ID: GMCD7170
CDs: 1
Type: CD
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Collection: Sacred Music
Subcollection: Cathedral Choir
Recorded in the Parish Church of All Saints, Hove
It’s history……. The young King Edward VI founded three Royal "Hospitals" towards the end of his reign. Christ’s Hospital, in the old buildings vacated by the Grey Friars, was to educate and care for fatherless children and other poor men’s children, St Thomas’ Hospital was to attend to the sick, and Bridewell Hospital was to give shelter and sustenance to beggars. Barely a century later the Great Fire of London claimed a large number of the Christ’s Hospital buildings, but it was almost entirely rebuilt within 30 years, thanks to the generosity of a number of city merchants. In 1673 Charles II founded the Royal Mathematical School within Christ’s Hospital, largely from the inspiration of Samuel Pepys, the famous diarist. He was the Secretary to the Admiralty and so was interested in ensuring that high quality mathematicians and navigators were educated for future sea-service. Much later Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Charles Lamb and James Leigh Hunt were boys at Christ’s Hospital, and the School has boarding houses named after them. The school was originally co-educational; however, from quite early in its history, the girls of the Foundation were educated separately at Hertford. In 1985, however, they rejoined the boys at Horsham, where the School had relocated in May 1902 in search of fresh air and space for proper relaxation and games. Today, Christ’s Hospital is the largest educational charity in the country, enabling this education to be offered to the most deserving children, irrespective of the ability to pay. All fees are means tested and on average parents meet less than 15% of the School’s costs. The Foundation therefore looks for children who will contribute most to, and benefit most from, a place at the School. …it’s music……. Historians have quite correctly emphasised that Christ’s Hospital was never merely an orphanage as such, for amongst the earliest academic appointments was "a schoole-maister for Musicke". So our musical tradition stretches back nearly 450 years: - longer, if one were to count the semi-monastic tradition that had been nurtured for centuries before by the Greyfriars by the Newgate of the City of London, for Christ’s Hospital took over their premises in November of 1552. It is far from fanciful to imagine the youthful voices of the children singing in the massive three hundred foot long church of Christ Church, Greyfriars, not far from Old St Paul’s, and we know for certain from Robert Dow’s Will for setting up a Song School in 1609 that boys were "to sing in the Quier of Christ Church", and that from 1613 a boy should "serve and be employed in playing of the organs of the said church". Alas in September 1666 the Great Fire destroyed that wonderful building, but the tradition itself continued in the rebuilt, though rather smaller church, designed by Sir Christopher Wren, which became known as Christ Church, Newgate Street. Today, the School has six full-time and thirty visiting music staff teaching some 500 individual lessons each week, as well as providing a full programme of rehearsals and concerts for ensembles of all sizes. Much emphasis is given to the development of musical ability through chamber music and the finest pupils give an annual concert at the Purcell Room on London’s South Bank. However, the School is also proud of its larger ensembles, the Choirs, the Orchestras, and the Marching Band, famous for its appearances each year at the front of the Lord Mayor’s Show, at Twickenham and at Lords. Music is an integral part of the School’s life, and continues to play an important role in the continuing strong links with the City of London. …and it’s choirs Standing on one side of the great central quadrangle of Christ’s Hospital is the Chapel. It is a collegiate-style building, spacious enough to seat the whole school of 830 pupils and 90 staff. Services are accompanied by the School Organist on the massive five-manual Rushworth and Dreaper organ, which was designed in 1931 by the Director of Music at that time, C. S. Lang. The 112 members of the Chapel Choir are seated centrally and antiphonally, ideally placed to lead the congregational singing. As well as singing hymns, anthems, canticles, psalms and responses for the regular weekly services, the choir also sings for a full programme of special occasions throughout the year including a service for St. Matthew’s Day in the City of London, attended by the Lord Mayor, re-emphasising the school’s strong links with its past. The choir performs in the famous "Bluecoat" Tudor uniform worn by all pupils of the school throughout the normal school week. The choir gives an annual performance of a major choral work - in recent years, Brahms’ German Requiem, J. S. Bach’s St Matthew Passion and Mozart’s Requiem. In addition the choir sings Choral Evensong at such venues as St Paul’s Cathedral, Chichester Cathedral, Guildford Cathedral, St George’s Chapel, Windsor, broadcasts for television and BBC Radio (Remembrance Sunday, Highway, Radio 3 Advent Carol Series, Sunday Half Hour) and the smaller chamber choir, Schola Cantorum, sing for many other special events. This is the Choir’s fourth CD recording. Details of earlier recordings are available from Christ’s Hospital Enterprises, Christ’s Hospital, Horsham, West Sussex, RH13 7LS. |
