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Happy Advent!


Peter Clark

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I confess my manifold sin and wickedness.

 

Even worse, we've got it this Evening for Advent Carols! Its always one of the highlights of the year though.

Starting with the Matin Responsory at the West End, processing to O come, O come. Then a selection of readings and hymns, plus choir carols:

O thou, the central orb

People look east

Ave Maria (Malcolm Archer's setting in Advent for Choirs)

How beautiful upon the mountains

and finishing with Lo, he comes and the very fine Willcocks last verse (I used the Martin How arrangement this morning while they all sang in unison).

And to finish I'll be playing Howells Rhapsody No. 3.

Lovely stuff.

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...and finishing with Lo, he comes and the very fine Willcocks last verse...

I prefer Andrew Fletcher's last verse in Organ Uplift. A last line that us mere mortals would never dream of !

Congregation lapped it up this morning.

No O Come, O come... :-(

 

 

H

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We have it in 100 Carols for Choirs, which is very widely used I'd have thought.

 

I suppose one could argue that it isn't great in terms of boosting congregational singing, being totally independent. If you have a large enough choir then you can split it and have half singing the melody line I suppose.

 

It's certainly worthwhile though and adds a tremendous lift to an already excellent hymn.

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.... but cofess all who had O Come O Come Emmanuel this mornng......

 

I'll confess to playing Andrew Carter's Toccata thereon after the evening service...super piece.

 

But I feel it's justified at that point on Advent Sunday since we've just spent the service moving through the Advent readings, past John the Baptist (3rd Sunday) and Mary (4th Sunday): we're condensing the whole of Advent into an evening anyway, so why not keep going?

 

I agree that it's a highlight of the year though: I like to begin the Christmas Carol service with a procession to 'O come, O come' rather than 'Once in Royal'. By that point (usually the week before Christmas) it's actually appropriate, and it's nice to pick up where Advent Carols left off.

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Guest Patrick Coleman
Why is this choral arrangement (in CfC3) apparently so little used? Do many people use CfC3?

 

We used it yesterday morning (for the first time in this arrangement) and the congregation did fine!

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Guest Patrick Coleman
I like to begin the Christmas Carol service with a procession to 'O come, O come' rather than 'Once in Royal'.

 

Agreed.

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We used it yesterday morning (for the first time in this arrangement) and the congregation did fine!

 

To my ear our congregation seemed to keep the melody going well while the choir were singing the reharmonisation. The organ accompaniment helps out in places.

 

We had a very good turnout too - our curate who organised it said she had publicised it a bit more widely and it certainly paid off. The Howells was well-received too - I got a round of applause! It is a piece which makes an impression I think.

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I'll confess to playing Andrew Carter's Toccata thereon after the evening service...super piece.

 

Me too, and better still it was preceded immediately by Andrew Carter's arrangement of the hymn itself, complete with penultimate verse ending on the subdominant, and amazing, tingle-factor last verse descant and harmonisation.

 

BTW Both are on 'Advent from St Paul's' on the Hyperion label. A great recording.

 

P.

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Guest Patrick Coleman
We used it yesterday morning (for the first time in this arrangement) and the congregation did fine!

 

...and again this morning (and again next week) - and then O Come Emmanuel. :)

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...and again this morning (and again next week)... [/i]

 

Our boss asks us to sing an 'Advent Ring Song' with an extra verse each week as an additional candle is lit on the Ring, to the tune of 'The Holly and the Ivy'. As the tune for the chorus is a repeat of the verse, we will have sung and played the same tune 33 times by Christmas morning. :)

If anyone thinks that this is a good idea, lyrics by PM!

(Personally, I suspect that Patrick's idea has more merit...)

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Our boss asks us to sing an 'Advent Ring Song' with an extra verse each week as an additional candle is lit on the Ring, to the tune of 'The Holly and the Ivy'. As the tune for the chorus is a repeat of the verse, we will have sung and played the same tune 33 times by Christmas morning. :)

If anyone thinks that this is a good idea, lyrics by PM!

(Personally, I suspect that Patrick's idea has more merit...)

 

 

I had to use this in a previous church too. It almost sparked a choir revolt (but then, perhaps my choir were revolting :( )

 

N

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