Having not sung there for a long time, I returned to St Mary’s Bathwick to sing twice within the space of a month, for a sorrowful and a joyful occasion.
The first was the funeral of a former priest-in-charge at my church, who had latterly attended St Mary’s. The choir was a combination of singers from both churches and the music included the Nunc from Dyson in D and Thomas Campion’s Never weather-beaten sail.
It wasn’t long till I was back to help one of their singers celebrate 30 years in the choir. A specially assembled chorus sang evensong with two favourites of mine: Stanford in A and that Parratt chant in lots of parts. Walter Parratt almost invariably transposed the line of the first quarter of his chants to make the third quarter, usually down a third, and this one is no exception. We also sang Stanford’s Beati quorum via, Wood’s Hail gladdening light and the Rose responses. The enlarged choir included people I hadn’t seen for some years, including members of choirs I’ve formerly sung with such as the Bath Camerata and Priory Voices.