Choir Notes

Many seem to have enjoyed the Carol Service and not least the performance of "Silent Night" in its original version for duet and guitar. We reverted to the custom of holding the Carol Service on the last Sunday evening of term, with the result that we were able to give a considerably larger sum to the Godfrey Walker Nursery as well as our usual support for the John Burrill Home.

Our two visiting preachers this term were •Canon J. S. Purvis and the Dean of York. We are most grateful to them for coming. N.K-W.

P.S.—About three dozen members of the School shared in sending 12 Christmas parcels to homeless boys in Borstal—a very worthwhile effort, which was much appreciated by the boys, judging by their letters.

The term proved to be a very busy one for the Choir, and it was therefore gratifying that all the members settled down to the task ahead of them at an early stage, giving a satisfactory rendering of Tye's "0 Come ye Servants of the Lord" on the first Sunday of term.

The following week was the School's Harvest Festival, at which the Choir sang the traditional anthem "Thou Visitest the Earth", whilst the School combined with them in the singing of Naylor's majestic "Benedicite". They also had their chance the next Sunday with Stanford's ever-popular "Magnificat in B flat".

This anthem was repeated a fortnight later, but was now supplemented by the corresponding "Nunc Dimittis". On the intervening Sunday, at Matins, the Choir gave another memorable performance of Britten's "Jubilate in C" to the great delight of a few and the uncomprehending disdain of the majority.

On Remembrance Sunday, two services were held (the only Sunday during the whole year when this occurs) and, as is customary at the evening service the anthems "Greater Love hath No Man" and "Non Nobis Domine" were sung. The solo parts in the former were taken by Wright and Thirlwell, and the whole School sang the latter.

Sung Communion was again a combination of Merbecke's fine plainsong and Dark's more modern version in F. The following Sunday, as a prelude to the Carol Service the next week, the Choir sang Bach's famous "Zion Hears Her Watchmen's Voices".

The Carol 'Service, the climax to the term, was once again a judicious blend of 'Choir and Congregation and Ancient and Modern. Reed gave the service a good start with his singing of the first verse of "Once in Royal David's City". Amongst the more notable events of a memorable occasion were: the highly contemporary "From East to West" by Paul Gibbs, which provoked a great amount of comment both favourable and otherwise; "In Dulce Jubilo", the verse of which was sung by Wright (Tr), Howat (A), Thirlwell (T) and 'Barker (B); finally an unforgettable rendering of the original "Silent Night", in which the Trebles were ably accompanied by Mackinder on the guitar. The resultant simple yet beautiful blend provided a wonderful climax to a very successful service.

We thank all those who have helped us this term, both musically and mechanically, and look forward to another term as varied and successful as the last. J.R.W.T. 12