Out with a bang

Categories: uncategorized

Date: 29 July 2004 16:10:27

The vicar may not want his choir to go on holiday for the wnole of August, but that was no excuse for holding this chorister hostage, under lock and key, in the choir vestry! Anyway, too late - I managed to escape, by charm and quick wittedness, so he had to hire the Exon Singers to cover our absence instead.

The last service we sang on our own was the morning Eucharist on Sunday - Jubilate to Anglican Chant and This Sanctuary of my Soul (Expectans Expectavi) by Wood; then a shared Evensong with the Exon Singers to launch their week of music in the Devon area as happens every year at this time. A feast of glorious music, Wesley at Evensong: Thou wilt keep him, Mag and Nunc in E, Blessed be the God and Father; followed by Sequence of Music (the Saints) and Compline by candlelight on Monday, an organ recital (Christopher Stokes) on Tuesday and further services and concerts during the week.

The composer in residence this year is Gabriel Jackson - if you don't know his music check it out, especially his Nunc Dimittis and Ave Maria (first performance at Buckfast Abbey on Wednesday, broadcast on Radio 3). Modern music but with an unmistakeable Tudor influence, shivers-down-the-spine time.

The musical world appears to be full of Jacksons: Gabriel, Francis and Karl to name but three, not to mention that strange American moonwalking one ;)

And now my choir is on holiday until September - yippee!