"O God, I could be bounded in a nut shell and count myself
a king of infinite space,
were it not that I have bad dreams."
- Hamlet Act II scene ii
16 August 2024
Chorister
Once I was a choirboy - from the age of ten to fourteen. There were practices on a Friday evening, ready for our participation on Sunday - morning and evening services. Our chorister outfits hung on pegs in the vestry at the rear of our village church - Holy Trinity.
The three items required were a cassock, a surplice and a ruff. The cassock was black with sleeves and it hung down to the floor like a ball gown. The surplice was plain white with wide sleeves and hung down to your thighs. The ruff was white and pleated and was buttoned around your neck. It took about three minutes to get these items on.
I enjoyed the singing but not the interminable sermons nor the dull prayers and Bible readings. Almost ten years ago, I blogged about being the soloist at a Christmas service. Go here.
Mostly what I wanted to say in this particular blogpost is that many of the hymns I sung in that period remain seared into my brain. Maybe the devil does have the best tunes but in The Church of England's songbook there are some memorable and tuneful hymns often with dramatic words too.
I was thinking about this as I listened to Steven Knight's song choices on BBC Radio 4's "Desert Island Discs" this morning. Steven Knight was the writer behind "Peaky Blinders" and this was one of his eight chosen songs: "Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise" which we certainly sang at Holy Trinity:
And now looking back through this blog, I notice that I published a very similar post back in June 2021. Well, we can't remember everything can we? It was simply titled: Choirboy. At least I have shared a different hymn this time.
I wonder what service is shown in the video? How amazing it would have been to be there in such an amazing cathedral and with everyone singing. Do you have any favourites of the hymns you still remember? What would you choose as your desert island discs?
It was The Queen's Platinum Jubilee service at St Paul's Cathedral. I liked a lot of hymns and carols including " O Come! O Come Emmanuel!" Regarding desert island discs - my selections would vary day my day and mood by mood but there would certainly be one Bob Dylan number there - maybe "If Not For You" sung by Olivia Newton-John. Maybe "In The Bleak MId-Winter", maybe "Alright Now" by Free and "Catch the Wind" by Donovan and there would have to be songs by both Joni Mitchell and Sandy Denny and maybe "The Band Played Waltzing Matilda" because my late brother Paul often sang it.
I love most all music including hymns and sacred choral music. What are you categorizing as the devil's tunes? Stuff like "Running with the devil" or "Hell's Bells"? If so, I love those, too. I sang in school and church choirs for years, but now limit my singing to the car (alone). This is a good hymn and I enjoyed hearing it. It sounds extra nice in a venue like that.
My own immersion in Anglican choral music came at a later age - as a young adult rather than a boy chorister, so hymns are a little less imprinted for me then I expect for you. My own favourite line from a hymn is a naughty mis-singing: "To entrance the prophet's rear." (Do you know the hymn? Hymn memories sometimes cleave along ancient sub-denominational loyalties to specific hymnbooks.)
And "Nor the watchers, nor the seal" always brings to mind the Thurber cartoon: "All right, have it your way. You heard a seal bark."
I'm pretty sure that at the church where I sang the boy choristers were permitted to divert themselves quietly with reading material during sermons.
Sermons have long been a matter of complaint. I love this complaint from Purcell's "King Arthur" (words actually by Dryden!) - indulge me in a bit of control-V-ism!
COMUS Your hay it is mow'd, and your corn is reap'd; Your barns will be full, and your hovels heap'd: Come, my boys, come; Come, my boys, come; And merrily roar out Harvest Home.
CHORUS Come, my boys, come; Come, my boys, come; And merrily roar out Harvest Home.
MAN We ha' cheated the parson, we'll cheat him agen, For why should a blockhead ha' one in ten? One in ten, One in ten, For why should a blockhead ha' one in ten?
For prating so long like a book-learn'd sot, Till pudding and dumplin burn to pot, Burn to pot, Burn to pot, Till pudding and dumplin burn to pot.
CHORUS Burn to pot, Burn to pot, Till pudding and dumplin burn to pot. We'll toss off our ale till we canno' stand, And Hoigh for the honour of Old England: Old England, Old England, And Hoigh for the honour of Old England.
CHORUS Old England, Old England, And Hoigh for the honour of Old England.
I like the rebelliousness of:- We ha' cheated the parson, we'll cheat him agen, For why should a blockhead ha' one in ten? One in ten, One in ten, For why should a blockhead ha' one in ten?
Church culture fought to stifle the laughter and the basic urges of common people just as it had subsumed pre-Christian culture and beliefs.
I sang in the school choir and from age 14/15 to 17/18 in church. Our church was still quite the community hub back then, and the choir a good mix of men and women from the neighbourhood. The four of us were the youngest - my sister and I, and our best friends, also sisters and next door in our terraced houses. Having hit puberty, we experimented with wild hair styles and colours, old clothes from grandma‘s attic and stuff we‘d made ourselves - we‘re talking 1980s. Some of our neighbours shook their heads at our looks and thought all sorts of bad things of us. Not so the choir. Most members were our parents‘ and grandparents‘ age, but they loved us; I guess we were a sort of mascot for them. We really enjoyed the singing, the spirit of community and of feeling accepted just the way we were. Finishing school and starting work changed things for each of us. I sometimes think it would be nice to join a choir again.
Boys' choirs are not nearly as common here as in England, I think. We probably only have them in the bigger cities/cathedrals. (I can't recall ever having heard/seen a "young boys only" choir live - only recorded.) I do sometimes go to church choir concerts but those are by mixed choirs (men and women).
Music learned early in life, seems to be some of our longest lasting memories. Persons living with Alzheimer's can often sing the tunes of early life, even when they can't remember the name of their spouse or children.
My favorite part of church was the singing and I loved some of those hymns. I have a terrible singing voice, but in a large group, I love singing ( nobody, I hope, can hear my voice).
Those remind me of what the altar boys would wear back in the day. My older brother was an altar boy and they would assist the Catholic priests during mass and had to know all of the Latin responses. Girls were NOT allowed to be altar boys but I would help my brother practice his responses and we would play Mass where he was the priest and I was the altar boy and congregation so I knew all of the Latin responses too. We would use the little round cardboard plugs from the milk bottles as our "Holy Communion"... Are you still a good singer, Neil? Do you still go to church and sing out the hymns? I quit religion years ago...
And I may have said this on your previous post, but I also remember a lot of the hymns I grew up with in our Presbyterian church. I imagine hymns were one of the ways people were historically taught Biblical lessons, because it's always easier to remember words set to music.
Coincidence. I also sang in our (Presbyterian) church choir as a youth but we only had to wear our "Sunday suits" with neckties. Some of the hymns come back to me at odd moments. I particularly remember the wife of a Scottish minister we had for awhile who always wanted the hymn "Will there be any stars in my crown?" to be sung.
I was not raised within religion or church so don't know a single hymn unless you count Christmas Carols. Are they hymns? I like to sing but my voice is terrible, so I mostly don't unless I am at home and with the asthma I soon stop because I'm coughing instead.
Mr Pudding welcomes all genuine comments - even those with which he disagrees. However, puerile or abusive comments from anonymous contributors will continue to be given the short shrift they deserve. Any spam comments that get through Google/Blogger defences will also be quickly deleted.
I wonder what service is shown in the video? How amazing it would have been to be there in such an amazing cathedral and with everyone singing.
ReplyDeleteDo you have any favourites of the hymns you still remember?
What would you choose as your desert island discs?
It was The Queen's Platinum Jubilee service at St Paul's Cathedral.
DeleteI liked a lot of hymns and carols including " O Come! O Come Emmanuel!"
Regarding desert island discs - my selections would vary day my day and mood by mood but there would certainly be one Bob Dylan number there - maybe "If Not For You" sung by Olivia Newton-John. Maybe "In The Bleak MId-Winter", maybe "Alright Now" by Free and "Catch the Wind" by Donovan and there would have to be songs by both Joni Mitchell and Sandy Denny and maybe "The Band Played Waltzing Matilda" because my late brother Paul often sang it.
I love most all music including hymns and sacred choral music. What are you categorizing as the devil's tunes? Stuff like "Running with the devil" or "Hell's Bells"? If so, I love those, too. I sang in school and church choirs for years, but now limit my singing to the car (alone). This is a good hymn and I enjoyed hearing it. It sounds extra nice in a venue like that.
ReplyDelete"The devil has the best tunes" is an old eighteenth century saying... think rock and roll for example but also lively folk music.
DeleteMy own immersion in Anglican choral music came at a later age - as a young adult rather than a boy chorister, so hymns are a little less imprinted for me then I expect for you. My own favourite line from a hymn is a naughty mis-singing: "To entrance the prophet's rear." (Do you know the hymn? Hymn memories sometimes cleave along ancient sub-denominational loyalties to specific hymnbooks.)
ReplyDeleteAnd "Nor the watchers, nor the seal" always brings to mind the Thurber cartoon: "All right, have it your way. You heard a seal bark."
I'm pretty sure that at the church where I sang the boy choristers were permitted to divert themselves quietly with reading material during sermons.
Sermons have long been a matter of complaint. I love this complaint from Purcell's "King Arthur" (words actually by Dryden!) - indulge me in a bit of control-V-ism!
COMUS
Your hay it is mow'd, and your corn is reap'd;
Your barns will be full, and your hovels heap'd:
Come, my boys, come;
Come, my boys, come;
And merrily roar out Harvest Home.
CHORUS
Come, my boys, come;
Come, my boys, come;
And merrily roar out Harvest Home.
MAN
We ha' cheated the parson, we'll cheat him agen,
For why should a blockhead ha' one in ten?
One in ten,
One in ten,
For why should a blockhead ha' one in ten?
For prating so long like a book-learn'd sot,
Till pudding and dumplin burn to pot,
Burn to pot,
Burn to pot,
Till pudding and dumplin burn to pot.
CHORUS
Burn to pot,
Burn to pot,
Till pudding and dumplin burn to pot.
We'll toss off our ale till we canno' stand,
And Hoigh for the honour of Old England:
Old England,
Old England,
And Hoigh for the honour of Old England.
CHORUS
Old England,
Old England,
And Hoigh for the honour of Old England.
I like the rebelliousness of:-
DeleteWe ha' cheated the parson, we'll cheat him agen,
For why should a blockhead ha' one in ten?
One in ten,
One in ten,
For why should a blockhead ha' one in ten?
Church culture fought to stifle the laughter and the basic urges of common people just as it had subsumed pre-Christian culture and beliefs.
I too was a choirboy at a young age. Later I sang in a cathedral every day for four years. I still sing as I walk around. Good for the soul.
ReplyDeleteDid the bishop often see you in his study Cro?
DeleteI sang in the school choir and from age 14/15 to 17/18 in church. Our church was still quite the community hub back then, and the choir a good mix of men and women from the neighbourhood. The four of us were the youngest - my sister and I, and our best friends, also sisters and next door in our terraced houses. Having hit puberty, we experimented with wild hair styles and colours, old clothes from grandma‘s attic and stuff we‘d made ourselves - we‘re talking 1980s. Some of our neighbours shook their heads at our looks and thought all sorts of bad things of us. Not so the choir. Most members were our parents‘ and grandparents‘ age, but they loved us; I guess we were a sort of mascot for them.
ReplyDeleteWe really enjoyed the singing, the spirit of community and of feeling accepted just the way we were.
Finishing school and starting work changed things for each of us. I sometimes think it would be nice to join a choir again.
I bet a few members of the congregation thought that you and your sister and your friends were spawned by The Devil!
DeleteI am sure you were a very cherubic choir boy YP.
ReplyDeleteI was indeed a cherub JayCee with my curly blonde locks, my squeezable cheeks, my ruby red lips and my silvery wings.
DeleteBoys' choirs are not nearly as common here as in England, I think. We probably only have them in the bigger cities/cathedrals. (I can't recall ever having heard/seen a "young boys only" choir live - only recorded.) I do sometimes go to church choir concerts but those are by mixed choirs (men and women).
ReplyDeleteDo you have a picture of you from your choir boy days? I'd love to see you in your full regalia.
ReplyDeleteMusic learned early in life, seems to be some of our longest lasting memories. Persons living with Alzheimer's can often sing the tunes of early life, even when they can't remember the name of their spouse or children.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite part of church was the singing and I loved some of those hymns. I have a terrible singing voice, but in a large group, I love singing ( nobody, I hope, can hear my voice).
ReplyDeleteThose remind me of what the altar boys would wear back in the day. My older brother was an altar boy and they would assist the Catholic priests during mass and had to know all of the Latin responses. Girls were NOT allowed to be altar boys but I would help my brother practice his responses and we would play Mass where he was the priest and I was the altar boy and congregation so I knew all of the Latin responses too. We would use the little round cardboard plugs from the milk bottles as our "Holy Communion"...
ReplyDeleteAre you still a good singer, Neil? Do you still go to church and sing out the hymns?
I quit religion years ago...
Yes, I remember many of the hymns we sang even though I haven't sung them for well over 65 years.
ReplyDeleteAnd I may have said this on your previous post, but I also remember a lot of the hymns I grew up with in our Presbyterian church. I imagine hymns were one of the ways people were historically taught Biblical lessons, because it's always easier to remember words set to music.
ReplyDeleteThe music and singing was my favorite part of church services way back when. I realized what they were on about and stopped going long ago.
ReplyDeleteCoincidence. I also sang in our (Presbyterian) church choir as a youth but we only had to wear our "Sunday suits" with neckties. Some of the hymns come back to me at odd moments. I particularly remember the wife of a Scottish minister we had for awhile who always wanted the hymn "Will there be any stars in my crown?" to be sung.
ReplyDeleteI was not raised within religion or church so don't know a single hymn unless you count Christmas Carols. Are they hymns? I like to sing but my voice is terrible, so I mostly don't unless I am at home and with the asthma I soon stop because I'm coughing instead.
ReplyDelete