Strathallan residential weekend 2012

This evening members of RSCM Scottish Voices will gather from all over the country and assemble in the delightful setting of Strathallan School in rural Perthshire to take part in the 2012 annual residential rehearsal weekend.

There will be loads of good music (I know, I've seen the secret list!), good friends, good fun, good laughs, and, naturally, good and extended partying!

The 2013 season will be announced to the choir over the weekend, and posted here on Sunday afternoon, so watch this space.

We hope to organise an audition day in the autumn for prospective new members hoping to join us in 2013.  Contact the administrator using the email address in the sidebar to the right if you're interested, or you want to find out more.  But read the blurb on the right first, there are some criteria which need fulfilled by members (age, residence etc).

Missa Brevis

The first four YouTube videos below feature the beautiful Missa Brevis by Giovanni Perluigi da Palestrina (c.1525-1594), which is one of the pieces RSCM Scottish Voices will be rehearsing during our forthcoming residential rehearsal weekend for use in future services.  As an extra treat at the end is the lovely Ave Verum Corpus by William Byrd (c.1539 - 1623) which is on the music list for the same sevice in which we'll be singing the Palestrina Mass.

The Mass recordings below are by the excellent Tallis Scholars (as appears to be the Byrd), and I would recommend buying the CD from Amazon and the sheet music can be downloaded free from CPDL as a PDF from here

For those who know about such things, you may notice that the Credo is missing, but that's simply because we won't be singing that movement in the Mass.

Kyrie



Gloria



Sanctus & Benedictus



Agnus Dei I & II





Ave Verum Corpus

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.

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!