John Stainer “God so loved the world” from “The Crucifixion”
Music in Church
St Mary Our Lady, Sidlesham
Welcome to the Saint Mary choir blog.
The church has both an adult and junior choir. We are affiliated to the Royal School of Church Music(RSCM). The junior choir are provided with tuition to enable them to gain their RSCM medals.
The senior choir is a SATB choir with its main responsibility to sing at the 10am Sunday service, including an anthem. See below for more details.
Our choirs do not require any fees to belong to them. New members to both the senior and junior choir are always welcome, whatever their standard. If you are interested in joining us please contact our Director of Music (Joanna) via the Contact Us page.
Sunday, 30 March 2025
Sunday 30th March 2025 Fourth Sunday of Lent Mothering Sunday Refreshment Sunday
Sunday, 9 March 2025
Sunday 9th March 2025 Lent 1
"Turn thy face from my sins" by Thomas Attwood (1765 - 1838) based on Psalm 51 vv 9-11.
Attwood was born in London, the son of a musician in the royal band. He became a chorister in the Chapel Royal by the age of nine. He was sent abroad to study at the expense of the Prince of Wales (later George IV) who was impressed by his skill at the harpsichord. He was a favourite pupil of Mozart. He returned to London in 1787.In 1796 he was made organist of St Paul's and the same year composer of the Chapel Royal. For George IV's coronation he wrote the anthem "I was glad".
Much of his work is forgotten, only a few anthems regularly performed including "Turn thy face from my sins".
Wednesday, 5 March 2025
Wednesday 5th March 2025 Ash Wednesday
Lord For Thy Tender Mercy's Sake Music could be by either Farrant or John Hilton. This arrangement is by Anthony Green. Words from Bull, Christian Prayers and Holy Mediaition (1568)
Sunday, 2 March 2025
Sunday 2nd March 2025 Sunday befoe Lent
Ave Verum Corpus Mozart
It was composed in 1791 whilst visiting his wife Constanze who was pregnant with their 6th child and staying at the spa Baden bei Wien. It was composed for the feast of Corpus Christi. Mozart's manuscript has only "Sotto voce" marked at the beginning with no other markings.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756 - 1791)
Mozart was a child prodigy competent on keyboard and violin. He began composing at the age of five. He performed around Europe for royalty. At the age of 17 he was engaged as a musician at the Salzburg court but was restless and travelled looking for a better position. Whilst visiting Vienna he was dismissed from his position in Salzburg. He remained in Vienna, where he gained fame but no financial security.
He composed more than 600 works, many acknowledged as the finest in symphonies, concertante, operatic, chamber and choral music. He remains one of the best loved classical composers, whose work influenced many composers. Joseph Haydn said of Mozart "Posterity will not see such a talent again in 100 years."
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W A Mozart from Wikipedia |
Wednesday, 26 February 2025
Sunday 23rd Fenruary 2025 Second Sunday before Lent
The Irish Blessing. Bob Chilcott Words traditional
This is a traditional Irish blessing put to music by Bob Chilcott
May the road rise to meet you.
May the wind be ever at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face;
the rains fall soft upon your fields
and until we meet again,
may God hold you in the palm of His hand.
As a composer, conductor, and singer, Bob Chilcott has enjoyed a lifelong association with choral music, first as a chorister and choral scholar in the choir of King's College, Cambridge, and for 12 years as a member of the King's Singers. He became a full-time composer in 1997, embracing his career with energy and commitment, and producing a large catalogue of music for all types of choirs which is published by Oxford University Press.
Music for Christmas forms a considerable part of his most popular repertoire, and works for the season include Wenceslas, My Perfect Stranger, and On Christmas Night. In his carols he sets both new and traditional texts, and writes for mixed-voice and upper-voice choirs.
He has written substantial sacred works including the St John Passion for Wells Cathedral Choir and the Salisbury Vespers. A Little Jazz Mass and the Requiem are amongst a number of works which continue to be performed worldwide. Other works include The Angry Planet, composed for the 2012 BBC Proms, and The Voyage for Age UK Oxfordshire, which in 2017 was nominated for a Royal Philharmonic Society Award. He has written many pieces for children, including his much-loved song, Can you hear me?, and a significant amount of music for the church. In 2013 he wrote The King shall rejoice for the service in Westminster Abbey to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the coronation of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II.
Bob has conducted choirs in more than 30 countries worldwide and has worked with many thousands of amateur singers across the UK in a continuing series of Singing Days. For seven years he was conductor of the Chorus of The Royal College of Music in London and since 2002 he has been Principal Guest Conductor of the BBC Singers.
His music has been widely recorded by leading British choirs and groups including King's College, Cambridge, Wells Cathedral, Westminster Abbey, The King's Singers, The Sixteen, Tenebrae, The BBC Singers, The Bach Choir, Commotio, and Ora. In 2016 Bob enjoyed a collaboration with the celebrated singer Katie Melua and the Gori Women's Choir on the album In Winter, which reached the top 10 in the album charts in the UK and Germany. His first Christmas disc, The Rose in the Middle of Winter, was recorded by Commotio. In 2017 two new discs were released by Commotio and Choralis – All Good Things on Naxos, and In Winter's Arms on Signum, his first recording collaboration with an American choir. Newer recording projects are with Gloucester Cathedral Choir, Houston Chamber Choir, and Wroclaw Philharmonic Choir.
In 2017 Bob was awarded an Honorary Fellowship of The Royal School of Church Music.
Taken from bobchilcott.com
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Bob Chilcott from Wikipedia |
Monday, 10 February 2025
Sunday 9th February 2025 4th before Lent
Sunday, 2 February 2025
Sunday 2nd February 2025 Evensong
The text of the canticle is taken directly from the Gospel of Luke (1:46–55) where it is spoken by Mary upon the occasion of her Visitation to her cousin Elizabeth. In the narrative, after Mary greets Elizabeth, who is pregnant with John the Baptist, the latter moves within Elizabeth's womb. Elizabeth praises Mary for her faith (using words partially reflected in the Hail Mary), and Mary responds with what is now known as the Magnificat.
Within the whole of Christianity, the Magnificat is most frequently recited within the Liturgy of the Hours. In Western Christianity, the Magnificat is most often sung or recited during the main evening prayer service: Vespers in the Catholic and Lutheran churches, and Evening Prayer (or Evensong) in Anglicanism. In Eastern Christianity, the Magnificat is usually sung at Sunday Matins. Among Protestant groups, the Magnificat may also be sung during worship services, especially in the Advent season during which these verses are traditionally read.
Sir Charles Villiers Stanford (1852-1924) thought to be one of our great British composers was actually Irish, born in Dublin, although educated at The University of Cambridge and then studied music in Leipzig and Berlin.
Whilst an undergraduate, he was appointed organist of Trinity College, Cambridge and was one of the founding professors of the Royal College of Music, where he taught composition for the rest of his life. He was also Professor of Music at Cambridge. His pupils included Gustav Holst and Ralph Vaughan Williams whose fame went on to surpass his own.
He is best remembered for his sacred choral compositions for church performance in the Anglican tradition. Along with Hubert Parry and Alexander Mackenzie, he was thought responsible for the renaissance of music in the British Isles.
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C V Stanford in 1921 from Wikipedia |