Staved Off

WATCH VIDEO FOR THIS EPISODE ON OUR WEBSITE

In this special remotely recorded episode, Thomas and Richard talk about Vespers at St Mary’s Cathedral: in particular the daily streamed service of sung Vespers (Evening Prayer), available to view on the Cathedral’s YouTube channel.

We talk about the structure of Vespers, about the music that is sung throughout the Divine Office, and about what defines ‘chant’.

Send us your questions about Vespers, or about anything to do with the Choir! You can get questions to us by sending them by email to [email protected]. Questions received by Sunday 5th September will be addressed in our next episode.

Music in this episode is from the Vespers of Friday 13th August 2021 (Friday week III), sung by two Lay Clerks from Saint Mary’s Cathedral Choir.

Watch Vespers streamed from the Cathedral

Thomas and Richard are back after nearly a year to talk about the singing of the Passion during Holy Week. The ‘Crowd’ parts sung by the Choir have taken a lot of preparation! Can the Choir be expected to walk and sing at the same time? Plus, we answer some listener questions.

Music in this episode

Tomás Luis de Victoria (1548–1611), O sacrum convivium, recorded at High Mass for the Solemnity of Corpus Christi on Sunday 6th June 2021 (26:48).

Charles-Marie Widor (1844–1937), Surrexit a mortuis, recorded at High Mass on Easter Sunday morning, 4th April 2021 (44:32).

In this episode, Thomas and Richard talk about Thomas’s time in the UK, which was cut short before he had to dash back to Australia before quarantining started. Then he participated in one of the strangest sets of Holy Week and Easter liturgies that the Cathedral has ever witnessed. The congregation, and parts of the Choir, have since then been gradually returning to the Cathedral. Meanwhile, we answer some questions about countertenors, soloists, and the Divine Praises.

Music in this episode

Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina (1525–94), Iesus iunxit se discipulis suis, recorded at Vespers for the Third Sunday of Easter on 26th April 2020.
Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina (1525–94), Kyrie from Missa Brevis, recorded in rehearsal by the Cathedral Scholars in June 2020.

In a special episode recorded in the car in the dead of night, Thomas reveals his plans for his long-service leave, while also recounting details of his trips to Ballarat and Brunswick Heads in January. (Apologies for the even-worse-than-usual audio quality in this episode.)

Music in this episode:
Anton Bruckner (1824–96), Os iusti, sung at Mass in the Cathedral on 20th October 2019 (19:27)

In this episode, Thomas and Richard give an exit interview to two of the Choir’s departing Scholars, Blaize and Perrin. But first, Thomas recounts his experience going to Dubbo to see Moorambilla Voices. Finally, Thomas teases us with information about the results of the inaugural Archbishop’s Prize for New Composers.

Links

Hope at last as creeks flow for first time in years (https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/drought-australia-nsw-rainfall-soaks-parched-farms/news-story/7569bb2cfe01e18f3ab10f1283c6bd31)

Drought-stricken western NSW receives best rainfall in years (https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2019-11-04/rain-brings-hope-to-drought-stricken-nsw/11669448)

Moorambilla Voices (https://moorambilla.com)

Moorambilla Voices 2019 performance: https://www.facebook.com/moorambilla.voices/videos/2699452880086406/ (the video which Thomas mentioned is at 5 minutes into that video)

Archbishop’s Prize for New Composers (https://www.stmaryscathedral.org.au/inaugural-archbishops-prize-for-new-composers/)

Join Saint Mary’s Cathedral Choir (https://cathedralchoir.sydney/join)

A Choral Christmas Celebration: Friday 13th December 2019, 11 a.m. and 7 p.m. (https://cathedralchoir.sydney/accc)

Music in this episode:

Perrin Ford (b. 2001), Oculi omnium, sung at Mass in St Mary’s Cathedral (54:08)

Judith Weir (b. 1954), Drop down, ye heavens, from above, sung in the Cathedral on the First Sunday of Advent (1st December 2019) (1:01:22)

In this episode, recorded in June 2019, Thomas and Richard talk about some of the more ‘modern’ music which was on the Choir’s programme at the end of the Easter season and around Trinity Sunday. Music discussed includes Gerald Finzi’s Lo the the full, final sacrifice, Matthew Martin’s Ut unum sint, and Francis Grier’s Missa Trinitatis Sanctae. After Thomas answers a listener question about Vespers in Latin, Richard has the opportunity to talk to some of the boy Choristers.

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With Holy Week and Easter—and all the work that goes into the music then—safely behind us, Thomas and Richard are able to get together for another episode of Staved Off. They discuss the concert Bach, Sorrow and Joy with The Song Company in the Crypt and Anthony Pitts’s new Agnus Dei from his forthcoming Mass. Holy Week and Easter always require a huge amount of work from Saint Mary’s Cathedral Choir, and this year was no exception. The addition of brass and timpani for Easter adds a layer of complexity, and Thomas was even required to sing at one point!

We were able to address the questions that were sent in for this episode, about Responsorial Psalms and Mass preferences. Videos of some of the Easter performances have been posted online, which has led some Internet commenters to question Thomas’s conducting style.

Music in this episode
Felice Anerio (c. 1560–1614), Christus factus est (extract) [0:00]
Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina (c. 1525–1594), Sicut cervus [30:12]
Martin Baker (arr.), O filii et filiae [50:23]

After the January break, including Thomas’s trip to Japan, the Choir is back for another year’s singing. In this episode, Thomas and Richard talk about the induction of new Choristers which recently took place. They then discuss best practices in the choice of music at school Masses, before moving on to the seeming tension between English-language hymns and Latin chants. Thomas talks about his experience running an office and how he keeps his team together. The Choristers will join forces with The Song Company for a performance of Bach’s Tilge, Höchster, meine Sünden (Stabat Mater) in April, and the Scholars are off to St James’, King Street, for Evensong, part of which you can hear in this episode! For next month, please send in your questions about what you’ve always wanted to know about cathedral music.

Thomas and Richard convene for a special Christmas episode, where they discuss everything from A Choral Christmas Celebration to the towns of New Zealand, taking in the great cling-wrap controversy along the way.

Music in this episode:
William G. James, The silver stars are in the sky (excerpt) [0:00]
John Rutter, The Shepherds’ Pipe Carol (excerpt) [7:53]
J.S. Bach, ‘Jauchzet frohlocket’ from Christmas Oratorio [45:39]

Thomas and Richard discuss Remembrance Sunday, and what will be happening at Mass this Sunday to commemorate the centenary of Armistice. But first, Thomas bemoans the fact that Bonfire Night is not observed in Australia. Then they are joined by Simon Niemiński to talk about the organ transcription he has made of F.S. Kelly’s Elegy for Strings, which he will play as the organ voluntary on Sunday. Hannah McCarthy makes an appearance to let us know about what’s going in to this year’s A Choral Christmas Celebration concert.

Buy tickets for A Choral Christmas Celebration here.
Sheridan ‘30 Days of Christmas’ advert.