Chrism Mass

Our 2018 season started in fine style yesterday with a totally unaccompanied Choral Evensong in the wonderful acoustic of the mediaeval quire of historic Bothwell Parish Church, directed by Frikki Walker and with the service led by Rev Jim Gibson, Minister of Bothwell and Chaplain in Ordinary to Her Majesty the Queen in Scotland.

Our thoughts turn now to our next meeting, on Saturday 24th March, when at 4pm we shall be providing the music for the Chrism Mass in St Mary's Episcopal Cathedral in Glasgow, led by the Bishop of Glasgow & Galloway, the Right Reverend Dr Gregor Duncan. 

Frikki will, as normal, be directing the choir and we are glad to be accompanied again by Kevin Duggan of Dunblane Cathedral.

Setting: Communion Service in G (Dr Francis Jackson)
Motet: A new commandment (Peter Nardone)
Motet: Let all mortal flesh keep silence (Sir Edward Cuthbert Bairstow)

Glasgow 2016

It was a day different to the usual one we enjoy, but enjoyable nonetheless.  Originally scheduled as Choral Evensong, we were asked by the Right Reverend Dr Gregor Duncan, Bishop of the Diocese of Glasgow & Galloway of the Scottish Episcopal Church, to instead provide the music for a Chrism Mass when priests from all over the diocese gather to renew their ordination vows and to bless various oils used in their ministry.

The Bishop delivered a homily, and made the choir feel particularly welcome and an integral part of the service during it, which was commented on afterwards by several choir members.

Directed by Frikki Walker and accompanied by Steven McIntyre the setting was Harold E Darke's rather nice Communion Service in F, with the soprano soloist Ruth Elder, tenor and baritone soloist Ian Gibson, and solo quartet made up of Ruth Elder, Pam Barrowman, Ian Gibson and Stewart Macrae.  Well done to all of them!

The anthem was a little gem by New York based Norwegian composer Ola Gjeilo, called Ubi Caritas which if you haven't heard it before is well worth a listen.  A recording during which you can look at the sheet music too can be seen on YouTube here, and the sheet music is available to purchase from the RSCM here.

The next outing is for 20 of our singers who are making the journey south to Peterborough Cathedral on 9th April to join forces with our counterparts from the rest of the country as we celebrate the Golden Jubilee of the founding of RSCM Cathedral Singers by Martin How, in what promises to be a splendid Choral Evensong which includes O praise the Lord, a new introit written by Martin How for the occasion, Ayleward Responses, Magnificat & Nunc Dimittis in D by George Dyson, and Surrexit a mortuis by Charles Marie Widor (written not only for double choir but for two organs!).

The next time the full choir meets is on 14th May when we close the first half of our 2016 season with Choral Evensong in Dunblane Cathedral.  Originally planned as a joint service with RSCM Young Scottish Voices, for various reasons the youngsters aren't now available to join us for that service which will include Litany to the Holy Spirit (Peter Hurford), Richard Seal Responses, Magnificat & Nunc Dimittis in E (Herbert Murrill), and Rejoice the Lord is King (Malcolm Archer).

Thus ends the first half

The first half of our 2014 season drew to a close with a fine Choral Evensong in St Mary's Episcopal Cathedral in Glasgow on Saturday 14th June, following which a pleasingly high number of choir members moved along the road a little to Munro's Pub where despite the noisy (but good natured) crowd already there enjoying the soccer world cup on TV we took advantage of a couple of tables being booked for us (it's where St Mary's Cathedral choir members go on a Sunday after Choral Evensong so the staff are friendly and accommodating) and socialised happily for the next few hours.

The service was led by Very Rev Kelvin Holdsworth, who sang the Clucas responses for us, and we were directed by Frikki Walker and accompanied by Richard Walmsley.

The next time we meet will be for our annual residential rehearsal weekend in August but that doesn't involve any public performance, so the next time you can hear us sing is on Saturday 6th September 2014 when we will sing Choral Evensong at 4pm in St Paul's Episcopal Cathedral in Dundee.

In the meantime our choir administrator and director of music will be meeting in the next few days to decide on the dates and venues for 2015 (yes, it really does need done this far in advance!) and that meeting will also involve the administrator of RSCM Young Scottish Voices.  After singing with us for the first time very successfully and enjoyably in Paisley Abbey a couple of weeks ago it is the intention that while still taking part in their own events the youngsters will sing a bit more often with the adult choir, and this is the first step in making that happen.  Watch this space for further details!

Visit to Dumfries

At 4pm on Saturday 10th November 2012 RSCM Scottish Voices will be singing in St John's Episcopal Church, Lovers' Walk, Dumfries, directed by our Assistant Musical Director Richard Walmsley.

The service of Choral Evensong, the day before Remembrance Sunday, will have the theme of remembrance running through it, and the music will be:

Introit: Cantique de Jean Racine (Gabriel Fauré)
Responses: Richard Shephard
Psalm: 121 (Henry Walford Davies)
Canticles: Charles Villiers Stanford in C
Anthem: Greater Love hath no man (John Ireland)
Blessing: Irish Blessing (Bob Chilcott)

All are welcome to attend the service, which promises to be very moving.

This first trip to Dumfries will be the furthest south in Scotland we've yet visited, and with a trip to Inverness scheduled for 2013 our ongoing aim to further push the geographic scope of RSCM Scottish Voices is well in hand.

2013 season announced!

The next time you can hear us sing is on November 10th 2012 in St John's Episcopal Church in Dumfries when we bring our 2012 season to a close with a Remembrance themed Choral Evensong, but hot off the press this weekend the 2013 season for RSCM Scottish Voices has now been announced.

We start the year on Saturday February 2nd in St Mary's Episcopal Cathedral in Glasgow, home church of our Musical Director Frikki Walker and several of our choir, where we shall be taking part in a Choral Mass for Candlemas at 4.30pm.

On Saturday 9th March we will be making a first visit to the university town of St Andrews, where we will be singing Choral Evensong in Holy Trinity Parish Church, which in the past has been host to concerts by The Sixteen and The Tallis Scholars.

Saturday 27th April sees us helping celebrate the 850th anniversary year of the founding of Paisley Abbey, with our first visit to sing in that historic building.

In June we will be singing somewhere, but the exact date and the venue is still in negotiation, so watch this space!

Friday August 2nd to Sunday August 4th* will be our annual residential rehearsal weekend, venue to be decided but it features no public performance so the finer details may well not be publicised here.
* please note this is a date change from that first posted here (updated 13/10/2012)

Our stretching of the Scottish geographic boundaries continues on Saturday 14th September when we pay a first visit to sing Choral Evensong in St Andrew's Episcopal Cathedral in Inverness.

As well as the 850th anniversary of Paisley Abbey, the year 2013 is the centenary of the Carnegie Trust undertaking the first ever publishing of Tudor Church Music, and we're delighted to be able to help them celebrate this auspicious occasion by singing Tudor music for them on Saturday 12th October.  The venue is still to be finalised, but we're hopeful it'll involve singing in a suitably old abbey, cathedral or church.

Our 2013 season comes to a close with a return visit to the outstanding acoustic of St Aloysius' RC Church in Glasgow, where although the details of the service have still to be discussed we hope to take part in their regular Vigil Mass on Saturday 23rd November.

Full details, including music lists of all of the above will be announced here as and when information becomes available, and on a rolling basis our Future Services and Events page will be updated.

Old Saint Paul's, Edinburgh

Old Saint Paul's Episcopal Church on Jeffrey St in Edinburgh (right next to Waverley Station) is the next place you can hear RSCM Scottish Voices sing, on Saturday 28th April at 4pm when we shall be singing Choral Evensong.

The music we will be performing is:

Introit: O sons and daughters (Walford Davies)
Responses: Clucas
Canticles: Murrill in E
Anthem: Ye choirs of new Jerusalem (Stanford)
Final Responses: Naylor

Come along to this fine building and join us in a celebration of Easter!

Enter by the Carubber's Close door.

Perth and Old Saint Paul's

After our successful and very enjoyable recital in the Church of the Holy Rude in Stirling yesterday, the next opportunity to hear RSCM Scottish Voices sing is when members join forces with other local choirs to sing Handel's Messiah under the direction of Richard Walmsley in St Ninian's Episcopal Cathedral, Perth, on Saturday 31st March 2012.  Further details will be listed here when available.

The next time you can hear us on our own is during Choral Evensong on Saturday 28th April 2012 in Old Saint Paul's Church, Jeffrey St, Edinburgh. The music list will be announced here soon.

Perth Choral Evensong

On Saturday 11th February 2012 at 4.30pm RSCM Scottish Voices will be singing Choral Evensong in St Ninian's Episcopal Cathedral, North Methven Street, Perth.

The music will be

• Introit: Give us the wings of faith (Sir Ernest Bullock)
• Responses: John Reading
• Canticles: John Ireland in F
• Anthem: Alleluya Psallat (William Mathias)
• Final Responses: Edward Naylor

St Ninian's Cathedral is a fine building with a good acoustic, so come along and enjoy this wonderful music with us.

RSCM Scottish Voices currently has a few vacancies for singers, and an audition day is being held on Saturday 14th January 2012 in Glasgow.

If you fancy singing with us just get in touch using the contact details in the sidebar on the right, and even if you couldn't make it along on 14th January we'll still consider your application and if there are still places available (or if subsequent places become available at a later date) we'll arrange ad hoc auditions.

Old Saint Paul's, Edinburgh

On Saturday 28th April 2012 at 4pm RSCM Scottish Voices will be singing Choral Evensong in Old Saint Paul's Episcopal Church, 39 Jeffrey Street, Edinburgh EH1 1DH, directed by Frikki Walker and accompanied on the organ by Geoffrey Woollatt.

The music will be

• Introit: O sons and daughters (Walford Davies)
• Responses: Clucas
• Canticles: Murrill in E
• Anthem: Ye choirs of new Jerusalem (Stanford
• Final Responses (Naylor)

Old Saint Paul's is a lovely building, set just off the Royal Mile within the confines of Edinburgh's Old Town, and the choir are very much looking forward to the visit. 

Breakfast with Archibald Simpson

Breakfast in the local Wetherspoons pub, an enjoyable day of rehearsing, leading towards an excellent Choral Evensong followed by an equally excellent fluid-replacement session back in the Wetherspoons made for a delightful day for RSCM Scottish Voices in Aberdeen at the weekend.

We were a little low on numbers, with a couple of sopranos having to boost the alto part, but notwithstanding that it was a good number of the choir who made it to the furthest north we've travelled as yet in the choir's short existence.

The welcome and hospitality shown to us by St Andrew's Episcopal Cathedral was second to none, and we'll definitely make a return trip there in the future.

Choral Evensong in Aberdeen

Choral Evensong will be sung by RSCM Scottish Voices at 4pm tomorrow, Saturday 18th June 2011 in St Andrew's Episcopal Cathedral, King Street, Aberdeen.  See the poster below for details of the music list.

Fit like?

After a successful and very enjoyable visit to St Mary's Parish Church in Haddington last Saturday where we sang a devotional sequence for Easter-tide followed by a similarly enjoyable and successful trip 100 yards down the road to the Tyneside Tavern by a big crowd of choir and friends, the next time RSCM Scottish Voices will meet and sing together is on Saturday 18th June 2011 at 4pm when we will be making our first visit to Aberdeen, to St Andrew's Episcopal Cathedral in King St, to sing Choral Evensong, and we're all VERY much looking forward to it!

The music list has been announced today, and it will consist of:

• Introit: God the Holy Trinity (David Halls)
• Responses: Richard Ayleward
• Psalm 147
• Office Hymn: Bright the vision that delighted (tune: Redhead No 46)
• Canticles: Basil Harwood in A flat
• Anthem: I saw the Lord (Sir John Stainer)
• Final Hymn: I bind unto myself today (tune: St Patrick's Breastplate)

St Andrew's Cathedral, which is pretty much in the centre of Aberdeen, is an historic place with special links to the Episcopal Church of the United States of America, and of significance to the whole Anglican communion, and this is clear when you read the following extract from the cathedral's own rather good website:

The congregation here is much older than the present church building. Its roots go back to the time when Episcopalians were forced out of the parish churches of the city after the deposition of James VII (James II of England). Early records are lost, but it is known that the  congregation existed in 1716 when Andrew Jaffrey, formerly parish minister of Alford, became minister of this congregation. A number of meeting houses were used before John Skinner built his house in Long Acre in 1776, the upper room of which was used as a chapel.

It was in Aberdeen on 14 November 1784 that Samuel Seabury of Connecticut was consecrated Bishop for America, the first Bishop outside the British isles of what we now call the Anglican Communion. A plaque in the Quadrangle of Marischal College commemorates this notable event.

Seabury's consecration by Bishop Kilgour of Aberdeen, Bishop Petrie of Moray and John Skinner, who was Rector of this congregation and Co-adjutor Bishop of Aberdeen, forced the established Church of England and Parliament to legislate; making it possible for bishops to be created for the Colonies. Had this not happened, the Anglican communion might be very different from what it is today.

RSCM Scottish Voices will be paying its first, but doubtless not its last visit to Aberdeen, and we're proud to be a small part of the ongoing tradition of worship in this fine building.  That said, with one former member of the cathedral choir and one current member of the Cathedral Voices choir singing with us, we aren't exactly complete strangers to the city or cathedral, but we're all very much looking forward to being there in a few weeks.

2011 season is announced

The 2011 season for RSCM Scottish Voices has now been finalised, and it's going to be a cracking year!

We kick off on Saturday January 22nd with a visit to the historic Dunfermline Abbey.  The photo below is by Paul McIlroy

Dunfermline Abbey

On Saturday 5th March we pay a welcome return visit to Dunblane Cathedral.  The photo of Dunblane Cathedral is by Kevin Rae.

Dunblane Cathedral

After our last visit in January 2009 which was slightly marred by appalling blizzard conditions causing numerous choristers not to make it, on Saturday 21st May we return to St Mary's Parish Church in Haddington where although we hope to get better weather we couldn't hope for a better welcome than we received last time.  The photo of St Mary's Church is by kind permission of RSCM Scottish Voices choir member gordonrasmith.

St Mary's Haddington

Coinciding with a planned weekend of events in the city held by RSCM Scotland, on Saturday 18th June the choir will be visiting Aberdeen for the first time, singing Choral Evensong in St Andrew's Episcopal Cathedral at 4pm.   The image below is from their own Website.

St Andrews Cathedral, Aberdeen

From Friday 5th to Sunday 7th August our 2011 residential rehearsal weekend will again be in the delightful surroundings of Strathallan School, Forgandenny, Perthshire.

Strathallan School

 
On Saturday 17th September St Mary's Episcopal Cathedral in Glasgow will be where we sing Choral Evensong at 4pm.  The photo of St Mary's Cathedral is by Finlay McWalter.

St Mary's Cathedral, Glasgow

To round off the year, on Saturday 5th November the choir will be back in Glasgow, this time in the glorious St Aloysius Roman Catholic Church in Rose St, where we will be singing in their 5.45pm Mass.  This will be the first time RSCM Scottish Voices has taken part in a Roman Catholic service, but it certainly won't be the last.  The photo of St Aloysius, which shows the stunning interior, is by Stephen Lipton, who happens to be a singer who has conducted his own group, Scottish Chorale, in St Aloysius a few years ago.

St Aloysius

Individual posts containing the music list and finalised times and directions will be made here nearer each service, and of course the RSCM Scotland site will also have details.

Review of Forfar Choral Evensong

After our recent Choral Evensong, the following article appeared in the magazine of St John's Episcopal Church, Forfar, and is reproduced here by kind permission:

Music at St. Johns

Royal School of Church Music Scottish Voices - Choral Evensong

We have been extremely privileged this year musically, in that St. Johns has hosted two very special occasions. The first was in April when the Tayside Organists held their President’s evening here, and a magnificent evening that was.  Readers may remember that it was described in professional detail by Robert Lightband, who captured the beauty and skill of the performances wonderfully.  The second was on September 11th, the Choral Evensong above.  This article will inevitably be much less knowledgeable, more broadbrush than his, but hopefully may convey the impression of three quarters of an hour of pure loveliness, an experience shared by about 40 lucky listeners.

As a member of St. Johns, it is a great pleasure to see the chancel packed with singers, all very colourful in their different choir robes, and to hear the very good acoustics of the church used to maximum effect.  There was a wonderful purity to the sound, which at times seemed to soar right into the roof space, but was never overpowering. We know we have a very special organ, and it was played beautifully by Rupert Jeffcoat.  As a member of St. Johns, also, I felt very proud to welcome the singers here, as the church was looking so good.  We know too that we have a lovely building, but when our eyes our being drawn all the time to the chancel, the brilliance of the brass on the cross was breath-taking.

The music was mainly modern, though the versicles and responses were by William Byrd, sixteenth century, and the final voluntary a Prelude and Fugue by Bach, neither of whom could hardly be described as modern!  But there was a timelessness about the whole service, an evensong one could simply lose oneself in.  The introit was an apparently very simple piece by John Bell, with very direct words; the psalm, a beautiful, slightly haunting chant, so clearly sung, then the Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis, an adaptation fauxbourdon by John Bertalot, written post Second World War – it had a lovely Gregorian chant effect; and the anthem, the biggest, most complex piece was by John Ireland. They were, of course, all different, but the effect was of seamlessness – the service a complete whole.

Evensong, by its nature, talks of peace and quietness.  The day was specially poignant in this respect - September 11th - mentioned in the intercessions by Richard Finch, standing in for Andy.  Most pertinent of all, perhaps, was the final Vesper – a truly lovely setting of The Prayer of St. Francis, by Frikki Walker, the musical director.  The following day a member of the congregation described the service as ‘though the angels of heaven had come and filled the church with music’.  This may be a slightly flowery way of putting of it, but I suspect all of us there were thinking very much the same thing.  She just put it into words.  Please come again, Scottish Voices, and we’ll try to make sure that next time many more people will come to share this very special experience.

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.

City of Discovery and wine

Another good day was had by all.

Last weekend saw RSCM Scottish Voices sing Choral Evensong in St Paul's Episcopal Cathedral in Dundee, and leaving aside the visits to two churches and a cathedral where some of our own members sing, this had to be the warmest welcome yet, and it was certainly the biggest congregation!

And not only that, one of the cathedral choir expressed an interest in joining us, so had an audition pretty much there and then, so welcome to the choir Paul!

The enthusiasm with which my initial approach to the Cathedral's Pastoral Musician, Stuart Muir, was met last year, was matched by the generous welcome we received from all at Dundee, from the tea, coffee and cakes we were fed on arrival, to the wine, sandwiches, wine, snacks and wine to which we were treated at the end of the service.  Thanks folks, it was appreciated by all the choir, and was very much talked about in the pub afterwards!

The pub we went to was DCA (Dundee Contemporary Arts) a few minutes walk from the Cathedral, which was bright, airy, comfortable, and served alcohol, so it was a winner.  The crowd who went there wasn't quite as big as normally go out to play after our services, and we didn't stay as long as normal, but that can be attributed to the generous amount of wine provided by the cathedral after the service, negating the need for more booze, and also the fact that a few of the regular pub attendees were missing from the day for perfectly valid reasons ranging from the writing of the final bit of a Thesis, being in Orkney working at the St Magnus Festival, the work-related requirement to speak to Housing Association Tenants about central heating at an Open Day, and probably the best excuse being the impending delivery of Nic and Carson's first child (which is actually due today but at the time of writing this appears not to have happened yet [although I'm currently relying on Facebook updates for my info] - an announcement will doubtless follow in due course!).

Two of us were staying in Dundee overnight, so we went for a good look round the city the next day, finding a pub in which to watch the Italy v New Zealand football game in the afternoon.  The one-all draw against the current World Cup Holders was as good as winning the World Cup itself for New Zealand, much to Ruth's delight!

Dundee is a really nice arty city, with lots of little statues and artworks dotted about the streets, and it's well worth a visit.  Patrticularly good was the Discovery Exhibition, which was exceptionally well presented.  Go there, next time you get a chance.

Dundee

St Paul's Episcopal Cathedral in Dundee this coming Saturday is the next occasion when you can hear RSCM Scottish Voices sing.

The service of Choral Evensong starts at 4pm, lasts probably a bit less than an hour, and the music we will be singing is:

Introit: Jubilate Deo in C (Benjamin Britten)
Responses: William Smith of Durham
Canticles: Daniel Purcell in e minor
Anthem: Ye choirs of new Jerusalem (Sir Charles Villiers Stanford)

The Cathedral can be found at 1 High St, Dundee DD1 1TD.

The service should be good, so why not come along and hear us.

St Paul's Cathedral

In about seven weeks from now, on Saturday 19th June at 4pm, RSCM Scottish Voices will be singing Choral Evensong in St Paul's Episcopal Cathedral, 1 High Street, Dundee DD1 1TD.

The music list is:

Introit: Jubilate Deo in C (Benjamin Britten)
Responses: William Smith of Durham
Canticles: Daniel Purcell in e minor
Anthem: Ye choirs of new Jerusalem (Charles Villiers Stanford)

For choir note-learning purposes I've found a couple of performances on YouTube.

The first video below is of the choir of St George's Chapel, Windsor performing the Britten Jubilate (which was written for them at the request of the Duke of Edinburgh in 1961).  It appears to be a bit of an advert for the choir school, but if you want to skip the speaky bits, fast forward to about 2min 9sec and the music starts soon after that.  And bloody good they are too, unsurprisingly.

The second video is Stanford's Ye choirs of new Jerusalem, sung by the choir of New College, Oxford.

The Smith Responses and Purcell Canticles have been sung before by us.

FAQs

I've recently had a few emails from choir members worried that they've missed an email from me giving details of the next meeting of RSCM Scottish Voices on Saturday 17th April at Holy Trinity Episcopal Church in Kilmarnock.

Just to set your minds at rest, the answers to the FAQs are:

• Yes I know it's now less than two weeks away
  
  
• No, the music list has not yet been finalised, it's being worked on at the moment
  
  
• Yes, I know it is now too late for everyone to source their own copies and if music is chosen that you don't already have, then it will be provided to you on the day

That's about it for the moment!

I know that's a bit jokey, but in all seriousness, the lead up to Lent and then Easter is a frenetic time for choirmasters, and it's only today that there's been a window of opportunity to have the music list worked on by Frikki who is an expert in that field (amongst others) and always takes time to painstakingly and carefully make sure the service hangs together well and the chosen music fits with each other and with the theme of the liturgical season.

I have an email all typed up and ready to go out containing the details of where and when, and the main thing I'm waiting on is the music list so I can include it all in one go.  The timings on the day are exactly as normal, and it's in the centre of Kilmarnock.  More will follow by email.

Looking forward to seeing you all soon.

Choral Evensong today - roll up roll up!

RSCM Scottish Voices will be singing Choral Evensong today at 4pm in St Mary's Episcopal Cathedral, 300 Great Western Road, Glasgow.

The music list is:

Introit: Salvator Mundi - John Blow (1649-1708)
Responses: Thomas Tomkins (1572-1656)
Canticles: Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis in e minor -  Daniel Purcell (1664-1717)
Anthem: Lord, let me know mine end - Maurice Greene (1696-1755)

Why not come along and take an hour out your busy day to find a place of peace and tranquility amidst glorious music.