BBC1 Midnight Mass from Southwark RC Cathedral

[Hare]

Any thoughts on this please?

I enjoyed the Nick O'Neil Mass but was surprised at the choir-only Sanctus......

I also liked the arrangements of Of the Father's heart and O come all ye faithful, but I didn't recognize them.

Didn't recognize the voluntary at the end either - perhaps an improvisation?

[Eastern Promise]

Loved the Sanctus.

[Nick Baty]

was surprised at the choir-only Sanctus......

Not uncommon at Southwark. At roughly the same time, Leeds was singing the Sanctus from Mozart's Missa Brevis in C and Westminster was singing Charpentier's Messe de minuit.

[Hare]

Have been informed the arrangement of Of the Father's heart was by David Briggs, and O come all ye by Norman Harper.

[Eastern Promise]

was surprised at the choir-only Sanctus......

Not uncommon at Southwark. At roughly the same time, Leeds was singing the Sanctus from Mozart's Missa Brevis in C and Westminster was singing Charpentier's Messe de minuit.

Glad to hear it!

[Eastern Promise]

Wasn't it marvellous to see all those impressive black people, in choir and congregation, singing all that beautifully appropriate Catholic music instead of being patronised by white middle class liturgical trendies encouraging them to sing more 'ethnic' stuff?

[gwyn]

Reassuringly Roman Catholic.

[gwyn]

Wasn't it marvellous to see all those impressive black people, in choir and congregation, singing all that beautifully appropriate Catholic music instead of being patronised by white middle class liturgical trendies encouraging them to sing more 'ethnic' stuff?

Hadn't thought of that. Good point.

[alan29]

Wonderful to hear the plainsong Propers - thats the way to do chant.
However I didn't enjoy the resp psalm ..... some phrasing would have been good.
Went to bed soon after that - 5 consecutive nights of Christmas concerts = surfeit!

[Eastern Promise]

Amazing trumpeter too.

[nazard]

My favourite bits were the hats some of the congregation were wearing - one very spectacular black and gold number looked particularly festive. I wouldn't have thought so much of it if I were right behind it though. Perhaps it had a built in periscope. I loved the gregorian antiphons. They did the opening in the order hymn - introit, which I think works better than introit - hymn which Liverpool did last year. Gold stars and smiley faces all round.

[johnquinn39]

Wasn't it marvellous to see all those impressive black people, in choir and congregation, singing all that beautifully appropriate Catholic music instead of being patronised by white middle class liturgical trendies encouraging them to sing more 'ethnic' stuff?

EP -- is there any evidence that white middle class liturgical trendies have ever encouraged black people to sing more 'ethnic' stuff?

[nazard]

Now that the dust has settled, it is worth reading what people have to say on other boards:

Manders

and

Chant Cafe

I wouldn't endorse all the comments, but my overall observations are:

1) They did very well - I especially loved the chanted propers.

2) I thought the congregational carols were taken too fast for the acoustic of the building.

BTW, for those of you who play the organ, or take an interest in organs, Mander's forum is well worth following.

[musicus]

Thanks for those links, nazard - very interesting reading. I caught the second half of the Southwark Mass on my return from our own celebration and very fine it was too generally (apart from one or two chaotic ensemble lapses, which were bad enough to be obvious even to Mrs Musicus, who is not a musician). The MacMillan motet was a gem, and the chant was convincingly done IMHO.

[nazard]

Thanks for those links, hazard...

I like the idea of hazard - perhaps a deed poll is called for. Or, better still, some new contributor might like to call him/herself hazard and cause a bit of chaos.

[Apologies for that typo; fixed now - M]