This week saw the 10 year anniversary of the sudden death of organist John Scott.
I still remember where I was when a colleague telephoned with the news on August 12, 2015.
I met John Scott only briefly after an organ recital. He left us too soon, while at the height of his powers. I was then, and remain now, an avid listener to the webcasts from St. Thomas, New York. Though I never had the opportunity to see him work with a choir, I had the privilege to be a student of his musicianship in some small way through the sheer quantity of music and liturgy that eminated from that wonderful place through the internet (usually four Evensongs a week, and Choral Mass on Sunday).
Stephen Buzard, who was working as an assistant to John Scott at the time of his death, has shared a touching remembrance on Facebook:
I think about John often. His exquisite musicianship, deep churchmanship, and tireless dedication to his craft inspire me daily and shape how I approach my vocation. I am the musician I am today because of him.
We are fortunate that John Scott made many recordings during his lifetime. In recent years, the Hyperion record label has made their recordings accessbile via streaming platforms, and it has been a great joy to explore recordings of his — both organ and choral — I have never heard before. This week, I have delved back into the impressive catalog that is eight-CD "The English Anthem" series from St. Paul's Cathedral, London.
Scott was a musicians' musician, and endlessly adaptable. He sounded just at home on the massive organ of St. Paul's, London, as he does on the two-manual Taylor and Boody at St. Thomas.
Labels: John Scott, St Paul's (London), St Thomas (New York), Stephen Buzard
As we draw ever closer to the 2024 United States presidential election, this sermon from the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church, the Rt. Rev. Michael Curry, seems more timely than ever.
Curry was preaching at St. Thomas Church, Fifth Avenue, New York City, on Ascension Day this year. At this point in his sermon he is talking about the Latin motto of the United States: "E pluribus unum" ("Out of many, one"):
Labels: Ascension, food and drink, Michael Curry, St Thomas (New York)
For better or worse, one of the changes brought about by the pandemic is the increased prevalance of video webcasting of liturgical services.
This week, in the wake of Advent Sunday, this change is decidedly for the better for those who, like myself, enjoy dropping in on Advent Carol Services around the world.
For instance, St. Thomas Church in New York is one that I have listened to for many years, since the early days of audio webcasting. Their move to video webcasting during the pandemic has been very informative. Last year, for instance, who could know just by listening the cumulateive affect that Leo Nestor's haunting and liquid Advent Prose would have when accompanied by the lighting of the cognregation's candles? See here: "Hark! A Thrilling Voice is Sounding" A Service for Advent (Nov. 28, 2021)
Even though St. Thomas has re-ordered their liturgy this year, the service still speaks of Advent in the same way. In fact, amidst all the variety of approaches among the services here, the common themes of Advent still ring out loud and clear.
Here are some of the other services you might want to view in these early days of the Advent season:
- St. Thomas, New York - An Advent Procession - The Director of Music, Jeremy Filsell, like me, seems to have been quite taken with the O Antiphons Service we got to hear during the Convention of the American Guild of Organists Convention in Seattle this summer, and has brought back a number of elements from this service for this year's liturgy.
- The "O" Antiphons: Advent Procession from St. Mark's Cathedral, Seattle - This one-of-a-kind Advent service has much to commend it. Video adds the opportunity to appreciate the visual dimension brought in by the incense, and the O Antiphon banners.
- Trinity College, Cambridge: Advent Carol Service - This entered my regular rotation a few years ago, and I have been very glad to hear it again every year since!
- Canterbury Cathedral: Advent Carol Service - was hoping to be able to enjoy viewing this service, but the incessant interruption by loud advertisements on YouTube really ruins the experience. Even the middle of the Byrd Vigilate was interrupted! Your mileage may vary.
Then of course, is the service that would be fun to view, but is still a real joy to listen to: A Service for Advent with Carols from St. John's College, Cambridge.
Finally, an honorable mention to the Choir of Gonville and Caius for their Advent Carol Service. I was able to catch part of it live which is the only way to view their services. After the service, they disappear from YouTube and are not available for viewing later. A notable, and worthy approach, I think.
But I would be remiss if I did not end by saying that Advent Sunday (yes, this term is in the Episcopal Book of Common Prayer!) is widely observed with Carol Services in the UK more than in the US. Since it so often falls on the same weekend as the Thanksgiving Holiday, we have more stateside Carol services to look forward to in the weeks to come!
Labels: Advent, Jeremy Filsell, O Antiphons, St Mark's Cathedral (Seattle), St Thomas (New York)
What makes a Christmas carol? Because composers are writing new ones all the time, and there are lots of cues to make it sound, you know, "Chrismtassy". The words help, of course, but simply having a refrain is a great cue. And in here, Gerre Hancock finds superb vocal agility from his Choristers for the energetic refrain in his Salutation Carol.
Labels: 12 Carols for Christmas, Christmas, Gerre Hancock, St Thomas (New York)
This is sort of the quintessential church nerd post. Most of the words in the title don't make any sense to anyone except the most churched.
Usually I would offer a sentence or two of explanation in regards to Tenebrae and the Paschal Candle, but this certainly qualifies as "esoteric liturgics" so I'm just going to dive right in:
It recently has come to my attention that many churches of various stripes incorporate the Paschal Candle into a make-shift Tenebrae Hearse -- this term I will define: the Tenebrae Hearse is a triangular candelabra which holds fifteen candles, seven on each side, and one at the apex.
Now, I don't know many Episcopal parishes that happen to own a Tenebrae Hearse of any quality. Nor do I think there is anything magical about the number fifteen.
In this film of Tenebrae from St. Thomas, New York from April 2014, you can clearly see the use of a large seven-branch Hearse, really just a giant candelabra. This makes sense for the liturgy done at St. Thomas, which makes use of seven antiphons and corresponding psalms/canticles.
The Book of Occasional Services suggests two routes for the number of candles: seven or fifteen. But even if the full fifteen-prong Hearse is desired, I still think the use of the Paschal Candle at this service is a mistake.
One can understand how the practical need arises: most churches have two seven-prong candelabras, and you just need a big, tall candle to go between them! But this seems a lazy solution.
The Paschal Candle should only be lit during services in Eastertide (through the Day of Pentecost, per the rubric from the Great Vigil of Easter), Baptism, or the Burial of the Dead.
It's use in Holy Week prior to the Easter Vigil is especially troublesome because the appearance of the (new) Paschal Candle should be dramatic at the kindling of the new fire. It is an unceremonious and unfortunate use of the old year's Paschal Candle to see it at Tenebrae. It confuses the symbolism of the Noise and return of the light at Tenebrae. It is surely not the Resurrection, though it does anticipate and foreshadow it.
The solution for those who have their hearts set on fifteen but have not the necessary hearse seems to me to get by with fourteen. Surely cleverer minds than mine can devise a scheme to make this work.
But for the love of Pete, leave the Paschal Candle out of Tenebrae.
Labels: Book of Occasional Services, Holy Week, Paschal Candle, St Thomas (New York), Tenebrae, The Great Vigil of Easter
Today marks one year since the death of John Scott, the organist and director of music of St. Thomas Church, New York City, and one of the very finest church musicians the world has ever known.
Gentle Jesus, grant him eternal rest.
Nunc dimittis from Howells "St Paul's Service" from St Paul's Cathedral, London 28 January 2004
John Scott, Director of Music; Huw Williams, Sub-Organist
Labels: Howells, John Scott, St Paul's (London), St Thomas (New York)
As noted in this space several years ago, the summer months feature some very special musical gatherings all around the world that offer great music. And, via the internet, great opportunities to listen.
I am particularly enjoying the recent broadcast of Evensong from the Southern Cathedrals Festival. It is wonderful singing. Take note that it is the girls of Chichester and Winchester singing the top lines. Not the boys. The Reger introit that opens the service, previously unknown to me, is a delight.
You may also be interested to hear:
- Evensong from the Three Choirs Festival
- The St. Thomas Girls Course, held at St. Thomas, New York
Labels: Chichester Cathedral, Gloucester, Hereford, Salisbury Cathedral, Southern Cathedrals Festival, St Thomas (New York), Three Choirs Festival, Winchester Cathedral, Worcester
It's webcasting season. In case you didn't already know it, we at Sinden.org are huge fans of listening to liturgy, church music, and organ music online.
Trinity College, Cambridge has just released a new tool to search all of their archival webcasts. All of this is free.
St. John's, Cambridge, perhaps our favorite webcast destination, has just started their choral year, and new music is appearing there. Creating an account allows free access to their archival material (very worthwhile).
The BBC has a very long-running weekly Evensong broadcast which you can hear online. Each broadcast is up for about a week, so time is of the essence!
And a welcome newcomer to the webcasting game is King's College, Cambridge. These webcasts are gussied up with spoken introductions by choristers, the chaplian, or sometimes Stephen Cleobury himself. Organ recitals are also mixed in.
We also eagerly anticipate the return of webcast Evensongs by New College, Oxford.
And if these aren't enough for you or you're not feeling quite so liturgical at the moment, don't forget the pure church music webcast of the fine radio program With Heart and Voice and the wonderful radio program dedicated to the music of the organ, Pipedreams.
And last, but most assuredly not least, you can hear no fewer than five services webcast weekly (Tuesday Evensong, Wednesday Evensong, Thursday Evensong, Sunday Eucharist, Sunday Evensong) by St. Thomas, New York. A truly outstanding gift of prayer and praise available online.
Happy listening!
Labels: church music, King's College (Cambridge), liturgy, New College (Oxford), organ music, St John's (Cambridge), St Thomas (New York), Trinity College (Cambridge), web, webcasting
This is, by my count, the sixth year in a row that the choir of St. Thomas, New York has sung Kenneth Leighton's Missa Christi at the Festal Eucharist on the Last Sunday after Pentecost (called "Christ the King" Sunday in the Revised Common Lectionary"). It is a splendid piece of music, and I am very glad that it has entered the repertoire there.
The Missa Christi, Kenneth Leighton's last choral work, was commissioned in 1988 by my mentor at Christ Church, Indianapolis, Frederick Burgomaster. I vividly remember learning the accompaniment to the Gloria for my first concert at Christ Church (I was the Assistant Organist there 2006-2010). It was a daunting, but very fruitful task. Other than the stately Solus ad victimam, I had never before accompanied any Leighton, so this was a real baptism by fire. But it led me to value this work and many others by Leighton. His compositions are marked by beautifully craftmanship, oozing with his own modern and stunningly lyrical counterpoint.
The brief organ conclusion to the Gloria reveals at the last second an untold harmonic dimension -- another world lurking beneath the surface, like the earth dropping out from beneath your feet. It makes you re-evaluate everything you've just heard and makes you wonder about what is to come.
But this year, I'm thinking especially of the bass solo that begins the Benedictus. This kinky descending line was written with special intention for a bass in the choir of Christ Church: Tom Woody. Tom died this fall.
Tom was a integral to the music at Christ Church for decades, first as a choirboy and later as a bass in the choir. And I love knowing that this little piece of the Missa Christi inspired by him, crafted by Leighton, lives on in the service of the church and in the praise of almighty God.
Father of all, we pray to you for Tom, and for all those whom we love but see no longer. Grant to them eternal rest. Let light perpetual shine upon them. May his soul and the souls of all the departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.
Labels: Christ Church Cathedral (Indianapolis), Leighton, St Thomas (New York)
I opined yesterday that the homily I heard at the National Cathedral missed the golden opportunity to preach about music to some young people who have given their whole selves to the task.
Father Andrew Mead, the Rector at Saint Thomas Church, Fifth Avenue, New York made no such mistake.
The great events of the Gospel are attested by song and music. The births of John the Baptist and Christ are surrounded by canticles by the parents and burst of praise from the angels. The apostolic writings about the Lord’s incarnation, death and resurrection, from John to Paul, break forth constantly into hymns. But most significantly, Jesus himself, having had his Last Supper with the disciples, having instituted Holy Communion, having been betrayed, before he went to his Agony in the Garden of Gethsemane, sang a hymn with his friends. Music was at the very center of our salvation. Our Lord died with fragments of the Psalms on his lips: into thy hands I commend my spirit."Music Everywhere." A sermon preached by Fr. Andrew Mead at St. Thomas, Fifth Avenue. 4 August 2013.
I commend the whole thing to your hearing/reading.
Labels: church music, liturgy, RSCM, St Thomas (New York)
You might think that there would be fewer Evensong services in the summer, and you would be right.
But there are some wonderful things that happen in the summer that lead to some great singing at Evensong services. I took part in my own at the Royal School of Church Music (RSCM) Carolina Course last month at Duke Chapel.
And I'm just back from Evensong from the Washington DC RSCM Course concluding Evensong at the National Cathedral on Sunday, where the service was also splendid.
I'm not familiar with much about the National Cathedral, and I wish I didn't have to be critical of what was a very fine service, but I will say that one of the things that made the Carolina Course evensong so meaningful was the excellent preaching, and the focus on music in the sermon. I think that with choristers from all over the country, (even a couple from Christ Church Cathedral, Indianapolis!) this was a real missed opportunity this past Sunday.
Girls' Choristers Course at St. Thomas, Fifth Avenue, New York City
- Choral Evensong - Tuesday 30 July
- Choral Evensong - Thursday 1 August
- Choral Eucharist - Sunday 4 August
The Three Choirs Festival
The Southern Cathedral's Festival
Choral Evensong (will air tomorrow, Wednesday 7 August and be available for the week following).
Labels: Christ Church Cathedral (Indianapolis), Duke Chapel, Evensong, National Cathedral, RSCM, St Thomas (New York), Three Choirs Festival
While a fine hymn for the American Labor Day holiday, this hymn is also closely associated with St. Thomas Church, New York, and it is heard hear sung at the final Sunday of the tenure of the late Gerre Hancock, on the Feast of Corpus Christi, 2004. The concluding voluntary after the hymn is improvised.
Labels: Gerre Hancock, hymns, improvisation, St Thomas (New York)
This is the forth year in a row that the fine choir of St. Thomas, New York has sung Kenneth Leighton's Missa Christi (service webcast) on the Last Sunday after Pentecost (called "Christ the King" Sunday in the Revised Common Lectionary"). I hope that it occupies this place in their music list for many years to come.
It's a thrilling piece, and one with some meaning to me personally.
The Missa Christi, Kenneth Leighton's last choral work, was commissioned in 1988 by my mentor at Christ Church, Indianapolis, Frederick Burgomaster. It was one of the first major pieces I accompanied at Christ Church in my tenure as assistant organist there (quite an initiation!).
Leighton grew up as a chorister at Wakefield Cathedral, and he said of his composition "In my music … I speak as one who comes from inside the Church." That may be, but this insider's voice is not a tame one. Even church "insiders" can't help but stand up a little straighter and be taken with the immense physiognomy of the Gloria as a whole and the incredible, layered density of the Amen at the end, catapulted by an organ chord from another harmonic dimension into that "vast expanse of interstellar space" where hosts of angels praise our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ as he sits at the right hand of the Father.
The rest of the Mass is pretty nice too.
That quirky bass solo in the Benedictus was written for one of the basses of the Indianapolis Choir, whom I had the good fortune to know in my time there.
The clarity that emerges at the words "grant us peace" in the Agnus Dei is heart-wrenching.
Labels: Christ Church Cathedral (Indianapolis), Leighton, St Thomas (New York)
Gramaphone highlights a new weekly webcast of Evensong from New College, Oxford.
This is great news for Evensong webcast fans. Thus far, I have listened fairly regularly to St. Thomas, Fifth Avenue; St. John's, Cambridge; and wherever the BBC records.
Logging on for E-vensong in Gramaphone by Andrew Mellor.
Labels: Evensong, New College (Oxford), St John's (Cambridge), St Thomas (New York), webcasting
Grayston Ives's Edington service makes an appearance on two Evensong webcasts this week: St. George's Chapel, Windsor (as webcast by the BBC -- hurry! You have three days left to listen), and St. Thomas, Fifth Avenue.
Neither performance is perfect.
This should go without saying. Music after all is a very human endeavor, and though Ives in his position as composer can theoretically approach perfection, the performance side of music often leaves something to be desired.
But, there are also those times where a performance is successfully, even inexplicably so. Great performances move us beyond the printed score. In some cases, such performers probably meet or exceed the composer's expectation of how his or her work should be performed. In others, truly great performances move members of the holy triangle of composer-performer-performer beyond the realm of their common experience and expectation.
"Perfection" is undesirable in church music. An overly-accurate, but lifeless rendering is not faithful to the composer and does a disservice to the listener.
A good rehearsal process can leave the listener out of the triangle. Sometimes the piece goes swimmingly in rehearsal only to have something go awry in the service. A certain understanding of what the discipline of church music is might recognize God as the listener and acknowledge that God was in fact present in the rehearsal and was indeed worshipped. But I suspect this is more a "monastic" or "isolationist" understanding of the discipline of music that doesn't take contemporary Anglican realities into account.
So where does this leave us?
Music is incarnational, and things that become incarnate are frighteningly specific. Jesus didn't become all of humankind, but he did become fully human. When we perform music, we don't become the piece of music (this is a comforting thought!) but we do our best to fulfill the sacred duty of offering an "incarnation" of that piece.
No two things brought into being are the same. And with respect to Grayston Ives's rather difficult organ accompaniment to the Edington service, this means that different approaches to the organ part will be employed by different organists. And different mistakes will be made.
This kind of unintentional specificity is terrifying for the organist. Believe me; I've been there. Your blood turns cold, and the whole idea of getting on with your life, let alone the rest of the piece, seems utterly pointless.
And yet, there's something beautiful about this kind of specificity. I'm not saying that the mistakes are inherently beautiful or that they are to be condoned. I think everyone (organists included) would prefer that the mistakes not be made. And in a perfect world they wouldn't be, but that's not the world we live in.
The beauty is that life does go on. No matter how much horror the assistant organist experiences, the lector proceeds to read the second lesson after the Magnificat.
And of course, there's our frame of reference to consider. The Ives Edington service hasn't been around for very long; I think anything composed in the last 50 years can be considered relatively new. And Stanford in C hasn't really been around for much longer than that. And the Anglican choral tradition hasn't really been around for too much longer than that. And then, if you wander back just a bit further, you find that we're already at that ultimate moment of incarnation, the birth of Jesus Christ.
These particular ways of singing our prayer are just as specific as Jesus' birth. Even the name of Ives's service belies a certain incarnation at a certain time that cannot be accessed again (this service was the commissioned work for the 1975 Edington Festival of Music in the Liturgy). But part of the reward and risk of being a composer is releasing one's work to all different times and places. Though we cannot hear the original performance at the Edington festival, we will continue to hear echoes of this event and of Grayston Ives creativity for many years to come.
Though we cannot be present in that stable in Bethlehem, we will continue to hear echoes of those incarnational cries.
And as we do, in life and in music, we will strive for perfection and ask forgiveness when we fail.
Labels: church music, Grayston Ives, St Thomas (New York)
One year ago (28 Jan 2009) 12 inches of snow fell and I live-blogged a triple chant.
One year later, I can hear the chant and remember how much fun shoveling the driveway was. I also have a composer to go with that delightful triple chant: Jonathan Bielby.
It's sung on this webcast
Labels: Anglican chant, St Thomas (New York), weather
Once again, St. Thomas, New York will conduct their veneration of the most blessed variations on "Veni Creator" by Maurice Duruflé on Pentecost Sunday.
This week's service leaflet will only be available for a limited time.
Labels: Duruflé, liturgy, Pentecost, St Thomas (New York)
Yesterday at St. Thomas Church in New York was sung the Evening Service in F by George Dyson. (As always, you can listen to this service online for the next two weeks or so).
This service is refined and reserved, a perfect foil to the boisterous "Star-Warsy" Evening Service in D (YouTube). Both canticles are marked by a preponderance of writing for solo voice: treble in the Magnificat and bass in the Nunc Dimittis.
The chorus winds its way into some ambiguous harmonies at the end of the Magnificat with the bass moving from the supertonic to subdominant. The ensuing plagal-flavored resolution melts into the Gloria, the new treble solo entering heart-rendingly on high F.
It is a tender, understated service that is very effectively accompanied entirely at 8' pitch.
The hackneyed prose of Wikipedia's George Dyson article claims that Dyson is indebted to Sibelius. At least I think that's what this article is trying to say.
His compositions include a symphony in G major (1937), a violin concerto, and a number of other works, many of them for choir. Ernest John Moeran's symphony of the same decade (and completed the same year) has some similarities of style and ambition with Dyson's. Both are among the longest works of each at about 45 minutes, and both show some influence, harmonically and in instrumental use, from Jean Sibelius.
Labels: Dyson, Evensong, Jean Sibelius, St Thomas (New York)
20:15 An angry reader informs me that the hastily written paragraph from 18:18 is in need of editing. Editing is accomplished.
18:18 A lovely Evensong overall and only about 45 minutes in length from the choir's perspective. The boys sounded excellent. It was the singing of the men, especially their verse sections in the Purcell, that I wanted to hear a bit more preparation. It sounded as though the men singing the verses all managed their parts well but were unaware of what the other parts were doing (i.e., in the manner of true lay clerks). Maybe with an additional fifteen minutes in the schedule there would have been an opportunity to tune a few of those surprisingly hairy Purcell chords a bit more. But then again, with more time, perfection always seems that much closer. The Psalm was a highlight for me. I will be listening to that again soon.
18:17 A fuller registration.
18:14 verse 3, after which Organ Postlude begins. Also on the 8' principal, I believe. These must be Italian pieces. This seems to have a few durezze moments.
18:13 verse 2
18:12 verse 1
18:11 The Grace. The Hymn is surely No. 444. "Blessed be the God of Israel" sung to THORNBURY
18:09 The familiar tune WESTMINSTER ABBEY is "hallelujaed" to end the work.
18:08 Listening to "O God, thou art my God". I love this anthem. Exciting accelerando into "as long as I live".
18:03 Greetings from the rector and a brief homily, I suspect? Was that an errant organ note?
18:00 It's 6:00. The bells finish tolling the hour during the first collect.
17:54 Um, somehow I suspect they are not reading from this public domain edition.
17:53 John is beheaded and the Nunc begins.
17:52 Oops. The Purcell score is also available. I guess I should have checked this before the webcast began.
17:48 A considerable amount of intricate verse work for the men. You can hear that 4' principal come on for the Gloria. Not exactly "as it was in the beginning", if you get my drift.
17:46 Lovely ascending can & dec treble parts there.
17:45 Ishmael is born in the first lesson. The Purcell begins. The organ held that first chord, rather than pitch the choir, I think.
17:43 I checked on this page. The Coverdale version of Psalm 136 does have 27 verses.
17:41 There was an apocryphal verse 27 in the psalm to make the triple chant turn out right. I'm almost okay with that. The altered chant in the Gloria was pretty suave. Who wrote this one?
17:39 I'm totally diggin this chant. What was that pronunciation of "Bashan"? Bay-san?
17:37 The organ could be even bigger for the division of the Red Sea, yes?
17:35 That's not how I thought the chant would end. Ah! A triple chant!!! How exciting!
17:33 A lovely little piece of 20 bars. The Smith responses begin.
17:32 Improv ends in E minor. Batten starts right away. Score
17:30 Improvisation begins on the chancel organ.
17:29 Prelude ends.
17:27 The Organ Prelude begins on the Taylor and Boody. Something nice with a few lombard rhythms on the 8' Principal. Could be French?
17:23 Choir has left. New York traffic noise. How exciting!
17:22 One of the boys can be heard practicing his "Prrrrraise" from the Introit as he wanders out of the church. Excellent
17:21 "A bit of the introit as well". Not happy with the first note of the Batten, Scott asks for just the senior boys to sing it.
17:19 The stream is live. I can hear a bit of the rehearsal. The Purcell Nunc. At the Gloria John Scott says "The four-foot prinicpal as well".
There's 12.5 inches of snow here in the Midwest, which means I'm at home, which means I'll be live blogging the webcast of Evensong from St. Thomas, New York at 5:30 p.m. EST today.
Here's the music list:
5:30 Choral Evensong Introit: O praise the Lord - Batten Responses: Smith Psalm: 136 Service: Purcell in B flat Anthem: O God, thou art my God - Purcell
Labels: Evensong, St Thomas (New York)
Parishioners at St. Thomas Church on Fifth Avenue heard a movement form Three Pieces for Organ (2000) by Aaron Travers as part of the prelude this past Sunday.
Aaron Travers (b. 1975) holds degrees from Oberlin and Eastman and is on the faculty of Northwestern University.
The structure of the movement performed at St. Thomas, "Here and There", could be likened to a Howells Psalm Prelude or Christopher Rousse's "Elegy" from the Flute Concerto. Soft, crescendo to apocalyptically full, then soft again.
The 11:00 a.m. service from January 18 is still available from St. Thomas webcasting.
Labels: organ music, St Thomas (New York), Travers
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