On a half-term break in East Anglia, I attended the Sunday Eucharist at a nearby church. There I encountered for the first time something which I knew happened in places where no organist could be found: singing hymns to a recording. (I gather this happens at funerals too, when hymns are wanted but there is little confidence that the congregation will sing them.)<\/p>\n
The choir and organ we were singing along to were good quality – probably from a Cathedral. One advantage was that we got a generous number of verses – all of For all the Saints<\/i>! But some of the drawbacks of this system were also in evidence: the next hymn unexpectedly bursting into the liturgy before it was called for; the volume of the accompanying choir being turned up too much or too little; and a tune that was unfamiliar to everyone, myself included. (For the record, this was How bright these glorious spirits shine<\/i> sung to ‘Balerma’, which I decided I actually preferred to the usual ‘Beatitudo’.)<\/p>\n
Perhaps I should have volunteered to play their chamber organ which looked as if it had been kept in working order. I enjoyed a chat afterwards with the presiding clergyman (the usual priest was away), a former rector of a ‘greater church’ which is known to me.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
On a half-term break in East Anglia, I attended the Sunday Eucharist at a nearby church. There I encountered for the first time something which I knew happened in places where no organist could be found: singing hymns to a … Continue reading