SSG AGM, Crichton Memorial Lecture and Annual Mass

[excathedra]

Notice of the AGM etc was given in the last issue of Music & Liturgy. As the current issue has been somewhat delayed, I am posting the details of the day's events here.

The Annual General Meeting of the Society of St Gregory will; be held on Saturday, 12th November 2005 in Westminster Cathedral Hall, Ambrosden Avenue, London SW1 commencing at 1.30pm.

Paul Moynihan, KSG
SECRETARY

AGENDA

Prayer

Apologies for absence

1. MINUTES OF THE ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING HELD ON 27TH NOVEMBER 2004
- to approve the Minutes.

2. ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2004/05
- to approve the Annual Report and Accounts of the Society for the year ended 30th June 2005 as submitted by the Trustees.

3. ELECTION OF OFFICERS AND OTHER TRUSTEES
- to receive from the Election Officers the results of the election of
[a] Chairman [for 1 year]
[b] Treasurer [for 1 year]
[c] Secretary [for one year]
[d] Two ordinary trustees [for three years]

4. ANY OTHER NOTIFIED BUSINESS

Close of meeting


Timetable for the Day

1.00pm Arrivals and coffee
1.30pm Annual General Meeting
2.00pm Open Forum – at which Members can raise matters of interest
3.00pm James Crichton Memorial Lecture
4.00pm Music practice in Hall/Cathedral Apse
[5pm Opportunity for brief tour of the Cathedral]
[5.30pm 1st Vespers of Sunday in the Lady Chapel]
6pm Vigil Mass of Sunday – with music led by the SSG
7.15pm Departures


The Fourth James Crichton Memorial Lecture

The Executive Committee are please to announce that this year’s J.D. Crichton Memorial Lecture will be given by Professor Bill Tamblyn, composer and former professor of music at the Colchester Institute of Music and Performing Arts. Professor Tamblyn's lecture is entitled, Il faut prier sur la beauté - thoughts and developments on the last chapter of J D Crichton's booklet 'Praying and singing' Collins - 1980

[excathedra]

Timetable for the Day

1.00pm Arrivals and coffee
1.30pm Annual General Meeting
2.00pm Open Forum – at which Members can raise matters of interest
3.00pm James Crichton Memorial Lecture
4.00pm Music practice in Hall/Cathedral Apse
5.00pm Opportunity for brief tour of the Cathedral]
5.30pm 1st Vespers of Sunday in the Lady Chapel]
6.00pm Vigil Mass of Sunday – with music led by the SSG
7.15pm Departures

[excathedra]

The 6.00pm Mass is the regular Saturday Evening Mass. The SSG is leading the music, so if any of you would like to join the ad hoc choir and can get to the practice (4.00-5.00pm), please PM or email me. I can provide a music list (and music if necessary).

If anyone has already told me that they intend to come and sing, please confirm by PM or email anyway!

[excathedra]

Thanks for your tremendous response to my appeal for choir members - there will be over 20 of us. I posted the music today by first-class post.

If anyone else still wants to sing, please email or PM me and I will send you some music to learn. I'd rather you didn't just turn up on the day.

[excathedra]

Fuller details about the day are now available via our Home page.

[excathedra]

Here's a map showing the location of the Cathedral, and of Westminster Cathedral Hall, where we kick off at 1pm.

http://www.westminstercathedral.org.uk/ ... o_map.html

If you can't make the AGM at 1pm (or you're not a member), feel free to arrive for Bill Tamblyn's talk at 3pm (in the Hall).

Failing that, come when you can!

[organist]

What a splendid day! The AGM and lectire were interesting and the singing at Mass excellent. And how good to see priest, decaon and servers from the Society involved in the liturgy! Excellent informal meal afterwards with good company - what more could one want?

[excathedra]

What a splendid day!

Indeed it was; I enjoyed it enormously.

Sincere thanks to all who came along and took part in any capacity. I am sure it will not be long before the SSG sings again at Westminster Cathedral.

With the election of John Ainslie to the Chair, I am now an ex-excathedra, so I must bid you farewell in this online guise (while reserving the right to reappear under another, less obvious, pseudonym).

Alan

[ssgcgs]

Goodbye, ex-excathedra. You really looked the part on Saturday, "enthroned" on that marble hulk conducting us all!

CG Sec

[Alan]

Those of you who were there might like to see this email message which I received this morning from Martin Baker, Director of Music at Westminster Cathedral:

Dear Alan,

A belated note to say a big thank you for providing music at the 6pm Mass earlier this month. It was great to have you here and renew our contact with the SSG. I had many very positive comments about the music that evening. I very much hope that we can continue to work together in the future.

With renewed thanks and best wishes,

Martin.

[Tsume Tsuyu]

Thanks for sharing this. I enjoyed the day, but I shouldn't like to sing there every week. I've never felt so remote from the congregation, and from Mass itself, as I did stuck up in those spooky choir stalls behind the altar.

Welcome to the forum, Alan.

[organist]

What was missing Tsume was the procession by the choir with the ministers into and out of church. This gives the choir a greater feeling of involvement and participation. At least most of the choir can see the altar - at St Anne's cathedral, Leeds the choir could see nothing of the action of the Mass! I have seen a very appreciative comment from Martin Baker about the music at the Mass. One advantage of the choir's position is that the conductor is hidden by a screen and the singing comes from "on high" - the cathedral has the finest acoustic for a choir that I have experienced! It would be interesting to have comments from Brentwood cathedral where the choir also sits in stalls behind the bishop's throne - my experience there was that the arrangement worked well. Let's not forget that Westminster Cathedral was designed for a different liturgy and many of our churches had choir lofts and organs tucked away at the back of the nave. In Brompton oratory the choir is not seen at all. How about a new discussion thread on positioning the musicians?