CE St Matthew’s Church, Westminster, London [R] Wed, 11th Jan 2023

[DracoM]

CE St Matthew’s Church, Westminster, London [R] Wed, 11th Jan 2023


Order of Service:


Introit: Brightest and best (S.S.Wesley)
Responses: Caesar
Office hymn: Hail, thou Source of every blessing (Redhead)
Psalms 59, 60, 61 (Barnby, South, Morgan, Gray)
First Lesson: Exodus 15: 1-19
Canticles: Jackson in G
Second Lesson: Colossians 2: 8-15
Anthem: Here is the little door (Howells)
Hymn: Brightest and best (Wessex)

Voluntary: Fugue in C major, BWV 547 (Bach)

Samuel Bristow (Organist)
Nigel Groome (Director of Music)

Recorded 7 January

[DracoM]

Reminder: this week!

[S H Otley]

Another recording. I give up.......

[oddoneout]

Another recording. I give up.......

I know you have strong feelings abut recorded CE broadcasts, but given the availability of livestream services (eg https://www.choralevensong.org/uk/) it is no longer the only source of live (music rich) worship. Given the budget constraints facing the Beeb, and the changes that continue to be made to R3 I'm just glad there is still a CE slot at all. How long before someone invokes the minority Christian demographic as a reason to remove the slot completely, or perhaps "better align it with the national demographic"?

[ardcarp]

A professionally sung service by a professional choir. All very enjoyable, but especially the quieter 'call and response' item (not listed) near the end.
The organ was played immaculately, of course, but the volume and registration for both the Psalms and especially Jackson in G was rather under-stated and 'samey'. A glance at the specificaction (see under the Organ) may explain why. The only reed-stop did make an appearance towards the end of the voluntary!

A live service next week, SHO!

[jonfan]

The exquisite prayer-anthem is listed on Sounds as Jesu, thou the Virgin-born - Holst. The oddest thing about the service is why repeat the opening hymn at the end to a different tune when there are many other excellent Epiphany hymns.
I agree the psalms were lacking in colour. I felt the best singing was in the Canticles, badly let down by pale organ registration. There is power there as displayed handsomely in the closing voluntary.
I have no problem whether live or recorded. What would be of concern is many archive CE’s. I don’t remember when the last one was? So the powers that be are serving us well with new services every week.

[CallMePaul]

I know you have strong feelings abut recorded CE broadcasts, but given the availability of livestream services (eg https://www.choralevensong.org/uk/) it is no longer the only source of live (music rich) worship. Given the budget constraints facing the Beeb, and the changes that continue to be made to R3 I'm just glad there is still a CE slot at all. How long before someone invokes the minority Christian demographic as a reason to remove the slot completely, or perhaps "better align it with the national demographic"?

I am only occasionally able to listen to Choral Evensong but I am aware of at least one occasion when the organ voluntary was not completed on the live broadcast because it overran. At one time R3 broadcasts regularly overran if necessary but this has not been the case for some time now. More time than necessary now seems to be allocated to live broadcasts of concerts etc with a filler provided, rather than allowing the occasional overrun. No-one leaves a church service or a concert simply because it is longer than expected, so why does R3 do this!

[jonfan]

I am only occasionally able to listen to Choral Evensong but I am aware of at least one occasion when the organ voluntary was not completed on the live bropadcast because it overran. At one time R3 broadcasts regularly overran if necessary but this has not been the case for some time now. More time than necessary now seems to be allocated to live broadcasts of concerts etc with a filler provided, rathyer than allowing the occasional overrun. No-one leaves a church service or a concert simply because it is longer than expected, so why does R3 do this!

It’s a very important part of the producer’s job to make sure live programmes don’t exceed their allotted time as that would make a mess of the schedules. Allowing plenty of time is a good thing surely.

[ardcarp]

I felt the best singing was in the Canticles, badly let down by pale organ registration.

I think the difficulty was the absence of a swell box. (The organ only had a Great and a Positive division....and 1 pedal stop.) A swell manual is such a staple of Anglican music. I think if contrasts were made (as needed in the Jackson for instance) the sudden slamming on of a mixture or the only unenclosed trumpet might have been rather a shock! So no-one to blame, I think....except.knowing the organ's limitations, perhaps a different set of canticles might have been chosen? It's a fine setting, but maybe it was chosen because of FJ's recent death.

[oddoneout]

I am only occasionally able to listen to Choral Evensong but I am aware of at least one occasion when the organ voluntary was not completed on the live broadcast because it overran. At one time R3 broadcasts regularly overran if necessary but this has not been the case for some time now. More time than necessary now seems to be allocated to live broadcasts of concerts etc with a filler provided, rather than allowing the occasional overrun. No-one leaves a church service or a concert simply because it is longer than expected, so why does R3 do this!

Wasn't it standard practice in the good old days to omit the complete voluntary (fade it out) to prevent any overrun? It's a memory from the time when I used to get back from school as CE was finishing.
I seem to remember when an archive CE was broadcast (last year I think) reference was made to it and another piece used to fill the gap rather than the faded original.

[mopsus]

Wasn't it standard practice in the good old days to omit the complete voluntary (fade it out) to prevent any overrun? It's a memory from the time when I used to get back from school as CE was finishing.
I seem to remember when an archive CE was broadcast (last year I think) reference was made to it and another piece used to fill the gap rather than the faded original.

I think in those days the broadcast was shorter [?45 minutes], although this was before I was a listener to the programme.

[ardcarp]

If I remember correctly, BBC's choral evensong was only allotted 45 minutes in former times.

[cat]

Yes, 45 until the 1980s when it briefly went to 55 before settling on 60.

[ardcarp]

In most daily CEs in most cathedrals, the time of the service is well short of an hour. Mrs A and I went to one such at Wichester and whilst the standard of music was very good, we were in and out within 35 minutes. (The Canticles were a very short, short service.) We felt slightly disappointed. It was as if everyone, including the clergy, had a train to catch.

[oddoneout]

In most daily CEs in most cathedrals, the time of the service is well short of an hour. Mrs A and I went to one such at Wichester and whilst the standard of music was very good, we were in and out within 35 minutes. (The Canticles were a very short, short service.) We felt slightly disappointed. It was as if everyone, including the clergy, had a train to catch.

But at least it wasn't padded out with verbals?