I’m told that this was Orlando Gibbons. A characteristically eccentric opinion, but as a Gibbons fan myself I can hardly fault his taste. During a weekend at St. Alban’s Cathedral the Cathedral Chamber Choir sang See, see, the word is incarnate. This anthem is performed almost always at Christmas, because of its opening words, though since the text runs through the entire Gospel story, it would be appropriate for any season. We paired it with Purcell’s canticles in G minor.
Unusually for a Cathedral weekend, we didn’t sing a Eucharist (the Sunday morning Eucharist was sung by the Cathedral’s ‘parish’ choir) but did Matins, featuring Gardner’s Tomorrow shall be my dancing day and Britten’s Festival Te Deum in E. I wonder whether this latter piece is still performed at the church for which it was written (St Mark’s, Swindon)? I much prefer it to his other Te Deum in C, but it is demanding with its irregular rhythms and a top B for the first sopranos. I think this is the only piece I’ve sung in a service which has such a high note for the choir. (I’m discounting pieces I’ve done in concerts, solos, and places where the organ is tuned sharp!) Afterwards the Dean generously invited us for drinks.
At Sunday evensong we performed Howells’ St. Paul’s canticles (I’m glad I’m getting to sing these more often, after years of not doing them at all!) and I did the solo in Leighton’s setting of the Coventry Carol.