It never fails to bring tears to my eyes especially when I close my eyes and in my mind I can see my boy in his cassock all those years ago. Wonderful memories every time I hear our current Cathedral choir sing this.
As a Chorister at Peterborough Cathedral I used to sing this - and it is an abiding memory - the beautiful chromaticism - then, after the Evensong, to go out into the Precinct and be greeted by the aroma of Sugar Beet from the nearby factory. Not everyone is blessed with such memories. Full Choral Evensong six times a week, Likewise Choral Mattins together with Morning Choral Settings - just think of the amount of learning new music we boys accomplished during our short tenure as a Cathedral Chorister. Byrd in the Phrygian Mode . . . Merbeck . . . . etc. I am going back some seventy + years. The most amazing thing is that I truly do remember all we sang, most intimately.
I relate very strongly to what you describe. I was a chorister at Southwark Cathedral (London Bridge) in the 1990s. Sung services only three times a week, but still a full-time, semi-professional musical career for a child, alongside schooling. So much music learned, absorbed. Soaks into your soul ... for me, especially the 'Mag-'n-Nunc' settings, sometimes sung to a near empty cathedral on sunny afternoons. The smell of brackish Thames water outside as you emerge from the cathedral; playing hide-and-seek in Borough Market, still a maze of empty wholesalers' alleys in the 1990s; being in awe of the intense personality and seriousness of the Assistant Organist, the then-unknown Stephen Layton.
I too sang in Peterborough under Stanley Vann (69-72 ish!) and echo all you say. After a longish break after leaving I have been singing ever since. I have sung it a few times over the years but sometimes its difficult because of the emotions it evokes. I'm listening to it now.....
Sang for a week at Worcester in 85. Life changed forever!!! I was 14 and Deputy Head Chorister at St. Paul's Cathedral, London, Ontario, Canada. Our choirmaster Mervyn Games played a fabulous organ recital. If I'm not mistaken there were still some Hope-Jones stops remaining. I recall the organ being most fulsome indeed. And that gorgeous case in the transept was for this 14 year old organist/choirmaster wannabe a colossal work of art and inspiration. Great memories...sherry in the cloister garth anyone?
Love this piece, reminds me of evensong on a wet dark night in Liverpool on my way home from lectures as a student. Ideally Liverpool cathedral Choir and a big Willis!
I first sung this mind-blowingly fantastic and haunting anthem in 1981, when I was 23. I just could not believe the incredible harmonies! - and that sonorous pedal note held throughout most of the first section!
I was at Peterborough as Chorister (ending as Head Boy - there were no girls in the choir and, in order to audition for the choir it was obligatory to be at Kings School - which was the Choir School) from 1946. Organist and Choir Master Dr.Douglas Hopkins. We used to sing this - along with so many other Anthems and Settings which we had to learn in order to perform in the two-services-a-day, six days a week. We even sang Merbeck which was so different! But here we seem to be missing the Ped Opens. Oh dear . . . !
When was this recorded? I may be mistaken, but this sounds to me like the modern Tickell organ, which replaced a wonderful old Hope-Jones/Harrison, the destruction of which must go down as one of the biggest disgraces in the history of this nation's musical culture... the new instrument is gutless compared to the grand old beast...
Disagree as having not heard the old organ. This organist has put a fine touch on this elegant beast of a phenomenon of the Anglican evensong repertoire. Bravi, heavenly blessings on this blessed take on a staple of the repertoire of spirit laden music that is the evensong of the Anglican church. Thank you many times for recording this and posting it.
David Whitehouse If you'd heard the old beast, you'd know exactly why I feel as I do. It spoke with vastly more authority, it was better-placed, and the woodwork at floor level encasing its heavily-built masonry chambers really improved the acoustic in the quire, imbuing it with a sonic projection which has now been lost. The new instrument is badly sited (mostly in the roof void behind the triforium arcade), underscaled, undervoiced (e.g. insufficient cut-up and languids left largely un-nicked), and the wind pressures are too low. Near Worcester, Hereford is a vastly superior organ (and a curse on the house of anyone who even dares suggest replacing that instrument!), as is Chester (despite the vicissitudes of alterations in and since 1970 or thereabouts). Malvern Priory's Rushworth & Dreaper was nearly binned by the same organist as succeeded in destroying the fine old Worcester organ, but he was thankfully foiled there, and a much more conservative rebuild was undertaken.
+Richard Harrold Its a mess Richard!! an absolute mess! When I hear recordings of the much loved HJ/H You suddenly realise what they have done, dreadful, just dreadful and the old choir cases what became of them! Certainly not listed I bet!!!
***** The angels and pipe-shades on the present cases were carried over from the previous instrument, as was the Solo Viole d'Orchestre rank. The rest was all thrown out - although some ranks have been reused elsewhere by Nicholson.
One of the most beautiful anthems,indeed uplifting.
It never fails to bring tears to my eyes especially when I close my eyes and in my mind I can see my boy in his cassock all those years ago. Wonderful memories every time I hear our current Cathedral choir sing this.
As a Chorister at Peterborough Cathedral I used to sing this - and it is an abiding memory - the beautiful chromaticism - then, after the Evensong, to go out into the Precinct and be greeted by the aroma of Sugar Beet from the nearby factory. Not everyone is blessed with such memories. Full Choral Evensong six times a week, Likewise Choral Mattins
together with Morning Choral Settings - just think of the amount of learning new music we boys accomplished during our short tenure as a Cathedral Chorister. Byrd in the Phrygian Mode . . . Merbeck . . . . etc. I am going back some seventy + years. The most amazing thing is that I truly do remember all we sang, most intimately.
I relate very strongly to what you describe. I was a chorister at Southwark Cathedral (London Bridge) in the 1990s. Sung services only three times a week, but still a full-time, semi-professional musical career for a child, alongside schooling. So much music learned, absorbed. Soaks into your soul ... for me, especially the 'Mag-'n-Nunc' settings, sometimes sung to a near empty cathedral on sunny afternoons. The smell of brackish Thames water outside as you emerge from the cathedral; playing hide-and-seek in Borough Market, still a maze of empty wholesalers' alleys in the 1990s; being in awe of the intense personality and seriousness of the Assistant Organist, the then-unknown Stephen Layton.
I too sang in Peterborough under Stanley Vann (69-72 ish!) and echo all you say. After a longish break after leaving I have been singing ever since. I have sung it a few times over the years but sometimes its difficult because of the emotions it evokes. I'm listening to it now.....
Sang for a week at Worcester in 85. Life changed forever!!! I was 14 and Deputy Head Chorister at St. Paul's Cathedral, London, Ontario, Canada. Our choirmaster Mervyn Games played a fabulous organ recital. If I'm not mistaken there were still some Hope-Jones stops remaining. I recall the organ being most fulsome indeed. And that gorgeous case in the transept was for this 14 year old organist/choirmaster wannabe a colossal work of art and inspiration. Great memories...sherry in the cloister garth anyone?
Love this piece, reminds me of evensong on a wet dark night in Liverpool on my way home from lectures as a student. Ideally Liverpool cathedral Choir and a big Willis!
Just a glorious piece of music. I listened to it this morning, thinking about the poor souls in Paris, and it expressed everything.
The descending tenor line at 1:00 brings tears to my eyes! I want this sung at my funeral service!
I want this track played at my funeral service too. It would so depend on the quality of the choir if it were sung live.
Me too! It is a definite for my funeral.
I want to sing it myself at my funeral service 😎
I first sung this mind-blowingly fantastic and haunting anthem in 1981, when I was 23. I just could not believe the incredible harmonies! - and that sonorous pedal note held throughout most of the first section!
I was at Peterborough as Chorister (ending as Head Boy - there were no girls in the choir and, in order to audition for the choir it was obligatory to be at Kings School - which was the Choir School) from 1946. Organist and Choir Master Dr.Douglas Hopkins. We used to sing this - along with so many other Anthems and Settings which we had to learn in order to perform in the two-services-a-day, six days a week. We even sang Merbeck which was so different! But here we seem to be missing the Ped Opens. Oh dear . . . !
@@michaelgamble296 I'm sorry to be ignorant, but what are Ped Opens?
Music that defines life and defies death! A true masterpiece!
There's something magic growling in the pedals at 4'16" that sounds like a timpani roll in just the right place!!
Sublime!
Hello followers of Jesus Christ.
Based on this performance, I think that Worcester Cathederal choir could give the choir of King's College Cambridge " a good run for their money"!
Perhaps it's the acoustics in the Cathedral, but the text was totally indistinguishable.
judymusick The Latin text may be part of the problem.
Beautiful, but a slight shame it was in Latin. B-G wrote it for the English words.
Beautifully sung! If only the tuba had sounded out as it should have done.
4:43 utter euphoria
What, you mean that fantastic 7th? Yes, i agree!
@@debbiebrett6689 The alto entry absolutely kicking a**!
@@taflukta Aah, yes!
No mortal should have given this performance a thumbs down.
I can only assume there are some Anti Christs in the world!
there are no 'thumbs down' only thumbs up - and properly so! Look closely at the 'hand icons'
@@michaelgamble296 , I can only assume that you are the Anti Christ 🤣
When was this recorded? I may be mistaken, but this sounds to me like the modern Tickell organ, which replaced a wonderful old Hope-Jones/Harrison, the destruction of which must go down as one of the biggest disgraces in the history of this nation's musical culture... the new instrument is gutless compared to the grand old beast...
Disagree as having not heard the old organ. This organist has put a fine touch on this elegant beast of a phenomenon of the Anglican evensong repertoire. Bravi, heavenly blessings on this blessed take on a staple of the repertoire of spirit laden music that is the evensong of the Anglican church. Thank you many times for recording this and posting it.
David Whitehouse If you'd heard the old beast, you'd know exactly why I feel as I do. It spoke with vastly more authority, it was better-placed, and the woodwork at floor level encasing its heavily-built masonry chambers really improved the acoustic in the quire, imbuing it with a sonic projection which has now been lost. The new instrument is badly sited (mostly in the roof void behind the triforium arcade), underscaled, undervoiced (e.g. insufficient cut-up and languids left largely un-nicked), and the wind pressures are too low. Near Worcester, Hereford is a vastly superior organ (and a curse on the house of anyone who even dares suggest replacing that instrument!), as is Chester (despite the vicissitudes of alterations in and since 1970 or thereabouts). Malvern Priory's Rushworth & Dreaper was nearly binned by the same organist as succeeded in destroying the fine old Worcester organ, but he was thankfully foiled there, and a much more conservative rebuild was undertaken.
+Richard Harrold Hear Hear to that!!!!!
+Richard Harrold Its a mess Richard!! an absolute mess! When I hear recordings of the much loved HJ/H You suddenly realise what they have done, dreadful, just dreadful and the old choir cases what became of them! Certainly not listed I bet!!!
***** The angels and pipe-shades on the present cases were carried over from the previous instrument, as was the Solo Viole d'Orchestre rank. The rest was all thrown out - although some ranks have been reused elsewhere by Nicholson.
Oh dear, the basses. Every sound has got to be beautiful in this piece; but the basses have blown it in the very first line
Ouch. Tuning goes way out! What a waste of a superb "pedal tune".
Nothing like as good as I had expected. No feeling or emotion.
Organ sounds a bit naff. Clearly not the only one to think that!
Getting rid of the old HJ/H was an act of vandalism. Disgraceful. Any re engineered discs on CD?
Shame about the poor doddering Bass at the beginning!