I’ve sung quite a few different settings of these recently, and about 30 altogether, so here are some overall verdicts, as I haven’t a recent performance to write about. (For one thing, church is full of scaffolding!)
My favourite set: I’ve said this before – Lloyd second setting. A third Amen to die for! My favourite Tudor setting is the rather florid one by Tomkins. I have a fondness for the austere setting by Ebdon which turns up in Lent.
My least favourite (of the commonly sung settings): Clucas. They always sound out of tune even when they’re in tune! There are some others I’ve done which I think are considerably worse, but I won’t embarrass the people who’ve asked me to sing them by saying which ones they are.
Hardest: there are two ways of looking at this. I think the hardest from the point of view of learning notes are Howells’. For this reason, I have sung them barely three or four times and only now do I really feel secure about all the notes. But I find the hardest ones to sing as regards technique are Leighton’s. It’s all those floaty treble lines, and – a particular hazard in many settings of the responses – that there is no let-up or breathing space during the Lord’s Prayer.
Yes, Howells is tricky for intervals with the close harmony and frequent key changes and modulations. But once you’ve learnt the St. Paul’s Service (g minor), you’ll NEVER forget it.
It’s very hard to get through the very beginning of the Nunc when the trebles follow the altos in that lovely descending line, without completely losing it and crying uncontrollably. (…depart in peace:)
I’d like to learn the St. John’s (Cambridge) Service. And am I the only tenor who REALLY has to watch very closely where you breathe on the solo in the Col Reg Nunc?
The St. Paul’s canticles are my favourite Howells setting (read why here). I’ve done half a dozen others including the St. John’s Cambridge service, but I think I ought to leave my thoughts on Howells canticle settings for another post.
Sorry, you would think I would know the differences between “Responses” and “Canticles” Duh. Forgive me for breaking the chain of thought in the string!
The Tomkins set of Responses that I’m familiar with is modal, written in the key of D Major, but the tonal center being on e, suspect it’s Dorian. Yes, very lovely.
It always seems that the Preces and Responses get the least amount of rehearsal time, usually scrambling just before the run thru in the church. Hence the felling that you’re sight reading them, and the least amount of hesitation can cause a domino effect in other parts. The tenor part often is the third in the chord, so I’ve heard (and yes, I admit have sung) train wrecks thanks to the tenors being somehwere between major and minor tonality.
Re: ‘commonly sung settings’. I’ve been meaning to post a comment and, as I cannot seem to sleep tonight I have now got round to it. I just wonder what the common settings are and whether they vary around the country. Do selections depend upon the conductors of various choirs and how many settings does a cathedral choir keep going in a given year?
Many years ago, when I was a chorister, we changed Responses on a Thursday and a set lasted a week. (i.e. 7 outings, 2 on Sunday with Matins but Wednesday was a dumb day). Being able to sing the 4 Tudor sets was the way to earn one’s Dark Blue Badge at Peterborough. We also sang the Rose set and then Stanley began to compose his own sets although this may have been after I left; he got up to 4 sets. I recall we always did Stone’s Lord’s Prayer with the Tudor ones and possibly the Ayleward. I cannot now remember what other sets we did [if any] but I feel settings of the Responses have multiplied over the last 35 years.
I sometimes hear outrageous sets on Choral Evensong which seem to defeat the object. There, time for bed!