Editorial
Maggie Hamilton - Editor
From the current issue of Choir & Organ
From the current issue of Choir & Organ
Not drowning, but waving
Some years ago I was at a church conference when a speaker opened his address with, ‘The Church in Britain today is dead.’ True, the Church has been suffering dwindling congregations and deservedly negative media attention on acrimonious battlegrounds for some time. Its public face is certainly down – but out? I don’t think so, at least not yet.There is real leven in the dough of church music today – not only
cathedral choirs, which remain a model of excellence to aspire to, but also
what appears to be a new wave of grassroots activity to ensure ever higher
levels of music-making in our local churches. Take St Chad’s Parish Church in
Shrewsbury: Sam Baker’s vision sowed the seeds of a liturgical music tradition
that is being energetically taken forward today by four choirs, organ
scholarships, and a commissioned work for each annual Festival of Music. And it
is not coincidence that I find myself receiving increasing numbers of review
discs produced by good church choirs who, while they may not (yet) reach the
highest peaks, nonetheless are stimulated to strive for a higher standard by
the prospect of being recorded.
It helps to have a good organ; and at a time of both secularisation and economic
downturn, it is extraordinary that churches still believe it sufficiently important
that they embark on exciting, costly projects. Cirencester’s new Harrison &
Harrison injects vigour into the church’s worship and prompted a new festival.
Similarly the Nicholson restoration at St Michael’s Cornhill, London, bears
additional fruit in the form of an education programme.
A good instrument is pointless without the skills to make the most of
it. Institutions like the RSCM and RCO, and the AGO and RCCO in north America, plus
course organisers like Oundle, Eton and St Giles, continue to equip and encourage
church musicians all year round. And our On
course supplement to this issue lists colleges, conservatoires and
universities where church music can be studied on a full-time course; in our
lead feature, Martin Jean, director of Yale’s Institute of Sacred Music, shares
his insights into training for the profession. One could go as far as to say
that church musicians are determined to ensure that reports of the Church’s
death remain greatly exaggerated.
In The Next Issue of Choir & Organ: November/December 2010 on sale 5 October
- Llandaff Cathedral is the second UK cathedral to install an entirely new, and entirely British, organ in recent months. William McVicker and Ian Bell assess the outcome, finding excitement and elegance, sparkle and sophistication.
- A ‘virtual choir’ on YouTube, a first album, and a residency at a Cambridge college; what makes US composer Eric Whitacre tick?
- Two churches in Dallas, Texas, are boosting their strong music programmes with new organs by Dobson and Richards, Fowkes.
- A medieval Irish narrative is the basis of a new 60-minute work by Tarik O’Regan, commissioned by the National Chamber Choir of Ireland as it approaches its 20th anniversary.
- How do 300 organ builders covering six continents give mutual support and share ideas with each other? The International Society of Organbuilders is a model of cooperation.
- Handel’s Messiah is staple fare for Advent concerts; David Hill gives conductors tips on drawing the most from their singers.
- Plus…News, reviews of the latest releases, our regular columns, recitals, and a preview of our sumptuous 2011 calendar.
