Sons of the clergy

Monday to neighbourhood librarians meeting at Earlsfield which is looking good. To Catenians - 13 of us and 9 visitors. Kevin Ingram is a granddad for the first time, Eric for the 7th time! Some good jokes.
Tuesday 12th staff meetings about Investors in People. To St Paul's cathedral. Lerone and Frank did not take up the spare tickets and Philipe got the time wrong so missed it! This was the 355th Festival. Exeter and Salisbury cathedral choirs joined St Paul's under Andrew Carwood's direction. It was great they both brought girls and boys. The tinnitus was not so bad this time. The Purcell Hear my prayer from the combined choirs at the back was stunning - those marvellous clashes and as we were at the back we got the full impact. Of course the procession is always magnificent with the Lord Mayor of London, Sheriffs and Aldermen. The magnificent sword and mace and the city marshal is splendid uniform. Great hymns "All hail the power" "Breathe on me breath of God" and "Thy hand O God has guided". It is Basil Harwood's 150th of burth this year - in 1959 when I was 12 I was at the centenary service in Westminster Abbey for him with Dad. St Paul's sang Jubilate Deo of Gabrieli, Salisbury's Exultate Deo of Palestrina was a little lacklustre and Exeter sang Wood's "Hail gladdening light". Best of all was a sparkling sermon from Colin Slee, Dean of Southwark which was funny. He said Noah should be patron of merchant bankers as he launched a limited company when all around was in liquidation! The combined anthem was Handel's coronation anthem "Let thy hand be strengthened". The final voluntary Mendelssohn's Prelude and fugue in C minor. The new grand console is in place - I saw it in Manders' workshop last year. I must say I love singing the National anthem with the brass fanfares by Gordon Jacob.
Liz went off to her servers council meeting for which she does the minutes and then to Chiswick for Haydn rehearsal.

Comments

Edbowie said…
I must go to the SOTC service next year. Was the service booklet lavish?
Yes it was as always! Liz was not impressed by Mr Carwood's conducting!
Edbowie said…
Thornbury is a great tune. BH will be remembered for little else. 'O how Glorious' is a gem. In his book 'The Music of the English Church', Kenneth Long states of Harwood in A: 'No consideration of words is allowed to impede the relentless metrical beat..'
peterspence said…
can't agree. the service booklet was a mess. lots of misprints and wrong attributions. the conducting looked excellent to me. and who is Liz to criticise anyway!!
I should have thought years of singing in choirs gives one some right to comment about conducting styles?

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