Robing

[manniemain]

Quite apart from their open necked shirts revealing torso halfway down to the belt,

There's the solution then - a choir of medallion men! Orders in for the Hayes and Finch chest wig! (just the thing for some of the 70s hymns currently on the go)

[docmattc]

Quite apart from their open necked shirts revealing torso halfway down to the belt,

No I didn't! In fact I've watched the clip several times and failed to find these torso revealers.

i agree with SC about the singing though

[quaeritor]

A question for the knowledgeable - I've seen a number of references passim to "Choir Dress" - most recently probably somewhere in this forum, talking about priests who are present at a Mass, but don't share the language being used for the Eucharistic prayer who should therefore not concelebrate but should attend "in Choir Dress" - so what is Choir Dress (and what is it for if not for the Choir?)?

Always seeking . . .

[docmattc]

so what is Choir Dress (and what is it for if not for the Choir?)?

Not sure I count as knowledgeable, but photos of choir dress can be seen on the wikipedia page. (And if its on wikipedia, it must be true!)

Choir is architecturally that bit of a traditional church where those who sing sit - on each side of the nave, facing each other but between the congregation and the sanctuary. The name for the vocal ensemble following from their natural habitat. Originally this was where clergy, or monks of the abbey, sat and sang, a musical choir of lay people being a later development standing proxy for clerical choirs:

...therefore, singers in the church, even when they are laymen, are really taking the place of the ecclesiastical choir." (12)

although I think we'd argue that the choir is no longer standing proxy for a choir of clerics.

So there's a historical tension here between clerical and lay people both occupying this space and being vested. Our (musical) choirs being vested follows from the fact that the original inhabitants of this space were vested, but not laity.

Someone will no doubt correct me if I'm wrong about this, but I think that's the gist of it.

[asb]

(And if its on wikipedia, it must be true!)

[Southern Comfort]

Quite apart from their open necked shirts revealing torso halfway down to the belt,

No I didn't! In fact I've watched the clip several times and failed to find these torso revealers.

Yes, I don't know where they've gone. They (and their medallions) were there, after about 0:38, but seem to have been excised. Or maybe a hacker had inserted them and they've been removed by the Beeb.

[asb]

Quite apart from their open necked shirts revealing torso halfway down to the belt,

A girls choir might get away with it!

[musicus]

Whoa there...