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13th April
2015
Former chorister returns for concert with her brilliant
new choir! Sat 23rd May 2015 |
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Article... |
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31st October
2014
An English Autumn Concert : 21st November 2014 |
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Article... |
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5th May
2014
David Arcus begins as Interim Director of Music! |
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Article... |
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17th February
2014
Mozart with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra |
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Article... |
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Be a Chorister at
Candlemas!
2nd February
2014
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Building on the success of last year,
enquiries were flocking in to All Saints before the
annual
Be a Chorister day had even been advertised!
Come the day – Sunday 2 February (Candlemas) - the
children arrived and registered, all looking reticent
and slightly nervous, before being swiftly whisked off
to the first singing session. Parents departed and soon
the song room was echoing with giggles and song as the
children left all traces of nerves behind them and threw
themselves into songs and singing games.
In what seemed like an instant, the children were back
in the tea room for refuelling in the form of squash,
cakes, biscuits and flapjacks before returning for a
second singing session.
The next break involved painting of the
t-shirts. The children enjoyed proving they could
certainly take the fashion world by storm! Once they had
completed their t-shirts they were guided by current
chorister parent chaperones in party game fun! The
children played in teams, a spirit of friendly
competitiveness developing, as they learned skills
essential to life as a chorister – the virtues of hard
work, enthusiasm, thoughtfulness and team work, as
together they helped even the youngest chorister to
succeed as a team.
A third singing session was spent rehearsing the anthem
‘Make me a light’ for Evensong. A short concert to their
parents of the fun songs learned first of all followed,
before the potential choristers took their seats in the
front pews and the church descended into |
darkness for Evensong.
Suddenly, singing broke out in the gallery, the sound
bouncing across from one choir to the other in the
antiphonal anthem by Charles Wood, Hail, Gladdening
Light. There was a stunned stillness from the
congregation as the final chords died away, before the
choir processed up into the choir stalls and Evensong
began. The canticles were sung to the much-loved setting
written by Herbert Howells (a pupil of Charles Wood) for
King’s College, Cambridge, Collegium Regale, and
the responses were by David Willcocks, director of that
famous choir from 1957 to 1974. Finally, the
Be-a-Choristers joined the current choristers on the
chancel steps, each holding a candle, to sing together
Make Me a Light by Philip Wilby. The
Be-a-Choristers were then presented with certificates
before going home happy and tired. Rumour has it that
Benjamin Britten’s catchy song Old Abram Brown
was still to be heard echoing around several
Northamptonshire homes at bedtime that night!
The order of service for Candlemass can be downloaded
here. |
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