How shall I keep from singing?

You can’t beat an experienced priest who knows how to keep a service moving. It’s just a pity that one day they have to retire and only help out occasionally. I never thought I’d enjoy a sermon on the Ten Commandments so much – there is a first time for everything!
I prefer ‘Panis Angelicus’ (Franck) sung as a solo followed by a duet or four-part harmony. However, the full four-part harmony version made a good change and you could hear a pin drop while we were singing it. Fortunately the toddler who had the screaming abdabs five minutes before had been duly distracted and was by then playing happily.
It’s strange how an interregnum, and the ensuing discussion groups, leads to people talking to those they have barely exchanged words with in church before. I have a feeling we may yet all emerge from this time knowing each other a little better.

Today we nearly lost one of our invaluable tenors, who tried to knock himself out climbing up to the lectern. He always did complain that his cassock was too long – now we believe him. Fortunately, his composure and our amusement had recovered sufficiently in time for the anthem: ‘Ave Verum Corpus’ by Mozart. It was obviously a favourite of at least one member of the congregation, who congratulated us profusely over coffee. It is one of those anthems which has the danger of becoming rather hackneyed by overuse, so I’m glad our choir sings it sparingly.

The evensong anthem was ‘View me, Lord’ by Lloyd, another regular item in our repertoire. Fortunately during the service the organist realised that there was an additional verse over the page, unlike at the rehearsal. What else are practices for? The curate told us all off for rustling our pages too loudly during her ‘Dearly Beloveds’. Obviously the choir were not her Dearly Beloveds tonight.

Ash Wednesday was sombre and solemn – with extra-smudgy ashes this year. There was a grand total of 11 in the choir so only hymns, plus the Mass setting (the usual Thorne) were sung – no anthems or sung psalm. I enjoyed saying (a shortened version of) the Litany – once a year at this service is the only time we get to say it now. And it is unfortunately never sung.

Lent resolutions were well and truly broken by Saturday – with a veritable feast cunningly advertised as a ‘Lent Lunch’ at a neighbouring church. We spent the next hour walking off the effects before joining with their church choir for an RSCM ‘Meet and Sing’ event.

It was very cold in church again this morning. But hearts were warmed by the sight of a toddler walking the opposite way through the procession and mum trying to suppress her giggles. Lloyd’s ‘The Call’ was meant to be sung full – quartet – full; however a subversive rebellion in the ranks (those of us less confident singers rallying others in to help) meant that the ‘quartet’ was expanded to at least eight people. What the choirmaster thought, I don’t know, but by the time he realised it was too late.

Evensong was relaxed and peaceful, with Whitlock’s ‘Here O my Lord’ sung quietly. It was only marred by being sung without a conductor for the first time in many years, leading to rather jagged entries.