Author Archives: vhk10

All Souls Day at Bath Abbey

Posted on November 11, 2025 by vhk10

The Abbey Chamber Choir sang evensong for a transferred observance of All Souls’ Day. I’m not sure whether this was a first for Bath Abbey, but we were able to submit names of the departed in advance and they were … Continue reading →

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why you have to collate editions

Posted on October 30, 2025 by vhk10

I hadn’t sung in St Albans Cathedral in quite a few years, although at one time I did so several years in a row with different choirs. I visited the city three years ago but to rehearse in another church. … Continue reading →

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a Capitular Mass

Posted on October 25, 2025 by vhk10

Visiting Sardinia in mid-October, I went to Mass in the Duomo in Cagliari. We’d visited the building earlier and explored the network of subterranean chapels. I attended the ‘Capitular Mass’ which I think means the Bishop is supposed to be … Continue reading →

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a short rehearsal period for Brahms

Posted on October 11, 2025 by vhk10

The course of this blog has periodically been punctuated by performances of Brahms’ German Requiem, either sung by me (with four different choirs) or heard (curiously I’ve never sung it in Bristol though Bristol Choral Society performed it twice there … Continue reading →

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why there are no posts in September

Posted on September 27, 2025 by vhk10

Of course that isn’t true because this will be the only September 2025 post in my blog. September, like January, is always a rather slack time for performances and this September just saw me singing in an evensong at church … Continue reading →

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Our Lady of Confusion

Posted on August 29, 2025 by vhk10

This is a cult of the Virgin (apparently a variant of Our Lady of Sorrows) associated with western Sicily. Our holiday just outside the town of Salemi coincided with the beginning of the festival in her honour, and the Capuchin … Continue reading →

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lots of 5/4 at Llandaff

Posted on July 31, 2025 by vhk10

One theme running through the Erleigh Cantors’ choice of music for our visit to Llandaff Cathedral was pieces with bars in 5/4 time. I got quite used to it. The most ambitious piece we did was a reprise of Frank … Continue reading →

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Abbey interregnum

Posted on July 27, 2025 by vhk10

It’s now time to quickly cover some services I sang at Bath Abbey during the gap between the departure of Dewi and the arrival of Adam. (Much of the Abbey Chamber Choir’s 4-year existence to date, including one period of … Continue reading →

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an Olympic Sanctus

Posted on July 10, 2025 by vhk10

I rejoined the South Cotswold Big Sing Group in Gloucester Cathedral to sing a work that had been on my hitlist for a while, Berlioz’ Te Deum. I’d heard a lot about performances of this piece that others had sung … Continue reading →

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Quadruple booked

Posted on June 30, 2025 by vhk10

Saturday 28th June was a day when I was wanted everywhere. There was a Berlioz Te Deum rehearsal in Gloucester; a wedding at church; the return visit of St Peter’s Singers of Exeter to join Bath Abbey Chamber Choir in … Continue reading →

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