Recently in Church Music Category
Choral Ireland
I’m mulling the idea of creating a new web site, to serve the Irish choral music scene. It would primarily be a concert listing site, perhaps with some kind of directory of choirs, so that anyone interested in choral music - whether as a singer or audience member - would be able to find choirs more easily.
I don’t think there’s anything already available on the net that serves this need. The existing music websites seems to prioritise pop, rock and traditional music ahead of classical music, even though Ireland has a large and loyal classical music audience.
The only thing stopping me implementing the idea is the software behind the scenes to run such a site. I have a bit of experience using content management engines, but I think I’ll need something a bit more customisable in order to support my vision.
May 23, 2009
Singing in Christ Church Dublin
The choirs of Christ Church Cathedral Dublin are highly regarded throughout Ireland and beyond for their beautiful music making. Both the adult cathedral choir and girls’ choir both work hard throughout the year to to support the worship in the cathedral; delighting visitors and regular members of the congregation alike.
However, singing in the choir of Christ Church Dublin is not like being in a typical Anglican cathedral choir. There are a few differences which set the music at Christ Church apart from the traditional cathedral set up.
Demanding and Varied Repertoire
Many cathedrals rely on the regular rotation of well-known pieces of music, including lots of ‘old favorites’ from the Victorian era. However, in Christ Church the repertoire is quite varied; the music list regularly containing lesser-known but nonetheless very worthwhile pieces spanning five centuries, but with a particular emphasis on renaissance and modern music.
Attention to Detail
The Christ Church choir enjoys the enviable reputation of being one of Ireland’s finest choirs. Precise phrasing and an attention to detail result in a carefully balanced ensemble and tone. The time dedicated to preparation and rehearsal is slightly greater than in other cathedral choirs, and this investment pays dividends.
There is a half-hour rehearsal before Evensong on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, and a full hour before Eucharist and Evensong on Sundays. This generous allocation of time enables the choir to run all the music for the forthcoming service, and to polish the music.
Opportunities for Adult Women
The main cathedral choir is entirely composed of adult singers; comprising female sopranos, male and female altos, and male tenors and basses. Opportunities for adult women to sing church music at this level beyond the collegiate system are very rare, and Christ Church prides itself on the high calibre of female church musicians who perform during the five services a week. In fact it is the only Anglican professional mixed-voice cathedral choir in the British Isles.
Many of the current choir members have had previous experience singing in college choirs, both in Ireland and the UK, and enjoy the chance to further their musical experience in a cathedral choir. Some join the choir as choral scholars, during gap years or while studying in Dublin. Others perform with us for a couple of years after leaving college, or join from other church and cathedral choirs.
Balanced Commitments
The Christ Church choir sing five choral services a week: Evensong at 6.00pm on Wednesdays and Thursdays, Evensong at 5.00pm on Saturdays, and Eucharist at 11.00am and Evensong at 3.30pm on Sundays. The mid-week commitment is obviously less than that of other cathedrals who sing every day. The service start times during the week are also a bit later in the evening than other choirs, meaning that it’s easier to balance the commitment of singing with that of another career.
Choir members are also offered a variety of different contracts, based upon the commitment a singer can give; typically requiring attendance at 3, 4, or 5 services each week.
Supportive Environment
The Christ Church choir are very lucky to enjoy the full support and encouragement of the clergy and board of the cathedral. Musical excellence is a firm priority within the cathedral, and the music team occupies a central role in the worship and life of the church.
There are around 20 Lay Vicars Choral engaged by the cathedral, forming a choir with the general configuration of 8 sopranos, 4 altos, 4 tenors, and 4 basses - however numbers obviously vary over time. There are also four members of staff in the music department: Judy Martin, Director of Music; Tristan Russcher, Assistant Director of Music; John Mountford, Organ Scholar; and Peter Parshall, Music Development Officer.
Extensive resources are provided to support singers, in addition to the generous rehearsal time. Recordings of music are available on request, as are weekly note-bashing sessions with the organ scholar. An additional allowance is also set aside for voice lessons.
Exciting Opportunities
In addition to the normal weekly services, the choir performs regular concerts throughout the year, and has an active recording, broadcasting and touring schedule. Other musical opportunities exist beyond the cathedral throughout the rest of the city, such as depping at St Patrick’s Cathedral, and performing in Dublin’s numerous choirs, choral societies, opera companies, and orchestras.
To read more about the music at Christ Church Dublin, visit the music department section of the cathedral website.
Howells CD
The choir are doing a CD recording this weekend, of lesser-known choral works by Howells. We’ve got a mass setting and a batch of anthems to record - with sessions on Friday night, all day Saturday, and Sunday afternoon.
However, we’re not recording in the cathedral itself. Any visitor to one of our services would be able to tell you about the traffic noise and sirens of passing emergency services vehicles - and as such, it’s almost impossible to get a ‘clean’ take of a piece. And editing together lots of bits from multiple takes gets a bit too complicated and expensive. So we’re all decamping to a church in the Dublin suburbs, which should hopefully be free of extraneous noise.
This is my first recording with the cathedral choir, and I’m rather looking forward to it. I’ve done a couple of CDs with other groups, but I guess you would call most of them vanity recordings, rather than commercial releases.
And best of all for me, I get to do a solo on it. However, it’s only about a dozen notes long, so you could possibly miss it if you cough.
Recorded Works
Here’s a list of some of the Howells works we recorded; some or all or which may make it onto the final CD, due to be released on the Signum Records label in a few months:
Missa Aedis Christi
Thee Will I Love
I Love All Beauteous Things
Sweetest Of Sweets
Heac Dies
A Maid Peerless
Hills Of The North
Qualifications
There’s a job specification circulated today for two Lay Clerk roles in Winchester Cathedral choir. I’m not interested in moving myself, but I did notice something unusual in the job requirements. It says that candidates will be Preferably educated to post-graduate level.
I’ve never seen this kind of requirement for a singing job before. People are often required to be expert musicians, good sight-readers, and be experienced in church music. Some lay clerkships are also combined with teaching roles in the cathedral school, and as such require some kind of teaching qualification and experience.
However, I’ve never seen a request for post-graduate education before - which is all the more puzzling, as the job spec doesn’t qualify why this requirement is in place. I can only think that the Director of Music is used to witty intellectual conversation in the pub after Evensong, and doesn’t want standards to slip.
Winchester Cathedral/Alto (Counter-tenor) & Bass/Baritone Lay Clerk
They will be involved in the daily sung liturgy at the Cathedral, as well as concerts, and tours. Suitable voice, at least three years’ choral experience and advanced sight-reading skills required. Preferably educated to post-graduate level.
Full details of remuneration and position available in information pack obtainable from: Sue Armstrong, Choir Administrator. Auditions will be held in Winchester on: Friday 7 March 2008. Closing Date: 29/02/2008
Contact Phone: 01962 857219
Contact Address: The Cathedral Office, 1 The Close, Winchester SO23 9LS
Contact Email: sue.armstrong@winchester-cathedral.org.uk
Today (whatever day it is)
Today it was the five lessons and carols at the cathedral. And tomorrow it’s the nine lessons and carols.
I’m beginning to lose track of the different Christmas services and concerts. And I’ve certainly lost track of what day of the week it is. It doesn’t help (of course) that I’m off work at the moment, and thus have no point of reference for the week. Last Wednesday felt like a Saturday, Thursday felt like a Friday, and Saturday felt like a Sunday. So it’s no wonder that I’m confused.
Anyway, the Christmas music is in full flow at the moment. It feels like we’ve done an awful lot of singing in the last couple of weeks, but also have a lot more still to come. At the moment I still do have one evening free (Friday) between now and Christmas Day, and plan to guard it jealously - just so that I can have a whole day without having to sing any carols.
Choral Evensong reviews
I find it interesting that our broadcast of Choral Evensong last Sunday has sparked off so much debate on the BBC Radio 3 Message Boards. It’s great that people feel so passionate about their church music (because it’s a passion I share), but I had no idea that folk would pour over every detail of the service.
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