St Mary's Music News December 2023

Autumn is always very busy for the church and for the choir. However, the SMMA managed to squeeze in 2 coffee (and delicious! cake) concerts, an organ concert by Oli King on 11 October, followed a week later by a chamber choir from SWCHS with soloist Claire Middleton who sang songs from Scarlatti to Sondheim. These were not only enjoyable: they raised nearly £600 for music funds.

It was a great privilege to sing Sir John Tavener’s “Mother of God Here I Stand” at morning service on 15 October when the first choir baby for many decades (Flora, daughter of soprano Helen and bass Matt) was baptised. Appropriately, this motet is based on a prayer by Mikhail Lermontov, asking Mary’s protection for an innocent baby girl. Choir watchers may have noticed that none of us was sitting next to a person singing the same part. Your (soprano) writer really enjoyed the view from the bass stall, sandwiched between a bass and a tenor, as well as the luxury of 3 shelves rather than 2 for music to rest on. This arrangement required great concentration, but produced a magical sound.

In morning service at the end of October Assistant Organist Jeremy Allen received a presentation to mark his first 10 years at St Mary’s, playing, conducting, supporting Oli King, and helping to train the organ scholars. We are looking forward to his second decade! Afterwards Peter and Caroline hosted a surprise Bring and Share lunch party for him.

In the same service, but at the other end of the experience scale, 4 of the junior choristers – Jaxon, Eleanor, Vivien and Ruta – received their surplices to mark their progress within the choir.

The long postponed visit of more than 30 members of the adult and junior choirs to sing Choral Evensong in Birmingham Cathedral on 4th November was a great success. It started with a welcome from David and Jenny Tomlinson who kindly plied us with coffee and cakes when we arrived, and later came to the service, where we sang Stanford’s Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis in B flat and Bairstow’s “Save Us O Lord”.

An event like this takes a great deal of organisation, from transport to refreshments to carriage of robes, and we are greatly indebted to everyone who smoothed the way. As the cathedral is undergoing extensive repairs, Oli decided to leave nothing to chance in his risk assessment. On 12 November the choir will be supporting the Remembrance Day service, and Compline with Words and Music. This year in particular wars and battles seem very close and the need for prayers and contemplation greater than ever.

Meanwhile, preparations are well underway for the Advent Carol service on 3 December, to be followed a mere 2 weeks later on 17 December by the more traditional Christmas Carol service of 9 Lessons and Carols. The choir is enjoying learning new music from the Advent Carol book bought last year. And of course another date for your diary is the Epiphany Carol Service on 28 January. The music list we received at the end of October included 20 choir pieces to practise for these 3 services, plus of course the congregational hymns.

Ottilie Lefever