Martin Cooke Posted December 13, 2020 Share Posted December 13, 2020 Just caught up with the Radio Times and the order of service for Christmas Eve at King's. It look very interesting with some new arrangements of carols/hymns in the offing by Daniel Hyde and others. It says that, without a congregation, opportunity has been taken for more choir arrangements of the usual congregational items. But, I am surprised to see that Matthew Martin is listed as the organist for the occasion instead of an organ scholar and can't help wondering what this is about. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vox Humana Posted December 13, 2020 Share Posted December 13, 2020 Menu here.https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000qks5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vox Humana Posted December 13, 2020 Share Posted December 13, 2020 I would guess that Covid is in some way to blame for the engagement of Matthew Martin. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dee Surtees Posted December 13, 2020 Share Posted December 13, 2020 I know many places do not have organ scholars this year, because of the pandemic. But I’d be astonished if Kings was among them. I hadn’t realised that Matthew Martin was now at Gonville & Caius. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rowland Wateridge Posted December 13, 2020 Share Posted December 13, 2020 8 hours ago, Martin Cooke said: Just caught up with the Radio Times and the order of service for Christmas Eve at King's. It look very interesting with some new arrangements of carols/hymns in the offing by Daniel Hyde and others. It says that, without a congregation, opportunity has been taken for more choir arrangements of the usual congregational items. It looks as though the last verse of “O Come, All Ye Faithful” this year will be an arrangement by David Hill. Also by him “Away in a Manger”. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vox Humana Posted December 13, 2020 Share Posted December 13, 2020 4 minutes ago, Rowland Wateridge said: It looks as though the last verse of “O Come, All Ye Faithful” this year will be an arrangement by David Hill. Presumably elements of this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rowland Wateridge Posted December 13, 2020 Share Posted December 13, 2020 Two, perhaps three, Christmases ago the Willcocks arrangement of Adeste Fideles was sung at the ‘midnight’ services in St Peter’s Rome and the Basilica of the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, Washington DC, followed by Westminster Abbey on Christmas morning, all televised, in the space of twelve hours. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
innate Posted December 14, 2020 Share Posted December 14, 2020 9 hours ago, Rowland Wateridge said: Two, perhaps three, Christmases ago the Willcocks arrangement of Adeste Fideles was sung at the ‘midnight’ services in St Peter’s Rome and the Basilica of the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, Washington DC, followed by Westminster Abbey on Christmas morning, all televised, in the space of twelve hours. Ker-ching! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DariusB Posted December 16, 2020 Share Posted December 16, 2020 On 13/12/2020 at 18:18, David Surtees said: I know many places do not have organ scholars this year, because of the pandemic. But I’d be astonished if Kings was among them. I hadn’t realised that Matthew Martin was now at Gonville & Caius. Kings certainly has an organ scholar - Christopher Too. Worth looking at his recent online recital at Bridlington Priory (his home town): Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dee Surtees Posted December 16, 2020 Share Posted December 16, 2020 3 hours ago, DariusB said: Kings certainly has an organ scholar - Christopher Too. Worth looking at his recent online recital at Bridlington Priory (his home town): What a stunning young talent. Thanks for sharing this recital. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Butler Posted December 19, 2020 Share Posted December 19, 2020 Christopher Too's Facebook page states he is "Former Organ Scholar" at Kings...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vox Humana Posted December 19, 2020 Share Posted December 19, 2020 Ah. So that will be why Matthew Martin is playing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin Cooke Posted December 19, 2020 Author Share Posted December 19, 2020 Oh gosh... and new announcements on the King's website say that two choral scholars have had to self-isolate and The King's Singers have been in at very short notice to help with the recorded tv service, and that they will be using a new recording of 9 L&Cs for the Christmas Eve radio broadcast. It seems that they had foreseen the possibility of last minute difficulty and made a recording just in case. I do feel very sorry for everyone involved. Choristers have had a really tough time, I think, since first lockdown. A whole generation left their choirs in July without a proper send-off, and now the top boys at King's aren't getting this most memorable of events. I know it isn't the end of life as we know it, but it's sad for them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Robinson Posted December 19, 2020 Share Posted December 19, 2020 Slightly off-topic, I suppose, but in past years I have made two or three TV recordings of the 9 L&C, which is fortunate as I don't pay the TV licence any more, so I couldn't watch the live programme even if they were going to show it. Some excellent choices of music, of course. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wolsey Posted December 20, 2020 Share Posted December 20, 2020 3 hours ago, John Robinson said: I have made two or three TV recordings of the 9 L&C Apologies for being pedantic, but the recorded televised service (Carols from King's) does not have nine readings, nor are they all from scripture. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dee Surtees Posted December 20, 2020 Share Posted December 20, 2020 8 hours ago, wolsey said: Apologies for being pedantic, but the recorded televised service (Carols from King's) does not have nine readings, nor are they all from scripture. I only watched it once, and thought it was a poor comparison to the actual service as broadcast on radio. Some excellent individual items, as would be expected, but the overall experience felt lacking. No longer have a TV license so can’t watch it anyway, but won’t particularly miss it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeK Posted December 20, 2020 Share Posted December 20, 2020 I would be interested to know how you managed to record the King's Service if you don't have a licence? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Robinson Posted December 20, 2020 Share Posted December 20, 2020 21 hours ago, wolsey said: Apologies for being pedantic, but the recorded televised service (Carols from King's) does not have nine readings, nor are they all from scripture. True, but the recordings I have are of what I have always referred to as the Nine Lessons and Carols. I'm really not sure whether the 'lessons' are actually lessons or readings, as they are of little interest to me. It's the music I like. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Robinson Posted December 20, 2020 Share Posted December 20, 2020 13 hours ago, MikeK said: I would be interested to know how you managed to record the King's Service if you don't have a licence? I cancelled my BBC Tax earlier this year. I have recorded Nine Lessons and Carols several times over the past years. I particularly like certain carols which crop up now and again. To be perfectly honest, I don't really listen to the lessons (or readings!). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Robinson Posted December 20, 2020 Share Posted December 20, 2020 10 minutes ago, John Robinson said: Posted in error. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john carter Posted December 21, 2020 Share Posted December 21, 2020 11 hours ago, John Robinson said: I cancelled my BBC Tax earlier this year. I have recorded Nine Lessons and Carols several times over the past years. I particularly like certain carols which crop up now and again. To be perfectly honest, I don't really listen to the lessons (or readings!). Forum members may not be aware that, without a TV licence, you cannot legally watch any live television online, including Now TV, Amazon Prime or YouTube live streams of broadcasts. The restriction is not limited to BBC i-player. A licence is not required to listen to BBC Radio or BBC Sounds which are, of course, paid for by those of us who spend less than 50p per day on the cost of the licence. For comparison, the cost of the Times newspaper is £2 per day (£1.10 for subscribers). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john carter Posted December 21, 2020 Share Posted December 21, 2020 (edited) On 20/12/2020 at 09:46, David Surtees said: I only watched it once, and thought it was a poor comparison to the actual service as broadcast on radio. Some excellent individual items, as would be expected, but the overall experience felt lacking. No longer have a TV license so can’t watch it anyway, but won’t particularly miss it. The programme is deliberately different from the radio broadcast as it is aimed at a different audience. From a conversation with the producer of this year's TV broadcast a couple of days ago, I understand the overall result this year is quite different, because of the lack of a congregation and the participation of the King's Singers, but is thought to be good. Edited December 21, 2020 by john carter typo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wolsey Posted December 21, 2020 Share Posted December 21, 2020 15 hours ago, John Robinson said: True, but the recordings I have are of what I have always referred to as the Nine Lessons and Carols. This is getting confusing. The Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols is precisely what it says and broadcast on the radio. What are the "two or three TV recordings of the 9 L&C" and the "Nine Lessons and Carols" you refer to? The only Christmas TV broadcasts from King's are as I mentioned earlier: fewer than nine readings, not lessons. The BBC and the College have been trying to correct this misconception about these discrete broadcasts for decades. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michaelwilson Posted December 21, 2020 Share Posted December 21, 2020 I think King's should have an online honesty box. £1 required from anyone who says they always listen to Carols from King's in Canada on the radio, or watch the live 9LC service on Christmas Eve etc.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OwenTurner Posted December 21, 2020 Share Posted December 21, 2020 46 minutes ago, michaelwilson said: I think King's should have an online honesty box. £1 required from anyone who says they always listen to Carols from King's in Canada on the radio, or watch the live 9LC service on Christmas Eve etc.. King’s Cambridge must be the richest of all our choral foundations. They must get significant recording royalties not to mention the TV fees or their belonging to one of inevitably the richest educational institutions in the world. If the point was to encourage donations to some fair balanced committee such as “Friends of Cathedral Music” I can see your point as very reasonable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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