Skip to main content

Doors and the Big Chichester Sing

Dear Reader

In my Father’s House there are many rooms, our Lord told us. In this Lord’s House on earth there were many doors we could enter in this holy place.



Yesterday we sang the three services traditionally sung in Cathedrals across England, Matins, Eucharist and Evensong. I thought I had best add the musical menu for you.

Matins
We sang Hunt responses, Howells Te Deum and Jubilate, the Trebles sang JV Peters’ arrangement of Away in a Manger, the Venite and the psalm appointed, along with a hymn.

Eucharist
This occurred after a 15 minute break from Matins. The mass setting was Dove and the motet was Gjielo’s Ubi Caritas. The psalm appointed was sung to two different chants. There were a bucket load of hymns, including Love came down at Christmas (hey, Mum, they had the tune for us!)

Evensong
The trebles had an evening off, while your intrepid Lay Clerks sang the service. We really enjoyed the intimacy of this service where we sang Rose responses, Ives Magdalen canticles and a Byrd anthem, Surge, illuminare Jerusalem.

I am advised Dame Patricia Routledge was at one of the morning services, as the Cathedral is her home church. Dear Hyacinth Bucket. While she likes to keep a low profile, and deserves to do so, I am counting that as a Clang.

Chichester Cathedral Song School is located up a spiral staircase.At one stage Leonie asked if anyone knew how many stairs there were. Of course I had already counted them. There were 41, and their depth was variable. And yesterday we ascended and descended 14 times. Much more challenging than our crypt stairs. Here is Archie at the bottom of the stairs to the Song School.


Dear Readers, I am enjoying your comments, and am particularly grateful to Stuart L who lets me know it is he who has commented. May I request others do likewise, if it is not too much trouble for you?

With our best thoughts to you all from 6 degree England to the heat of Australia. We are having a wonderful time but I know we miss our loved ones, and hold them in our hearts.

But to finish on a lighter note, here is James H escaping the music library. Yet another door.




I was also taken with the importance of the fire extinguishers in the Cathedral - this one was given its own Cross.



Cxx

Comments

  1. UnknownDecember 30, 2019 at 5:37 AM

    The cool change has arrived in Adelaide. Gloria in excelsis Deo, as they say. We all feel human again, and can put on another layer for warmth's sake tonight. Stuart L

    ReplyDelete
  2. UnknownDecember 30, 2019 at 12:43 PM

    Is there a Cathedral Cat?😹😸😻

    ReplyDelete
  3. Bruce & Judy MunroDecember 30, 2019 at 6:09 PM

    with so many doors, crypts, staircases, tunnels and secret places please do not lose my precious treble grandsons! Thanks for your great blog keeping us in the loop.Judy M

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Big One, St Paul’s

  Dear Reader Today was the Big Event of tour. St Paul’s Cathedral, London. If you are observant, you will notice my absence from the photo above, along with several of my colleagues. Sadly, this happened.  After nearly four years and six vaccinations I finally succumbed to the dreaded Covid. At the worst possible time. My multiple vax status has meant I only feel a bit rotten, like a cold, but I do feel sad to have missed the day. And to miss Windsor tomorrow. I was grateful for the considered medical advice provided by Dr Ritesh, father of one of the trebles, who also updated my supply of paracetamol and ibuprofen.  So I am relying on others for the report about this special day.  The good bits started with four of the young Lay Clerks heading to St Paul’s for singing lessons with my friend Patrick Craig, who is an Alto Lay Vicar at St Paul. In have yet to hear from Nicholas, Marco, Charlie or James, but Patrick was very complimentary about their singing. This is w...
10 comments
Read more

Castles, Cantuar and Margaritas

Today has included significant amounts of travel as we have made our way to Canterbury and are now on our way back to Winchester, where we still have another two nights. We set off early, around 8am, and headed for the home of Anglicanism, Canterbury. En route we stopped at Leeds Castle, where we spent several fun-filled hours exploring the castle, having lunch and getting lost in the hedge maze. The grounds are just beautiful, even in the starkness of winter. It was cold. VERY cold, as we walked from the bus to the Castle. Clear days will do that. This was the first time that I had used my sunglasses since we left Adelaide. We had a good look around, then after a lovely soup and sanger lunch we went out to the Maze. Getting there and back was again cold, but being in the maze was not as bitter, as we were protected from the wind.  We all had fun getting lost and being found again. The maze succeeded in doing something that nothing else has done, separating Ed J and Alana. At leas...
6 comments
Read more

Hereford, where the sound rings for four seconds

  Dear Reader I remember I loved Hereford Cathedral when we visited on the first tour in 2006. Today I remember why. The Cathedral is beautiful. The welcome is warm, both spiritually and physically - they have amazing heaters.   Singing there is amazing. The acoustic is kind and supportive. Actually, it is exciting. The organ is stunning. Tonight we sang Evensong, with their Precentor canting. The Versicles and Responses were by June Nixon. We sang Roland Martin’s Buffalo Canticles, which we refer to as Buffalo Buffalo Buffalo Buffalo. The anthem was Bob Chilcott’s Still, Still, Still. But the most significant sing was probably the psalms. Plural.  We sang four of them 147-150.  Ps 147 and Ps 148 were sung to different chants by Charles V Stanford. Ps 149 had an Edward Hopkins chant and Ps 150 was by Philip Marshall. Anthony Hunt is fond of saying the only thing better than a short psalm is a long psalm, and while some of the trebles may disagree, there are many of u...
6 comments
Read more