Music for Strathallan

Below are some rehearsal aids for our forthcoming residential rehearsal weekend at Strathallan School.  Some of the following, and much more, will form the basis of our next few events.

I couldn't find clips of Sir John Stainer in B Flat Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis, John Bertalot Fauxbourdons, John L Bell's There is a Place, Frikki Walker's Prayer for Peace, or John Madden's We will remember them.

The first video below contains only the first part (I couldn't find the second part) of the Thomas Morley Responses, which can be found about 50 seconds into the clip.  Be aware though that they perform the 1662 Prayer Book version in which the priest sings "Glory be to the Father ......." followed by a response from the choir, whereas we'll doubtless be doing the correct version as set by Morley!  If none of that makes sense don't worry, all will be obvious on the day.




The video below is of the William Byrd Praise our Lord all ye gentiles, and it's an apt one because it was recorded (albeit not by the Cathedral choir) in the very beautiful Wells Cathedral where our own Musical Director Frikki Walker was a Vicar Choral in the choir for a few years (and you wondered how he got to know so much about singing!).  Having sung there a few times with one of Frikki's former choirs The Marian Consort, I can safely say it's one of my favourite cathedrals, and in fact one of my favourite English cities.  Great pubs!



Below is Samuel Sebastian Wesley's Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace.



John Ireland's Greater Love hath no man than this is below.



Edgar Bainton's And I saw a new heaven, with powerful words from the Book of Revelation, is one of my absolute all time favourite anthems, is very near the top of the exceptionally long list of things I want sung at my funeral, and can be found below.



Also near the top of my funeral list is Sir Edward Cuthbert Bairstow's atmospheric anthem Let all mortal flesh keep silence, which a very important person in a former life of mine always described as my anthem because whenever she heard it she apparently always remembered me singing the tenor solo in it, and which is below.



Lastly, but by no means leastly, Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck's Gaudete Omnes is below.

Enjoy them all!

Cat Herders

This is what it sometimes feels like to be the administrator, particularly when approaching the residential rehearsal weekend!

A twin history lesson

RSCM Scottish Voices will be taking part in Choral Evensong to mark the anniversary of 9/11 on, strangely enough, Saturday September 11th 2010 in St John's Episcopal Church in Forfar (top photo) which is the church in which Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon (later to become the Queen Mother) was confirmed on 5th November 1916.  Tha father of a former rector, John Skinner, Bishop of Aberdeen, was one of the three Scottish bishops who in 1784 consecrated Samuel Seabury as first bishop of the Episcopal Church of the then brand new United States of America.  History?  We've got it!

Our final meeting in 2010 will be in the lovely Thomas Coats Memorial Baptist Church in Paisley (photo on right) on Saturday 4th December.  The church, linked to the prominent threadmaking Coats family who were major benefactors in 19th century Paisley, is unofficially known as "The Baptist Cathedral of Europe" and although normally the type of service in which we take part is relevant to the denomination of the church in which we are singing, on this occasion we have been asked to sing Choral Evensong, and it's been suggested that this might be the first time in the UK such a service has been held in a Baptist church!

Full details, and of course individual posts relating to each, will follow in due course.

Richard's wedding music

Richard's wedding is fast approaching, and some videos to aid note-bashing are below:

Videos relating to the Stanford Ye Choirs of New Jerusalem, and Britten Jubilate Deo in C, have already been posted here relating to our recent Dundee visit.  The Patrick Hadley My Beloved Spake is below.