New territory for the Chamber Choir, as we start rehearsing to sing Choral Evensong at the Cathedral in May. Several of the Choir is well used to the discipline and practice of singing psalms and Responses, but for most of the Choir it's new ground. There's an organic flexibility needed to deliver the psalm chant effectively, being sensitive to the inflections of the text; the Preces and Responses need to be delivered with a flourish, and there's an anthem to learn. It's exciting to be breaking new ground for the Chamber Choir, and it feels as though we are plugging into a centuries-old choral tradition, one that it's becoming increasingly important to keep alive, and that links churches and cathedrals invisibly up and down the country; musical ley-lines connecting places of worship across time as well as across the countryside each time the ritual unfolds in words and music. (Last night we took the opportunity to set ourselves in Cantoris/Decani fashion, as it's a different ensemble feel to standing in our customary mixed-voice formation. (And yes, the traditional rivalry between Cantoris and Decani is already starting to emerge, so we're keeping that tradition alive as well!)
We've started looking at the repertoire for the service early, as there's the small matter of the thumping great Easter vacation that will intrude later this month, and we'll have only a couple of rehearsals when we return before heading down the hill to the Cathedral. Come and hear the finished results in May...
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Daniel hardingPianist, conductor, Deputy Director of Music, University of Kent Archives
March 2019
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