Author Archives: vhk10

Choir returns (1): church

Posted on September 24, 2020 by vhk10

A few weeks after our church services resumed, we have a live choir again. Not only that, but our new choir furniture arrived on the day of our first rehearsal, to join the altar, lectern etc. which appeared earlier in … Continue reading →

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crowdsourcing a music list

Posted on September 19, 2020 by vhk10

I’ve never been involved before in a project to crowdsource transcriptions. But I’ve long thought that Cathedral music lists would be a potentially valuable one. I even at one time tried to devise a TEI schema for them. So I … Continue reading →

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tentative returns

Posted on August 28, 2020 by vhk10

September approaches and with it the normal start of the choral season. Three choirs I sing in have indicated that they are making moves to resume rehearsing around the middle of the month. In each case, it’s not clear yet … Continue reading →

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a choir returns in Milan

Posted on August 16, 2020 by vhk10

We managed to escape the UK for a short break in Italy and I was able to get to Sunday Mass in the Duomo in Milan (which has featured before here). They are keen to make you pay to see … Continue reading →

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Two remote recordings

Posted on July 31, 2020 by vhk10

As well as my weekly recording session for the church choir, I have recently made a couple of ‘distanced’ recordings for other choirs. This procedure is happier for me than Zoom rehearsals. I have now worked out why I don’t … Continue reading →

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how did my top ten anthems do?

Posted on July 26, 2020 by vhk10

So how did my personal favourites get on in the Evensong Anthems World Cup? We were invited to suggest our favourites, and I sent in all but one. Here’s how they got on. There was a preliminary round to reduce … Continue reading →

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when does a performance become professional?

Posted on July 16, 2020 by vhk10

Gradually the lockdown is thawing, churches are opening and organs being played. The jury is still out on the dangers of singing but outdoor performances by professionals are permitted in certain circumstances. Possibly similar criteria will be applied in due … Continue reading →

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Scottish echoes

Posted on July 6, 2020 by vhk10

Our Director of Music puts a lot of effort into stitching our videos of ourselves into a coherent synchronised whole, and in general the result sounds as it might in the warm but not resonant acoustic of our church. However … Continue reading →

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a letter to my MP

Posted on July 4, 2020 by vhk10

[The following is the text of a letter to my MP, Wera Hobhouse. It is mostly my own words, though I have used some wording that was suggested to me by a choir I sing in. I have lightly edited … Continue reading →

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a place for visiting choirs?

Posted on June 26, 2020 by vhk10

All choral singers must be wondering just what will be left when their choirs are allowed to perform again. One sector I am reasonably sanguine about is that of the Cathedral visiting choir. These choirs are essentially self-funding. Of the … Continue reading →

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