Categories: uncategorized
Date: 10 April 2007 16:42:53
I managed to get to one service of Compline - sadly not sung (apart from 'Before the ending of the day'), and to the modern words.
Maundy Thursday was the usual 'A new commandment' (Shephard) and the foot washing. But the real amazement was walking into the church and seeing it laid up for a Passover Supper. We partook, with an explanation of what would have happened at the Last Supper, and how it linked to the Jewish Passover. The table was then hurriedly covered up as the service started.
On Good Friday, the first two hours were readings (I think the 'Lent, Holy Week and Easter' ones) interspersed with music from Archer's 'Requiem'. The music was on CD as the choir weren't going to attend for three whole hours (we get paid in chocolate eggs and the rates were too high).
The last hour was the final set of readings and prayers (and, strangely, the gospel read by a lay person), with music: 'A new commandment I give unto you' (Shephard), three hymns and the choir (this time) singing the final part of Archer's Requiem: 'In Paradisum'. We were short in numbers and I don't think we were quite up to the standard of Chichester Cathedral, so we well and truly killed Jesus off by 3 o'clock. The vicar proclaimed from the pulpit, 'The Lord is dead! The Lord is dead!' and we departed chaotically, much as the early disciples must have done.
Our morning Eucharist was an amalgamation of the two former services: Holy Saturday and Easter Day. Thus we got through the lighting of the paschal candle, renewal of baptismal vows and asperges, Easter family talk and display of children's workshop frieze, and the Eucharist (with Handel's 'Hallelujah Chorus'), all at breakneck speed, finishing for coffee and creme eggs / Kinder eggs (with Toblerone for the choir) by the usual time. Phew!
Not yet completely exhausted, we returned to sing Festival Evensong - fortunately with music which didn't need too much rehearsal: the Sweeney responses, Stanford in C and 'The strife is o'er' (Ley), which struck me as a wonderfully triumphant way to complete this busy weekend.