How shall I keep from singing?

The Carol service (and mince-pie eating) marathon ended in style this year with Christmas Day being on a Monday. The previous day saw the usual Eucharist in the morning (‘The Angel Gabriel’, arr. Pettman), followed by carols, mulled wine, etc. at the hospital – where the doctors tried to outsing us this year, and mostly succeeded – and Midnight Mass (Away in a Manger and Ding, Dong merrily on high). One of the pillar candles above the choir stalls burned down and set the wooden holder alight – we were saved by two quick-acting young choristers, home from university, who began dousing the flames, watched in fascination by the rest of the choir. Never has there been such indisciplined inattentiveness during the Eucharistic Prayer! This was followed by a spot of new-vicar-spotting as he took advantage of the crowds to make an incognito appearance a few weeks early. Luckily for him, there will still be an uncharred church in which to base his work.

Christmas morning was a surprisingly enjoyable service, even after the late night the night before. Five young choristers received their next choral awards – including the eldest one who was celebrating her 18th birthday that day. We were a little low in sopranos, due to Christmas-turkey-in-the-oven anxiety, so the altos also covered the second soprano line for ‘Angels from the realms of glory’ (arr. Jacques). Then we tucked into the choir present – a huge box of chocolate biscuits and sweets, before being let home for a well-earned Christmas break.

There were a lot of croaks and splutters in the morning, which made the anthem, ‘Rejoice in the Lord alway’ (Anon), sound rather wobbly – and didn’t augur well for the 9 Lessons and Carols service to be sung later on that day.

However, thanks to the wonderful tea put on after the four o’clock rehearsal and a chance for our throats to warm up and then relax, the result was a fine service – everything was rattled through at high speed so there was not time to think or to make mistakes. There were the usual traditional carols interspersed with traditional readings of scripture and the choir programme of:
Adam lay ybounden – Ord
Hail Blessed Virgin Mary – arr. Wood
Sussex Carol – arr. Willcocks
Myn Lyking – Terry
Nativity Carol – Rutter
Sans Day Carol – Rutter
Ding Dong Merrily on High – arr. Wood

And a fine, rousing organ voluntary (Toccata – Dubois) to round it all off.

The award for the best part of the evening, however, must go to the treble soloist (who overcame a very inconvenient coughing fit like a true professional) followed by our best-matched quartet ever, in the first and second verses of ‘Once in Royal David’s City’. It’s not often I stand amongst our choir and feel as if I’m in a cathedral, but I did this Sunday night.

We were met in the vestry by a last-minute request – the visiting Archdeacon would like us to give a choral gospel fanfare as an introduction to her sermon. A hurried rehearsal ensued, then we were ready to sing, ‘And the glory of the Lord’ by Handel – fortunately most of the choir already knew it. The words fitted rather well with the Gospel reading for today, from Luke 3, also made musically famous by Handel’s ‘Messiah’ setting. This was in addition to the already planned ‘Jesu meine Freude’ (Cruger) sung a capella from the back of church during the administration. This ‘double bill’ made up for the fact that there was no Evensong – being our night off; rather welcome given the number of evening engagements (nursing homes, hospital, etc.) over the next couple of weeks.

I love Advent Sunday – the start of a new Church Year and all that pregnant expectancy. The new chorister who received her surplice today lit the first advent candle at the Eucharist. One of the altos complained that the anthem, ‘Zion Hears the Watchmen’s Voices’ (‘Wachet Auf’ – Bach) sounded like a dirge, but of course it was a wonderful chance for the twiddly organist to have the glory for a change. We were merely the old drones to his delicate interweaving.

The Advent Carol Service by Candlelight was magical, as usual. Palestrina’s ‘Matin Responsory’ began the proceedings, which were interspersed with various Advent carols and anthems such as ‘Adam Lay Ybounden’ (Ord), ‘Joseph and the Angel’ (Terry), ‘The Truth Sent from Above’ (arr. Vaughan Williams), and ending with ‘People Look East’ (arr. Bramma) sung from the High Altar and a recessional hymn, ‘Lo, He comes with clouds Descending’ to propel us back to the vestry (and, indeed, to the mince pies and mulled wine) in style.