A Ceremony of Carols is one of my favourites, too. I may have linked to this before, but here it is, sung last year by some of the girl choristers of Uppsala Cathedral, Sweden:
One of the Cathedral clergy interpolates some short readings and prayers, turning this into more of an act of worship, rather than a performance, IYSWIM.
Meanwhile, Advent 2 at Our Place tomorrow:
The advent of our King (Franconia or - preferably! - St Thomas) On Jordan's bank the Baptist's cry (Winchester New) Love divine, all loves excelling (Love Divine or - preferably! - Blaenwern) Hark, the glad sound! (Bristol)
A new Priest in Charge being licensed tomorrow, so looking forward to a really good sing.
1 Praise, my Soul!
2 Wele'n sefyll rhwng y myrtwydd (by Ann Griffiths, to Cwm Rhondda)
3 Tydi a wnaeth y wyrth, O Grist, Fab Duw (Pantyfedwen; than which there is no more inspiring hymn/tune combination)
4 Lo! He comes (because Advent, and hoping everyone realises it does not refer to the new priest, but someone even more worthy!)
Advent 2, but also Hebrews 10:1-18 The Ultimate Sacrifice
Lo, He Comes With Clouds Descending (Helmsley)
It is well with my soul (Ville du Havre)
Saviour, Thy Dying Love (Something for Jesus)
Before The Throne Of God Above (Townend)
"A little child shall lead them".
“Hark, the glad sound!” - Bristol.
“Like a candle flame” (Kendrick).
“See in yonder manger low” - Humility.
“We await the Peaceful Kingdom” - Salley Garden.
“The King shall come when morning dawns” - Richmond.
Advent 2, and our first Sunday in the month "Hymns of Praise" service.
Hail, to the Lord's Anointed - CRÜGER
Come, Thou long expected Jesus - CROSS OF JESUS
*Eternal Father! Strong to Save - MELITA
There is a hope that burns within my heart - own tune (Townend / Edwards)
Lo! He Comes with Clouds Descending - HELMSLEY
* Chosen by one of the congregation in memory of an uncle who was among 600 people killed when his Royal Navy ship entered an uncharted minefield during WW2
... (@piglet having googled scottish voices twice - the first time getting the wrong choir, the second time getting yours - The Algorithm is now showing me an advert for the SV MD vacancy on my facebook feed!)
Indeed; sadly our MD has decided to retire in the spring, so we're looking for a new one.
Our offerings at St Pete's were mostly quite happily seasonal:
On Jordan's bank the Baptist's cry* - Winchester New People look east - Carol of the Advent How lovely on the mountains - Our God Reigns Wait for the Lord - Taize Onward, Christian pilgrims** - St Gertrude
* during which I resisted all temptation to sing:
On Jordan's bank, the Baptists cry
If I were a Baptist, so would I
They drink no beer, they have no fun
I'm glad that I'm an Anglican!
** WHY??? At least it's a decent tune, but with so many wonderful Advent hymns and carols, I don't see any reason for having it just now. Also, completely bollocksed up words.
I can’t list today’s hymns as we didn’t get a list and I have forgotten them. In any case, the organist changed the tunes to two of them without warning.
Mass of St Thomas, but the visiting priest insisted that we said the Gloria. Being Advent, we had sung the Kyries, but he wasn’t satisfied.
Hmm. It's not compulsory to omit the Gloria during Advent, but it's a common practice which serves to underline the slightly austere liturgical nature of the season.
Onward, Christian pilgrims is NOT a bollocksed-up version of Onward, Christian soldiers - it is a completely different hymn, using the same tune.
Perhaps it’s best described as an alternative text to “Onward, Christian Soldiers.”
Today, we had:
“We Return” (as described last week)
“Comfort, Comfort Now My People”/GENEVAN 42
“Come Now, O Prince of Peace”/O-SO-SO
“Prepare the Way, O Zion”/BEREDEN VÄG FÖR HERREN
All in all, quite satisfactory, especially as we had brass on “Comfort, Comfort Now My People” and “Prepare the Way, O Zion.”
Onward, Christian pilgrims is NOT a bollocksed-up version of Onward, Christian soldiers - it is a completely different hymn, using the same tune.
I know, but it doesn't stop me wanting to sing the original words!
As it's the first Sunday of the month, we had Evensong:
Usual chants for the Mag & Nunc
Psalm 25 (extract) - Edwards
and some quite decent hymns:
Lo, he comes with clouds descending - Helmsley My God, accept my heart this day - Belmont O come, O come, Emmanuel - Veni Emmanuel
The gentleman who was doing the Intercessions read the Litany from the 1929 Prayer Book, which evoked nice memories of singing it in procession round the Cathedral in St John's on the second Sunday in Advent and second Sunday in Lent.
They had On Jordan's Bank on the radio yesterday morning and I always want to sing those words as well, @Piglet .
We had:
I'll praise in the valley, praise on the mountain I raise a hallelujah Alone in my sorrow and dead in my sin Grand earth has quaked before, moved by the sound of his voice We stand and lift up our hands
We sang
Ready the way - Curtis Stephan
There is a longing - Anne Quigley
Advent Communion Song - Bernadette Farrell
A voice cries out in the wilderness - Joncas
Plus the psalm, gospel acclamation and eucharistic acclamations as always.
The advent of our king (Franconia)
Murray Mass setting minus Gloria
Let all mortal flesh (Picardy)
Advent Prose ... rather nicely sung by male voices
When came in flesh the incarnate word (Beatitudo)
Quite a good service even if I was denied playing 'St Thomas' as they wanted the dull 'Franconia'. The last hymn (EH 13) I have not come across in decades and never to that highly unsuitable tune with its whooping and scooping 😩
In the evening a trip to a very high church for "Solemn Mass of the Immaculate Comception" which appeared to use the RC rite in its entirety! Odd that Anglicans want to say "Leo our Pope" when he isn't 🤔
Ye who own the faith of Jesus (Daily Daily)
Kyrie to "St Philip" so dreary beyond ...
Gloria was Glory in the highest (NEH 363) to Camberwell so very nice
Magnificat instead of a Psalm (sung to plainchant)
Alleluia was (I think) a modern RC one but cannot recall the name
Metrical Creed to Abbots Leigh
Holy light on earth's horizon (Blaenwern) which was new to me and had very fanciful verbal imagery 😳
Sanctus and Agnus were a metrical version sung to Halton Holgate
Holy virgin by God's decree
Procession at the end to a garish statue singing "Immaculate Mary" to the Lourdes tune complete with references to "our father in Rome" and those in "heresy"s way" 🤣 and then that awful Hail holy queen 'hymn' from Whoopi Goldberg. I do detest that in church to say nothing of the extreme words 😡
Anyway the sparse congregation were in good voice and seemed to enjoy it all. I find these sort of services eccentric to say the least but the ultra high church do usually lay on good food and alcohol so worth enduring 😂
@Bishops Finger the alcohol was more than welcome as any little tricks your FinC gets up to would be mild compared with this 🤣 Mind you at least no rose petals this time, just Granny's lace (to quote the late Pope F) draped over the image!
I can't abide lace on vestments. Even worse when several are wearing it and it doesn't match. It reminds me of one of those table cloth stalls at a jumble sale.
I asked our deacon if he was going to be pretty in pink next Sunday, and got a very old-fashioned look. Luckily our place has never had "rose" vestments.
Advent 3 (aka Gaudete Sunday) is coming up at Our Place, and our rather lovely rose-pink chasuble will get its second outing this year:
Come, thou long expected Jesus (Cross Of Jesus or preferably Halton Holgate) Hail to the Lord's anointed (Crueger) Lo! he comes with clouds descending (Helmsley) Hark, the glad sound (Bristol)
I'm not sure if the list is correct, as they had Hark, the glad sound last Sunday...and I think some of the others are 'repeats'.
However, they may be anticipating a low attendance at the 1030 Mass, as everyone is being encouraged to come to the 'CHRISTmass' Carol Service at 3pm, and then to stay on for the 'CHRISTmass' Fair at 4pm.
@Heron - envious, moi? Too bloody right I am!
I'm just back from a Scottish Voices gig - an Advent service in Perth Cathedral, and it was an absolute cracker:
Organ music: Praeludium on "Veni, veni Emmanuel" - Leo Sowerby
Choir pieces: Matin Responsory - Palestrina O radiant dawn - MacMillan Adam lay y-bounden - Ord This is the truth from above - trad, arr. Vaughan Williams Jesus Christ the apple tree - Poston Alma redemptoris mater - Palestrina Angelus ad virginem - trad, arr. Keith Roberts People look east - trad, arr. Barry Rose
Hymns: O come, O come, Emmanuel - Veni Emmanuel, arr. Willcocks Hark the glad sound - Bristol Hark! a herald voice is calling - Merton The voice of God goes out to all the world - Morestead Lo! he comes with clouds descending - Helmsley
Organ voluntary: Fantasia on Veni Emmanuel - Alec Rowley
Finally out of Hebrews (for a few weeks) Luke 2:4-14 as the text - theme of "Joy"
O Come All ye Faithful (Adeste Fidelis)
While Shepherds Watched (Winchester Old)
Angels from the Realms of Glory (Woodford Green)
Joy to the World (Antioch)
We started with Jubilate everybody, and ended with You shall go out with joy. Both Jewish tunes which coincided nicely (and accidentally) with the start of Hanukkah. Mass was followed by Irish coffees and mince pies at the back of church, the selling of raffle tickets for the Sudan baby feeding appeal, and the kiddies practising their dance and procession for the childrens' Christmas Eve Mass.
Gaudete Sunday indeed!
'This is the record of John' by Orlando Gibbons has the reputation as The Best English Anthem Ever. The text is John 1:19-23, and asks 'art thou the prophet, and he answered 'no''.
@Bishops Finger was being playful with the emphatic 'no' of the text/score.
The expository solo lights up advent. And is to be much desired of singers
I'll offer a linky that might assuage your disappointment.
Having finally succumbed to the lurgy that's going round, I decided to give church a miss today. If I hadn't, I'd have sung:
Hail to the Lord's anointed - Crüger Restore, O Lord - Kendrick The angel Gabriel from heaven came - Birjina Gaztettobat Zegoen Only by grace can we enter The Lord will come and not be slow - St Stephen
I can't say I'm heartbroken at having missed that, although I'm quite partial to the Angel Gabriel, and resisting any temptation to mention highly flavoured gravy ...
Visiting a friend's church that still uses the old Book of Praise (PCCanada) we sang Child in the Manger (amongst others) this morning. That is the only Christmas song I need. Some of the others are good, but that is enough.
Having finally succumbed to the lurgy that's going round, I decided to give church a miss today. If I hadn't, I'd have sung:
Hail to the Lord's anointed - Crüger Restore, O Lord - Kendrick The angel Gabriel from heaven came - Birjina Gaztettobat Zegoen Only by grace can we enter The Lord will come and not be slow - St Stephen
I can't say I'm heartbroken at having missed that, although I'm quite partial to the Angel Gabriel, and resisting any temptation to mention highly flavoured gravy ...
I have a colleague who is from the basque region - a muslim - who says that if we sing the angel gabriel in the original basque, then they will start coming to church.
Hasn't happened yet. Pretty sure we would ruin it...
Get well soon - I suspect choirs across the country will be depleted this Christmas with everyone going down with bugs.
Visiting a friend's church that still uses the old Book of Praise (PCCanada) we sang Child in the Manger (amongst others) this morning. That is the only Christmas song I need. Some of the others are good, but that is enough.
If that's the one usually sung to the tune Bunessan, then I agree.
Come thou long (Cross of Jesus)
Merbecke minus Gloria
Psalm 80
Lo from the desert homes (Darwalls 148th)
And now O Father (Unde et memores)
On Jordan's bank (Winchester New)
Quite emjoyed it, hearty singing despite a smallish number.
Nothing else, I declined three Carol services as at an age where I wouldn't mind never playing for one again 😏🤣
Boldly Ruining Other People's Languages is a feature of church choirs.
The local rabbi was generous in their assessment of local efforts at Hebrew. Appropriate I'd say, when the efforts were devout and well intentioned.
I reckon several here will have had fun with Old Church Slavic in Bogoroditse Devo
(Rachmaninoff All Night Vigil) - perhaps a smaller pool of people to offend with that one!
Boldly Ruining Other People's Languages is a feature of church choirs.
The local rabbi was generous in their assessment of local efforts at Hebrew. Appropriate I'd say, when the efforts were devout and well intentioned.
I reckon several here will have had fun with Old Church Slavic in Bogoroditse Devo
(Rachmaninoff All Night Vigil) - perhaps a smaller pool of people to offend with that one!
Heron
Including me. It is one of my missions in life to expunge the bullshit promulgated by Rutter. Church Slavonic is not Russian.
Today was our carol service. As our church does not usually have a choir, being a charismatic church with mostly modern worship songs, it was an opportunity for several professional musicians and music teachers in the large congregation to come into their own.
The songs were mostly traditional carols like Once in royal and O little town and there was a mix of performance and congregational singing. We had a choir of about 30 people to accompany the congregation and this split off into smaller groups to perform mostly acapella (with good beatbox accompaniment), sometimes with a jazz/gospel vibe. The intro was a duet with a band and we finished with singing a few of the livelier carols like Hark the herald accompanied by the band and led by a Nigerian worship leader who is a wonderful recent addition and has a lively spontaneous style. We also had a piece of modern dance (two members of the congregation have a dance company) and a piece of poetry interspersed with trumpet solo. Obviously we had the usual gospel readings and a short sermon as well.
The service was 1 1/2 hours long and then we had mince pies and mulled wine.
I reckon several here will have had fun with Old Church Slavic in Bogoroditse Devo
(Rachmaninoff All Night Vigil) - perhaps a smaller pool of people to offend with that one!
Heron
Strictly speaking this is New Church Slavonic - a somewhat "Russianised" revision of Old Church Slavonic.
Today was our carol service. As our church does not usually have a choir, being a charismatic church with mostly modern worship songs, it was an opportunity for several professional musicians and music teachers in the large congregation to come into their own.
The songs were mostly traditional carols like Once in royal and O little town and there was a mix of performance and congregational singing. We had a choir of about 30 people to accompany the congregation and this split off into smaller groups to perform mostly acapella (with good beatbox accompaniment), sometimes with a jazz/gospel vibe. The intro was a duet with a band and we finished with singing a few of the livelier carols like Hark the herald accompanied by the band and led by a Nigerian worship leader who is a wonderful recent addition and has a lively spontaneous style. We also had a piece of modern dance (two members of the congregation have a dance company) and a piece of poetry interspersed with trumpet solo. Obviously we had the usual gospel readings and a short sermon as well.
The service was 1 1/2 hours long and then we had mince pies and mulled wine.
Whew! I bet the wine went down well...
Sounds good, though. I haven't yet heard how Our Place's carol service went, but I suspect it was the mixture as before, so to speak.
Comments
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=luAO_nqOrVU
One of the Cathedral clergy interpolates some short readings and prayers, turning this into more of an act of worship, rather than a performance, IYSWIM.
Meanwhile, Advent 2 at Our Place tomorrow:
The advent of our King (Franconia or - preferably! - St Thomas)
On Jordan's bank the Baptist's cry (Winchester New)
Love divine, all loves excelling (Love Divine or - preferably! - Blaenwern)
Hark, the glad sound! (Bristol)
1 Praise, my Soul!
2 Wele'n sefyll rhwng y myrtwydd (by Ann Griffiths, to Cwm Rhondda)
3 Tydi a wnaeth y wyrth, O Grist, Fab Duw (Pantyfedwen; than which there is no more inspiring hymn/tune combination)
4 Lo! He comes (because Advent, and hoping everyone realises it does not refer to the new priest, but someone even more worthy!)
Lo, He Comes With Clouds Descending (Helmsley)
It is well with my soul (Ville du Havre)
Saviour, Thy Dying Love (Something for Jesus)
Before The Throne Of God Above (Townend)
“Hark, the glad sound!” - Bristol.
“Like a candle flame” (Kendrick).
“See in yonder manger low” - Humility.
“We await the Peaceful Kingdom” - Salley Garden.
“The King shall come when morning dawns” - Richmond.
Hail, to the Lord's Anointed - CRÜGER
Come, Thou long expected Jesus - CROSS OF JESUS
*Eternal Father! Strong to Save - MELITA
There is a hope that burns within my heart - own tune (Townend / Edwards)
Lo! He Comes with Clouds Descending - HELMSLEY
* Chosen by one of the congregation in memory of an uncle who was among 600 people killed when his Royal Navy ship entered an uncharted minefield during WW2
Our offerings at St Pete's were mostly quite happily seasonal:
On Jordan's bank the Baptist's cry* - Winchester New
People look east - Carol of the Advent
How lovely on the mountains - Our God Reigns
Wait for the Lord - Taize
Onward, Christian pilgrims** - St Gertrude
* during which I resisted all temptation to sing:
On Jordan's bank, the Baptists cry
If I were a Baptist, so would I
They drink no beer, they have no fun
I'm glad that I'm an Anglican!
** WHY??? At least it's a decent tune, but with so many wonderful Advent hymns and carols, I don't see any reason for having it just now. Also, completely bollocksed up words.
Onward, Christian pilgrims is NOT a bollocksed-up version of Onward, Christian soldiers - it is a completely different hymn, using the same tune.
Mass of St Thomas, but the visiting priest insisted that we said the Gloria. Being Advent, we had sung the Kyries, but he wasn’t satisfied.
Changing the tunes without warning Is Outrage!
Today, we had:
“We Return” (as described last week)
“Comfort, Comfort Now My People”/GENEVAN 42
“Come Now, O Prince of Peace”/O-SO-SO
“Prepare the Way, O Zion”/BEREDEN VÄG FÖR HERREN
All in all, quite satisfactory, especially as we had brass on “Comfort, Comfort Now My People” and “Prepare the Way, O Zion.”
As it's the first Sunday of the month, we had Evensong:
Usual chants for the Mag & Nunc
Psalm 25 (extract) - Edwards
and some quite decent hymns:
Lo, he comes with clouds descending - Helmsley
My God, accept my heart this day - Belmont
O come, O come, Emmanuel - Veni Emmanuel
The gentleman who was doing the Intercessions read the Litany from the 1929 Prayer Book, which evoked nice memories of singing it in procession round the Cathedral in St John's on the second Sunday in Advent and second Sunday in Lent.
We had:
I'll praise in the valley, praise on the mountain
I raise a hallelujah
Alone in my sorrow and dead in my sin
Grand earth has quaked before, moved by the sound of his voice
We stand and lift up our hands
Ready the way - Curtis Stephan
There is a longing - Anne Quigley
Advent Communion Song - Bernadette Farrell
A voice cries out in the wilderness - Joncas
Plus the psalm, gospel acclamation and eucharistic acclamations as always.
Advent 2 Parish Communion
The advent of our king (Franconia)
Murray Mass setting minus Gloria
Let all mortal flesh (Picardy)
Advent Prose ... rather nicely sung by male voices
When came in flesh the incarnate word (Beatitudo)
Quite a good service even if I was denied playing 'St Thomas' as they wanted the dull 'Franconia'. The last hymn (EH 13) I have not come across in decades and never to that highly unsuitable tune with its whooping and scooping 😩
In the evening a trip to a very high church for "Solemn Mass of the Immaculate Comception" which appeared to use the RC rite in its entirety! Odd that Anglicans want to say "Leo our Pope" when he isn't 🤔
Ye who own the faith of Jesus (Daily Daily)
Kyrie to "St Philip" so dreary beyond ...
Gloria was Glory in the highest (NEH 363) to Camberwell so very nice
Magnificat instead of a Psalm (sung to plainchant)
Alleluia was (I think) a modern RC one but cannot recall the name
Metrical Creed to Abbots Leigh
Holy light on earth's horizon (Blaenwern) which was new to me and had very fanciful verbal imagery 😳
Sanctus and Agnus were a metrical version sung to Halton Holgate
Holy virgin by God's decree
Procession at the end to a garish statue singing "Immaculate Mary" to the Lourdes tune complete with references to "our father in Rome" and those in "heresy"s way" 🤣 and then that awful Hail holy queen 'hymn' from Whoopi Goldberg. I do detest that in church to say nothing of the extreme words 😡
Anyway the sparse congregation were in good voice and seemed to enjoy it all. I find these sort of services eccentric to say the least but the ultra high church do usually lay on good food and alcohol so worth enduring 😂
@Bishops Finger the alcohol was more than welcome as any little tricks your FinC gets up to would be mild compared with this 🤣 Mind you at least no rose petals this time, just Granny's lace (to quote the late Pope F) draped over the image!
We have a lace alb made from Granny's tablecloth, but I don't think he's ever worn it - he's a very tall chap, and it would be too short for him...
I asked our deacon if he was going to be pretty in pink next Sunday, and got a very old-fashioned look. Luckily our place has never had "rose" vestments.
Come, thou long expected Jesus (Cross Of Jesus or preferably Halton Holgate)
Hail to the Lord's anointed (Crueger)
Lo! he comes with clouds descending (Helmsley)
Hark, the glad sound (Bristol)
I'm not sure if the list is correct, as they had Hark, the glad sound last Sunday...and I think some of the others are 'repeats'.
However, they may be anticipating a low attendance at the 1030 Mass, as everyone is being encouraged to come to the 'CHRISTmass' Carol Service at 3pm, and then to stay on for the 'CHRISTmass' Fair at 4pm.
I'm not in the choir tomorrow - just scholars - will report with delight midday tomorrow!
A bit of Gibbons?
I'm sure you're right.
I'm just back from a Scottish Voices gig - an Advent service in Perth Cathedral, and it was an absolute cracker:
Organ music: Praeludium on "Veni, veni Emmanuel" - Leo Sowerby
Choir pieces:
Matin Responsory - Palestrina
O radiant dawn - MacMillan
Adam lay y-bounden - Ord
This is the truth from above - trad, arr. Vaughan Williams
Jesus Christ the apple tree - Poston
Alma redemptoris mater - Palestrina
Angelus ad virginem - trad, arr. Keith Roberts
People look east - trad, arr. Barry Rose
Hymns:
O come, O come, Emmanuel - Veni Emmanuel, arr. Willcocks
Hark the glad sound - Bristol
Hark! a herald voice is calling - Merton
The voice of God goes out to all the world - Morestead
Lo! he comes with clouds descending - Helmsley
Organ voluntary: Fantasia on Veni Emmanuel - Alec Rowley
Advent really is my favourite time of year.
O Come All ye Faithful (Adeste Fidelis)
While Shepherds Watched (Winchester Old)
Angels from the Realms of Glory (Woodford Green)
Joy to the World (Antioch)
It is a Desert Island Disk for me. Such poise and balance. It was always a special thing when I sang in choirs.
And if that's a joke I'm afraid I don't understand it
O come, O come, Emmanuel - VENI EMMANUEL
Before the Throne of God Above - own tune
Joy to the World - ANTIOCH
Darke in E
This is the record of John: Gibbons
On Jordan's bank
Hark the glad sound
O child of promise come!
Make way make way
Well done those who got it right
Heron
@Piglet I'm jealous of you the Macmillan O radiant dawn is sublime.
This is the record of John by Orlando Gibbons. I small masterpece.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a9pE5vrgBHQ&list=RDa9pE5vrgBHQ&start_radio=1
Gaudete Sunday indeed!
@Nenya
I started it. Sorry.
'This is the record of John' by Orlando Gibbons has the reputation as The Best English Anthem Ever. The text is John 1:19-23, and asks 'art thou the prophet, and he answered 'no''.
@Bishops Finger was being playful with the emphatic 'no' of the text/score.
The expository solo lights up advent. And is to be much desired of singers
I'll offer a linky that might assuage your disappointment.
Heron
My Apollo Gees to @Nenya for perpetuating the joke...
Hail to the Lord's anointed - Crüger
Restore, O Lord - Kendrick
The angel Gabriel from heaven came - Birjina Gaztettobat Zegoen
Only by grace can we enter
The Lord will come and not be slow - St Stephen
I can't say I'm heartbroken at having missed that, although I'm quite partial to the Angel Gabriel, and resisting any temptation to mention highly flavoured gravy ...
I have a colleague who is from the basque region - a muslim - who says that if we sing the angel gabriel in the original basque, then they will start coming to church.
Hasn't happened yet. Pretty sure we would ruin it...
Get well soon - I suspect choirs across the country will be depleted this Christmas with everyone going down with bugs.
Heron
Point of order - Basque is not Finno-Ugric - it's a language isolate with no known related languages.
If that's the one usually sung to the tune Bunessan, then I agree.
true. I thought it was - but I can't see any reference to that having even been a theory thirty years ago, when I was studying linguistics. My bad.
Come thou long (Cross of Jesus)
Merbecke minus Gloria
Psalm 80
Lo from the desert homes (Darwalls 148th)
And now O Father (Unde et memores)
On Jordan's bank (Winchester New)
Quite emjoyed it, hearty singing despite a smallish number.
Nothing else, I declined three Carol services as at an age where I wouldn't mind never playing for one again 😏🤣
Boldly Ruining Other People's Languages is a feature of church choirs.
The local rabbi was generous in their assessment of local efforts at Hebrew. Appropriate I'd say, when the efforts were devout and well intentioned.
I reckon several here will have had fun with Old Church Slavic in Bogoroditse Devo
(Rachmaninoff All Night Vigil) - perhaps a smaller pool of people to offend with that one!
Heron
Including me. It is one of my missions in life to expunge the bullshit promulgated by Rutter. Church Slavonic is not Russian.
The songs were mostly traditional carols like Once in royal and O little town and there was a mix of performance and congregational singing. We had a choir of about 30 people to accompany the congregation and this split off into smaller groups to perform mostly acapella (with good beatbox accompaniment), sometimes with a jazz/gospel vibe. The intro was a duet with a band and we finished with singing a few of the livelier carols like Hark the herald accompanied by the band and led by a Nigerian worship leader who is a wonderful recent addition and has a lively spontaneous style. We also had a piece of modern dance (two members of the congregation have a dance company) and a piece of poetry interspersed with trumpet solo. Obviously we had the usual gospel readings and a short sermon as well.
The service was 1 1/2 hours long and then we had mince pies and mulled wine.
Strictly speaking this is New Church Slavonic - a somewhat "Russianised" revision of Old Church Slavonic.
Whew! I bet the wine went down well...
Sounds good, though. I haven't yet heard how Our Place's carol service went, but I suspect it was the mixture as before, so to speak.