Categories: uncategorized
Date: 23 March 2008 21:21:08
The Holy Week marathon involved little singing at the start of the week (said Compline plus address), although we did sing 'Before the ending of the day' every evening. On Maundy Thursday the Gloria (Thorne) made a welcome reappearance, as well as the anthem, 'A new commandment I give unto you' (Shepherd).
We had to arrive very quietly for the Last Hour of the Good Friday service as there was silent prayer and meditation on the addresses during the first part of the service. This posed a problem for the oboe player in 'Christ has no body now but yours' (Ogden) who was therefore unable to warm-up beforehand. Much sucking of the reed ensured that no disasters occured and the music sounded suitably haunting. The other choir item was 'We glory in thy Cross, O Lord' (Shepherd), alternating in style between plainsong psalm-chant and chorale response.
There was a good turn-out of all parts to all the services except that we were short of enough top line on Easter Day to do justice to the celebratory Hallelujah Chorus (sung to a completely full church) and the Festival Evensong. The Noble in B minor canticle settings sounded confident in the lower parts but tentative in the upper parts; however this combination worked much better in How's two-part 'Bless O Lord', where S and T combined to sing the top line and A and B the lower line.
We need to recruit more sopranos to make up for the times when several are ill or away on holiday. Perhaps we could spread the word that the vicar always gives out creme eggs after the Easter service?