Categories: uncategorized
Date: 29 January 2012 21:55:28
Candlemas - a time for joyful singing if ever there was one. We had the reassurance of organ accompaniment for Stanford's 'Beati Quorum Via' in the morning (typically, with SSATBB, several of the men were unavailable). Members of the congregation commented appreciatively - they don't often get the opportunity to hear a longer anthem in the morning service. Celebrations continued into lunch time, with baked salmon, followed by apple pie and cream, washed down with generous amounts of wine, followed by coffee.
We struggled back to rehearse for Evensong, feeling rather full, but well-padded against the cold weather. The Rose responses (including his beautiful sung Lord's Prayer), Noble in B minor canticles, and Balfour Gardiner's luscious 'Evening Hymn' were sung with concentration and feeling, in a church lit by the flickering of many candles. Despite the gloom of current troubles and concerns, CofE life cannot get much better than this.