Category Archives: singing at services

the first time on the road

Posted on October 29, 2023 by vhk10

Bath Abbey Chamber Choir has not sung outside the Abbey until now. An early promise of a visit to Southwark Cathedral when the choir was a few months old had to be withdrawn, and more recently a planned evensong at … Continue reading →

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I’m Canterbury Cathedral, who are you?

Posted on October 24, 2023 by vhk10

(Title adapted from Last Orders by Graham Swift.) October’s weekend with the Erleigh Cantors was my first visit to Canterbury for a while. I have mixed memories of the previous one – with an under-prepared choir on what turned out … Continue reading →

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the Abbey season begins

Posted on September 30, 2023 by vhk10

Bath Abbey Chamber Choir was quick to restart for the new season, with a conductor newly appointed to the Abbey’s music staff, and a midweek evensong livened up a September which was otherwise musically blank. And it wasn’t standard pieces … Continue reading →

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Abbey round-up

Posted on August 28, 2023 by vhk10

I’ve sung a few services with Bath Abbey Chamber Choir in the last few months though not all (missed the ordination, for example). For the Coronation weekend in May we had appropriately themed music: Purcell’s I was glad, and another … Continue reading →

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Three Choirs 2023: the opening

Posted on July 29, 2023 by vhk10

As already remarked the opening of the Festival was different this year, with a shorter service in the Cathedral after processions through the city centre had converged on it. Dr Foster would have recognised the weather, and after gathering at … Continue reading →

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a big sing in Cambridge

Posted on June 25, 2023 by vhk10

The day after my excursion to Ross-on-Wye I made a day trip to Cambridge for a choir reunion at my old College, Corpus. This happen occasionally, and I last went to one five years ago. I thought hard about the … Continue reading →

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the Great Round Byrd in Ross

Posted on June 20, 2023 by vhk10

I believe I visited Ross-on-Wye many years ago but since then it’s been just a placename on road signs in Gloucester. I seized an opportunity to commemorate William Byrd’s anniversary by performing the Mag and Nunc from the Great Service … Continue reading →

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Holy Week/Easter 2023

Posted on April 14, 2023 by vhk10

I was able to sing in all the choral services at church for Holy Week and Easter this year. We put together our service of music and readings for Good Friday rather quickly and I found I had to learn … Continue reading →

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three services at the Abbey

Posted on March 31, 2023 by vhk10

I’ll roll the three most recent outings of Bath Abbey’s Chamber Choir into one post. On 5 March we sang Peter Philips’ Ave verum and Purcell’s Remember not, Lord at the earlier sung Eucharist. A week later we were back … Continue reading →

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Go to Jail

Posted on February 22, 2023 by vhk10

The branch of the Premier Inn I stayed in at Bury St Edmunds was previously the town gaol, and retained some of the original features (not in my room, I’m happy to say). After not singing last year with the … Continue reading →

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observing the Weelkes anniversary

Posted on February 10, 2023 by vhk10

I foresee a lot of Tudor repertoire this year, with anniversaries both of Byrd and of Weelkes. I observed the latter by singing his ‘First Service’ canticles at Bath Abbey (doing a number of the first treble verse parts) with … Continue reading →

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the rise of the carol service

Posted on January 30, 2023 by vhk10

Time was when a carol service meant Christmas carols. (It has a sister in the ‘carol concert’, a format I’ve never really enjoyed because it feels wrong to pay for something that is often very similar to a service.) Advent … Continue reading →

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