Categories: uncategorized
Date: 09 February 2004 10:35:46
Quite a complicated setting to the Responsorial Psalm today - so you needed to be Educated to sing it properly. Fortunately it passed off without a hitch and the congregation only had to negotiate a straightforward refrain. The anthem was Wesley's 'Lead me Lord' - one of the easier anthems - to compensate. We sang it very softly, apart from the last crescendo and diminuendo, so it had maximum effect. At last our choir is learning it is possible to sing quietly, and mostly stay in tune!
In the evening, the yearly bedlam, when all the schools turn up with their choirs to choose their favourite hymns or songs. This is always a cause for great hilarity as they pick some strange words all about smelly feet, wriggly worms and making a holy row, or some such. But the church is full, admiring parents applaud and the vicar struts his stuff as compere host, so a wonderful time is had by all. I think the choir is merely invited along to look pretty ;) It would be good if this yearly bonanza could lead to providing a ready supply of new choristers, but I'm afraid we can't compete with the latest jazzy beat and dance routine, even less keep up with the increasingly inventive subject matter in modern school assembly songs.....
And so, back to listen to Roger Royle's version of Education Sunday on the radio. This was more familiar musical territory which took me back to the Assemblies of 30-40 years ago. Pure nostalgia.