Categories: uncategorized
Date: 06 October 2008 09:57:27
An augmented choir for the wedding on Saturday (they provided a very useful descant in 'For the Beauty of the Earth' - Rutter) provided an encouraging start to our Harvest weekend. Unfortunately they were not able to join us on Sunday morning, so we were back to the usual number to sing 'Bread is blessed and broken' - Iona, plus a feast of traditional harvest hymns. The vestry group children had visited a farm earlier in the week, so regaled us of tales of what they had found there - fortunately we were spared the Blessing of the Animals service bravely tried at our other benefice church. The morning was rounded off with a huge bring-and-share Harvest Lunch in the parish centre. About half of the food was eventually consumed - even members of the church youth could not manage to eat it all, try as they might.
A larger than usual evensong congregation continued the hearty singing, and listened to us sing an old choir favourite (variously known as 'The Heathens are Yelling' or 'The Heathen are Smelling') Haydn's 'The Heavens are Telling'. Sometimes it is good to have the opportunity at Evensong to have a good rant, singing something which wouldn't really fit into a contemplative Eucharist service. Ireland's Mag and Nunc, plus Andrew Millington's responses, completed the choral part of the Festival Evensong, after which we all retired for a good rest - especially the RSCM Silver Medallion award winners who had spent even more of their weekend singing than usual.