So at last I’ve sung a service in Wells Cathedral. I was a bit disappointed not to do all of the promised three psalms, but there was some compensation in the form of a lovely introit, new to me: Domenico Scarlatti’s Iste Confessor. A simple strophic setting of the hymn, built around a beautiful melody given in alternate verses to soprano soloist and to choir. We sang from an internet edition downloaded from this page. All the rest was very familiar music: Stanford in G, Rose responses and Weelkes’ Alleluia, I heard a voice, the last also from an internet edition (I’m coming across them more and more often these days).
I was asked by a member of the congregation one of the things I’m frequently asked ‘Where are you from?’ I find cathedral congregations, and even sometimes even the clergy, often have difficulty imagining how we can come from all over the place and put together performances on the day, without meeting beforehand. Surely it’s not that uncommon a skill? I’ll be doing it again next month when Priory Voices visit Gloucester.
Meanwhile, a couple of choirs have passed on an invitation to me and other members to participate in the TV Wife Swap; apparently they’re targeting choral singers for the next series!
Hello Virginia,
I don’t think we are related by blood, only by common interest. I sang with Laudate at Salisbury, finishing last weekend, immediately after Priory voices. Laudate has a similar setup to Priory, it seems: Laudate is organised by Jo Wichard-Jones, a verger at York, and has members from all over UK and from N Europe (Luxembourg, Brussels). It was an exhausting week, following a weekend at Winchester, a commitment I would think about several times before undertaking again – 12 cathedral services in 8 days!
If you interested in corresponding, I’ll tell you about what I do when I’m not at Laudate, (I am in West Cornwall) but will quite understand if you don’t want to “talk”.
Best regards and thanks for an intesting blog,
Alan