have to expect punishment. It's Lent!
But what a beautifully sung service.

[decantor]

Oh dear - a sermon. What a pity, it was going so well.

Why 'a pity'? I would have thought that a few minutes of reflection on the 'Ash' of this Wednesday were perfectly in order. And it was nicely done...... hardly a 'sermon'.

Musically, the service was a treat - all so composed and gently paced, and, as ardcarp has said, beautifully sung throughout. Furthermore, the Beeb managed to capture the separation of forces in the Allegri. My thanks to all involved at Gloucester.

[mw963]

Because he is preaching to the converted? Because weekday Evensong generally doesn't have a sermon? Because for some of us the music does far more to bring us closer to God than a run-of-the-mill heard-it-all-before natter? I'd rather have an extra bit of music if there is the time for a sermon....

Would you be happy if all Evensongs on Radio 3 henceforth contained a sermon? I know the Catholic cathedrals consider it to be de rigeur but it would be a shame if the practice spread too widely!

Incidentally, the music-making was indeed glorious. Although I felt that for my tastes the small group in the Allegri was a little TOO far away. Probably true to the venue but just a little bit too remote for radio...?

[Magnificat]

Gloucester's new Assistant Director of Music, Jonathan Hope, starts on Monday 10th having previously been at Southwark and Winchester. I'm sure we'll get a very decent service today.

I thought they had recently appointed a new Assistant from Sheffield?

Lovely service. What an accoustic!

Very thoughtful homily by the Dean ( ex St Albans of course!! ).

VCC

[DracoM]

Carefully paced, no frantic rush, nerves in evidence but controlled and focused, some decent voices - altos and tenors particularly good IMO.

Canticles grave and steady. Terrific start to the Wesley anthem. Best 35 seconds of the service.

Sorry, but for me that sermon was very nearly Beyond the Fringe. The ISSUE is huge, the LANGUAGE used limped.

[decantor]

Because he is preaching to the converted? Because weekday Evensong generally doesn't have a sermon? Because for some of us the music does far more to bring us closer to God than a run-of-the-mill heard-it-all-before natter? I'd rather have an extra bit of music if there is the time for a sermon....

Would you be happy if all Evensongs on Radio 3 henceforth contained a sermon? I know the Catholic cathedrals consider it to be de rigeur but it would be a shame if the practice spread too widely!

With respect, mw963, I think you over-extrapolated from my words. In one sense, much of every service is "preaching to the converted" - though a broadcast service might also reach the unconverted. Then again, while Evensong does not normally support a sermon, are a few words of exegesis on a special day in the calendar so misplaced?

I count myself among those brought closer to God by music than by words. But that does not mean that all spoken readings, petitions, and intercessions are to be rejected, nor that all services should be planned around our shared preference for music. Of course I do not favour a sermon as part of every Evensong - I never suggested that - but the C of E must be allowed to address its congregation over the significance of its seasons. Music uplifts and inspires, but that does not make the spoken word entirely redundant.

[mw963]

With respect, mw963, I think you over-extrapolated from my words. In one sense, much of every service is "preaching to the converted" - though a broadcast service might also reach the unconverted. Then again, while Evensong does not normally support a sermon, are a few words of exegesis on a special day in the calendar so misplaced?

I count myself among those brought closer to God by music than by words. But that does not mean that all spoken readings, petitions, and intercessions are to be rejected, nor that all services should be planned around our shared preference for music. Of course I do not favour a sermon as part of every Evensong - I never suggested that - but the C of E must be allowed to address its congregation over the significance of its seasons. Music uplifts and inspires, but that does not make the spoken word entirely redundant.

Well I certainly didn't mean to put words in your mouth. Indeed, I'm all in favour of readings, petitions and intercessions. It's the "I'm going to preach because it's on the radio" bit that gets me. I'm sure that's simplistic, but it comes into the same category for me as the travelogue we're increasingly subjected to on CE. And time is precious on broadcast CE.

And in this case (and I posted my original remark before he'd really got going) the Dean's words infuriated me (OK I was probably spoiling for a fight as soon as he got up on his hind legs and clutched his mic!!) as I'm one of the people who has indeed come out of a cathedral after an Ash Wed service still bearing the mark of the Cross. And that - he told us - is something that Jesus would have criticised (if I understood him correctly). In fact I was likened to the Pharisees, according to the Dean.

Now in my case wandering round our nearest City with a black cross was a) because I am - amongst my many faults - anything but vain about my appearance, so in fact I had completely forgotten about it and was unaware of how I must have looked to others. But b) when my attention was drawn to it my immediate thought was in fact that it was rather nice to be in a position - just for once - not to be ashamed of where I'd been and what I'd been doing in the midst of our increasingly God-less society. I really don't think that I was crowing about how pious I was.

By his argument I would assume (and hope) that he never goes into Gloucester wearing a dog collar lest he is seen as glorying in his piety.

I hope the Dean is reading this and realises how a few silly words can do so much damage and confirm me in my belief that priests are better off using tried and tested material (the readings and petitions we referred to earlier) rather than thinking that their own views are oh-so-precious and in need of broadcast

Sorry - I'll stop ranting but it wasn't just the fact that we had to listen to him that grated - it was what he said as well!

[ardcarp]

My 'punishment' post was meant to be light-hearted. I do rather object to sermons in broadcast CE in principle, though yesterday's was reasonably brief, obviously well-prepared, and read in a fine 'patrician' voice (discuss). The point made was biblical (i.e. not making a 'show' out of holiness) though I couldn't quite follow the reasoning behind his tweaking in the Prodigal Son reading.

Listeners to CE derive various satisfactions. Mine are musical and a teeny bit spiritual...the teeny bit not extending to sermons; but no doubt for some the balance is different.

BTW, I thought the sound-engineering of the broadcast captured Gloucester's acoustic (which I know well) to a tee. And the compromise between hearing things clearly and allowing the acoustic to do its stuff was (for once) beautifully juidged. I personally had no objection to the favoriti in the Allegri sounding from afar off.

[Honoured Guest]

I think that Radio 3 counts Choral Evensong as Religion in its analysis of its broadcasting. I wouldn't be surprised if it was a decision of the BBC's Religion producers to feature an address on Ash Wednesday's Choral Evensong.

[french frank]

As regards the sermon, Choral Evensong is categorised as 'Religion and Ethics' rather than music - the only regular programme on Radio 3 to come under this heading. It's part of its Public Service remit that Radio 3 should have such coverage.

So perhaps it would ease the pain to consider that most weeks one 'gets off lightly' :-). Travelogues are ... somethin' else.

[mw963]

Points taken. But I don't remember any sermons from the years when Ash Wed was from St John's. Maybe someone will correct me.

And if the BBC is going to start overly interfering in the way CE is done (ie if Honoured Guest's hunch is correct) then it's probably going to be my last link with Radio 3 becoming severed! After all I've managed to do without the rest of Radio 3 since September 1992.