Festival Music 2016

Every August, Edinburgh becomes one great festival: and the Choir of St John's are no different. Each year we showcase some of the greatest music in the choral repertoire in a festival of themed services:

9.30-10am Choral Matins, a short, joyful service of music and readings, a great way to start your day at the Edinburgh Festival.

10.30-11.45am Eucharist, a choral mass setting and other music as part of a communion service with sermon.

6-7pm Choral Evensong, the beautiful traditional Anglican evening office. During August this will include a sermon by a guest speaker as part of the Festival Pulpit series (right) and will be followed by a Q&A session.

The music

Sunday 7 August

Matins: A Gloucester Festival

Responses for double choir, John Bertalot (b.1931)

Te Deum and Jubilate, John Sanders (1933-2003)

Fear not, O Land, Herbert Brewer (1865-1928)

Toccata, John Sanders

Eucharist: Tudor Church Music

Mass for Four Voices, William Byrd (1539-1623)

Five Part Amen, Orlando Gibbons (1583-1625)

O Nata Lux, Thomas Tallis (1505-1585)

The eyes of all wait upon thee, Orlando Gibbons

Double Voluntary, John Hingeston (1606-1683)

Evensong

Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis in D,  Charles Wood (1866-1926)

For lo, I raise up, Charles V. Stanford (1852-1924)

Prelude on a theme from the Genevan Psalter, Charles Wood

Sunday 14 August

Matins: A "Power-packed personality"

Responses, Kenneth Leighton (1929-1988)

Te Deum and Jubilate in B Minor, T. Tertius Noble (1867-1953)

Nova! Nova! John Scott (1956-2015)

Finale in D, T. Tertius Noble

Eucharist for Ladies' Voices

Messe Basse, Gabriel Fauré (1845-1924)

Tantum Ergo, Jehan Alain (1911-1940

Ave Maria, Gustav Holst (1874-1934)

Dialogue sur les Mixtures, Jean Langlais (1907-1991)

Evensong: The world's first great broadcaster

Organ prelude: Jesu, Dulcis Memoria, Henry Walford Davies (1869-1941)

Responses, Herbert Sumsion (1899-1995)

Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis in C, Henry Walford Davies

O sons and daughters, 15thC French, arr. Walford Davies

RAF March Past, Henry Walford Davies

Sunday 21 August

Matins: A "neo-Brucknerian"

Magdalene Responses, Bernard Rose (1916-1996)

Te Deum in C and Jubilate in A, Charles V Stanford (1852-1924)

Os Justi, Anton Bruckner (1824-1896)

Postlude in D minor, Anton Bruckner

Eucharist for men's voices

Missa Festiva in Honorem S. Antonii de Padua, P. Loots

Tantum ergo, Loots

Si iniquitates observaveris, Samuel Wesley

Finale in A minor, Loots

Evensong: The Apostle of Apostles

Responses, Plainsong

Magnificat Primi Toni, Tomás Luis de Victoria (1548-1611)

Nunc Dimittis a 8, Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina (1525-1594)

Tu es Petrus, Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina

Tu es Petrus, Henri Mulet (1878-1967)

Sunday 28 August

Matins: Composers not of our time

Responses, William Byrd (1539-1623)

Festival Te Deum, Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958)

Jubilate (Collegium Regale), Herbert Howells (1892-1983)

O Clap your Hands, Orlando Gibbons (1583-1685)

Master Tallis's Testament, Herbert Howells

Eucharist with orchestra

Mass in G, Franz Schubert (1797-1828)

Verleih uns frieden, Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847)

Evensong: "I am not a religious man"

Responses, Herbert Howells (1892-1983)

Magnificat & Nunc Dimittis (Gloucester Service), Herbert Howells

Blessed city, heavenly Salem, Edward Bairstow (1874-1946)

Rhapsody no.3 in C# minor, Herbert Howells

Festival Music 2016

Every August, Edinburgh becomes one great festival: and the Choir of St John's are no different. Each year we showcase some of the greatest music in the choral repertoire in a festival of themed services:

9.30-10am Choral Matins, a short, joyful service of music and readings, a great way to start your day at the Edinburgh Festival.

10.30-11.45am Eucharist, a choral mass setting and other music as part of a communion service with sermon.

6-7pm Choral Evensong, the beautiful traditional Anglican evening office. During August this will include a sermon by a guest speaker as part of the Festival Pulpit series (right) and will be followed by a Q&A session.

Sunday 7 August

Matins: A Gloucester Festival

Responses for double choir, John Bertalot (b.1931)

Te Deum and Jubilate, John Sanders (1933-2003)

Fear not, O Land, Herbert Brewer (1865-1928)

Toccata, John Sanders

Eucharist: Tudor Church Music

Mass for Four Voices, William Byrd (1539-1623)

Five Part Amen, Orlando Gibbons (1583-1625)

O Nata Lux, Thomas Tallis (1505-1585)

The eyes of all wait upon thee, Orlando Gibbons

Double Voluntary, John Hingeston (1606-1683)

Evensong

Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis in D,  Charles Wood (1866-1926)

For lo, I raise up, Charles V. Stanford (1852-1924)

Prelude on a theme from the Genevan Psalter, Charles Wood

Sunday 14 August

Matins: A "Power-packed personality"

Responses, Kenneth Leighton (1929-1988)

Te Deum and Jubilate in B Minor, T. Tertius Noble (1867-1953)

Nova! Nova! John Scott (1956-2015)

Finale in D, T. Tertius Noble

Eucharist for Ladies' Voices

Messe Basse, Gabriel Fauré (1845-1924)

Tantum Ergo, Jehan Alain (1911-1940

Ave Maria, Gustav Holst (1874-1934)

Dialogue sur les Mixtures, Jean Langlais (1907-1991)

Evensong: The world's first great broadcaster

Organ prelude: Jesu, Dulcis Memoria, Henry Walford Davies (1869-1941)

Responses, Herbert Sumsion (1899-1995)

Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis in C, Henry Walford Davies

O sons and daughters, 15thC French, arr. Walford Davies

RAF March Past, Henry Walford Davies

Sunday 21 August

Matins: A "neo-Brucknerian"

Magdalene Responses, Bernard Rose (1916-1996)

Te Deum in C and Jubilate in A, Charles V Stanford (1852-1924)

Os Justi, Anton Bruckner (1824-1896)

Postlude in D minor, Anton Bruckner

Eucharist for men's voices

Missa Festiva in Honorem S. Antonii de Padua, P. Loots

Tantum ergo, Loots

Si iniquitates observaveris, Samuel Wesley

Finale in A minor, Loots

Evensong: The Apostle of Apostles

Responses, Plainsong

Magnificat Primi Toni, Tomás Luis de Victoria (1548-1611)

Nunc Dimittis a 8, Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina (1525-1594)

Tu es Petrus, Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina

Tu es Petrus, Henri Mulet (1878-1967)

Sunday 28 August

Matins: Composers not of our time

Responses, William Byrd (1539-1623)

Festival Te Deum, Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958)

Jubilate (Collegium Regale), Herbert Howells (1892-1983)

O Clap your Hands, Orlando Gibbons (1583-1685)

Master Tallis's Testament, Herbert Howells

Eucharist with orchestra

Mass in G, Franz Schubert (1797-1828)

Verleih uns frieden, Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847)

Evensong: "I am not a religious man"

Responses, Herbert Howells (1892-1983)

Magnificat & Nunc Dimittis (Gloucester Service), Herbert Howells

Blessed city, heavenly Salem, Edward Bairstow (1874-1946)

Rhapsody no.3 in C# minor, Herbert Howells

Sing with the Choir of St John's

The Choir of St John's, Princes Street, Edinburgh, is recruiting for all voices.

We are one of Edinburgh's leading church choirs and one of the busiest, comprising around thirty volunteer singers and two volunteer organists directed by Stephen Doughty.

The choir in concert

We rehearse on Thursdays from 7.30-9.15pm and sing three choral services each Sunday, 9.30am Matins, 10.30am Eucharist, and 6pm Evensong. This means we sing 8-10 pieces each week as well as psalms and hymns. We have a huge repertoire stretching from the Renaissance to new commissions so a high level of commitment and good sight-reading ability is essential. We also have a strong social life, with evening events usually ending with a drink or two. Being an amateur choir there is no official 'dep' system, but members are expected to attend most services, and arrange with other members of their part to ensure cover if they are away.

In addition to these regular commitments, all kinds of musical and social events take place throughout the year:

• January: Choir party and cabaret - a chance to try out some alternative genres of performance!
• February: Shrove Tuesday Party - the choir provide less-than-sacred musical entertainment and pancakes for the congregation
• March/ April: Palm Sunday short choral performance of the passion story
  Good Friday - 7pm Choral Meditation, often a Requiem Mass or Passiontide work.
  Sunday after Easter - weekend away at the Cathedral of the Isles on Cumbrae
• May: concert with orchestra, to showcase the choir outside the liturgical setting.
• July: 'half-holiday' with no rehearsals or evensong. Groups from the choir often go on holiday together whether camping in the Highlands or European city breaks.
• August: During the Edinburgh Festival we sing full choral masses at the 10.30am Eucharist and often showcase new repertoire. This often includes a Haydn or Mozart mass with orchestra, or works with early music or brass ensemble.
• October: Weekend away singing at a Cathedral or Abbey: in the past this has included Ripon, York, Durham and Hexham.
• November: Choral Meditation for All Souls.
• December: Advent Carols.
  Carol singing engagements around the city, including the City Chambers and Roxburghe Hotel.
  Service of Nine Lessons and Carols: the highlight of our choral year.
  Christmas services: 11.45pm Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve, 9.45am Christmas Day Eucharist, and 11.15am Lessons and Carols for Christmas.
  
• January: Epiphany Carol Service

Christmas, with Rector Markus

As well as these (fairly) regular events there are often one-off events such as participating in festive Choral Evensong for the reopening of Melrose Episcopal Church in February 2015, performing Ronald Center's 'Dona Nobis Pacem' in November 2013, or singing with the Choir of St Mary's Cathedral at the consecration of the Bishop of Edinburgh in May 2012.

A blustery Sunday morning

Our Director of Music Stephen Doughty is also Chorus Master of the Belfast Philharmonic Chorus and Director of the Garleton Singers in East Lothian. He is highly sought after for 'Come and Sing' events in Edinburgh and Belfast and as an orchestrator and arranger, and is an examiner for the Associated Board. His full biography is available on his website, stephendoughty.co.uk

St John's is a beautiful church built in 1818 with a fine acoustic and recently refurbished Willis organ. It is a progressive and welcoming Scottish Episcopal Church whose congregation and clergy highly value the contribution of the choir. You can find out more on the church's website, stjohns-edinburgh.org.uk

Cultural exchange at the Edinburgh Festival

A worrying incident on the isle of Cumbrae

If you are interested in singing with the Choir of St John's, please contact the Director of Music Stephen Doughty to arrange an audition at sjtdoughty@gmail.com, or come along to a service and catch somebody in red afterwards.

Festival Worship 2014

Sunday 3rd August

10.30 Eucharist: "I'm not a religious man"
Communion Service Collegium Regale- Howells
Mine eyes for beauty pine- Howells
Let all mortal flesh keep silence- Bairstow
Our Festival Worship opens with Howells monumental service for Kings College, Cambridge, a firm fixture in Anglican music lists, and Bairstow’s dramatic anthem - a firm fixture in St. John’s!

6.00 Evensong: "A victim of 4 o’clock dinners..."
Evening Canticles in D minor - Walmisley
How lovely are the messengers- Mendelssohn
Cathedral Fugue in E flat- Attwood
Walmisley, born 200 years ago was organist of both St. John’s & Trinity Colleges in Cambridge, and is best known for his Evening service. Music of his godfather, Thomas Attwood, also features.

Sunday 10 August

9.30 Matins: “I like it, my boy”
Te Deum in G- Vaughan Williams
Jubilate (Collegium Regale)- Howells
And I saw a new heaven- Bainton
Stanford’s influence as heard through his pupils’ music including more of Howells’ service and Bainton’s famous anthem

10.30 Eucharist: "A German Italian"
Missa Bell’ Amfrit alltera a 8- di Lasso
Adoramus te, Christe- di Lasso
Laudate, pueri, Dominum - Hassler
Hassler’s 450th anniversary marked with polychoral music from the height of the Renaissance.

6.00 Evensong: “captivatingly enjoyable”
Magnificat & Nunc dimittis- Mathias
Lift up your heads- Mathias
Toccata giocosa- Mathias
A major figure in 20th century music, Welsh composer William Mathias would have been 80 this year.

9.30 Matins: "Rhythm & Harmony"
Te Deum- Alan Smith
Jubilate- Howard Helvey
I will sing with the spirit- Goodenough
Both the elements in the title abound is this service of recent music. Smith’s Te Deum was premiered by St Johns, and the Jubilate was composed only last year.

Sunday 17th August

10.30 Eucharist: "A Farewell to Salzburg"
Missa Solemnis et brevis K337- Mozart
Laudate Dominum (Verspers)- Mozart
Epistle Sonata K336- Mozart
Mozart’s final mass and kirchensonate for Salzburg Cathedral, an intriguing mix of expected froth and old school counterpoint,  with his famous aria from the Vespers.

6.00 Evensong: "Eine Deutsche Liturgie"
Meine Seele erhebt- Schütz
Herr, nun lassest- Franck
Singet dem Herr nein neues Leid- Schütz
Setting of the Evensong canticles from the German Baroque; Schütz’s music is full of word painting and energy, inspired by the cori spezzati tradition of Venice.

Sunday 24th August

9.30 Matins: "Tudor church music"
Te Deum- Thomas Causton
Jubilate, 5th service- Thomas Tomkins
Ecce vicit Leo- Peter Philips
If you’re a fan of the ‘Golden Age’ of English choral music then look no further than this service! Tomkins’ studied jagged rhythms contrast with Philips’ flair

10.30 Eucharist: "A Little Knight Music"
Cantus Missae- Rheinberger
Ave verum- Rheinberger
Finale- Rheinberger
Despite his rejection of the Cecilian movement, Pope Leo XIII awarded Rheinberger the Knight’s Cross of the Order of St Gregory for his glorious 8-part mass.

6.00 Evensong 
Magnificat primi toni- Victoria
Nunc dimittis a 8- Palestrina
Mihi autem nimis- Palestrina
One of only two settings of the Magnificat by Victoria that sets that entire canticle, featuring an unusual double choir format.

Sunday 31st August

9.30 Matins: "Choral favourites!"
Te Deum in F- John Ireland
Jubilate in A- Stanford
Let all the world- Vaughan Williams
Another look at the influence of Stanford: one of John Ireland’s best known choral works, the Te Deum, is paired with Vaughan Williams’ paean of praise

10.30 Eucharist: Polak, Węgier - dwa bratanki
Missa Brevis- Kodaly
Deus, Deus meus- R. Panufnik
Bridal Train- Panufnik
To mark Andrzej Panufnik’s centenary a celebration of Hungary and Poland’s  friendship featuring Kodaly’s extraordinary Mass and R. Panufnik’s haunting motet

6.00 Evensong: "Voice and Verse"
Evening Canticles in A- Stanford
Blest pair of sirens- Parry
The grand finale to our Festival Worship:  Stanford’s large-scale Evening Canticles, originally sung by 300 singers and orchestra, and Parry’s monumental ode to ‘Singing everlastingly’!

Notes Tremendous

2013 sees the centenary of the birth of one of the greatest composers of the 20 th century, Benjamin Britten. Notable in particular for his operas, including Peter Grimes, and his church parables, such as St. Nicholas which was performed in St John’s a number of years ago, Britten also left a significant corpus of works for the Anglican church which have become mainstays of the repertoire, not least his Hymn to the Virgin, written when the composer was only 16 years old.

Britten is also notable for his humanity, seen in the monumental War Requiem written for the consecration of Coventry Cathedral which was destroyed by bombs in WW2. The large scale work combines the text of the Requiem mass with war poems by Wilfred Owen among others and was composed specifically for three soloists- a German Baritone, a Russian Soprano and a British Tenor.

If you’re not familiar with the composer’s music you’re in luck- on the 25th May you will have the opportunity to join the world-wide celebrations by coming to the annual concert of the Choir of St John’s. A packed programme will feature music by Britten, including his rarely-heard Jubilate, and the gorgeous Hymn to St Cecilia from which the title of the concert comes (Britten was born on St
Cecilia’s Day.) You can also hear music by his contemporaries including some delightful part-songs by Finzi, spectacular arrangements of well-known spirituals by Tippett and American folk songs by Copland- great fun and full of surprises…!!

It’s possible you’ve been unaware of the organ in St John’s except in terms of it accompanying the hymn singing Sunday by Sunday, but here’s your chance to hear it in all its glory and played by St John’s two assistant organists, Peter Horsfall and Caroline Cradock! Britten’s only major organ piece, the Prelude and Fugue on a Theme of Vittoria will be coupled with two works by the teacher Britten most admired, Frank Bridge, including the most famous one, the sumptuous Adagio.

A particular feature of the architecture of St. John’s and indeed many Anglican churches and cathedrals is that the choir and organ are placed up at the front of the church singing across the church rather than out into the church. Know what I mean? Well, why not come along on the 25th May to hear the choir in full voice, freed from the constraints of the choir stalls and filling the church with their lovely singing. I’m sure you’ll find something in the programme to get your toes tapping - satisfaction guaranteed! - and a glass of wine will help no end!

Look out for the brightly (and I mean brightly) coloured posters and flyers. Tickets are available from the church office (0131 229 7565) or on the door.

I look forward to seeing you at the concert!

Stephen Doughty
Director of Music

A Weekend at York Minster

St John's was quiet on Sunday 28th October without the choir present. The choir was instead singing at York Minster, filling in for the Minster choir during their half-term break. Under the expert management of Eleanor Harris, the St John's choir, with a few groupies, spent the weekend enjoying the York Railway Museum, seeing the sights, and occasionally fitting in the odd spot of music.

The Choir of St John's in York Minster

Singing in the Minster is very different from singing at St John's. The aisle is much wider. The organ seems a long way away. You can only hear your neighbour and it is difficult to get a sense of the overall sound. There is a disconcerting five second gap between our stopping singing and the echo returning. The architecture is also very distracting.

First we had to rehearse our services in the Minster and then we had to practise processing. Being such a vast place, we almost had to skip down the aisle. I found going through the screen arch into the choir very inspiring and humbling. I was conscious of generations of monks and quiristers leading the worship in that ancient, hallowed building. It was a privilege for us to be allowed to sing there.

Going through the screen arch into the choir

Come our first Evensong, we were astonished how many people, on a sunny Saturday afternoon, came in to listen to us. More alarming was the fact that the congregation was all around us, rather like sensurround sound, requiring our truth in the inward parts. But it was as nothing compared to Eucharist on Sunday morning, when we confidently sang the Rheinberger mass under the crossing to what seemed to us, used to St John's, a huge congregation. Stephen Doughty’s brisk playing of the hymns - something that may, just occasionally, have been noted at St John's - was later commented on favourably by the congregation, as was our singing. Endearingly, some members of the Sidney Smith Association, who had attended St John's a few weeks ago, specially made a point of coming to hear the choir again in York.

Stephen Doughty conducting in the nave

After Eucharist, we sang Mattins, this time to a more select audience. After Mattins, the church’s architect very kindly showed us round the current renovations to the stained glass windows and round the masonry yards- well worth seeing. Our final service was Sunday Evensong, when, in front of hordes of attenders, we sang the challenging Leighton canticles and Stephen Doughty's new work, I saw - and Lo, a Whirlwind. This anthem, a product of lonely evenings for Stephen when he was working in Malaysia earlier this year, was especially composed for our choir, setting words from the first chapter of Ezekiel, paraphrased by the future Lady Northampton (a worshipper at the Charlotte Chapel). After a melodramatic introduction, it leads into an ingenious and redoubtable double fugue - and, so we were told by the assistant organist of the Minster, very impressive it sounded too.

It was an exhausting and intense weekend, but our music-making was ably directed by Stephen and strongly supported by our excellent organists, Peter Horsfall and Caroline Cradock. It is not every church choir that can support three fine organists, and the weekend would not have been the success it was without their contribution.

Enjoying the odd occasion for refreshment

And, yes, thank you for asking, we did have the odd occasion for refreshment. We made merry, as only St John's choir knows how. Over the years we've had a little bit of practice at that too.

Nicholas Grier

Festival Worship - a Feast of Choral Music from Past to Present!

A most musical, rousing and yet spiritual start to Sunday… St John’s Festival Worship in the heart of the city.
EdinburghGuide.com

I write having just this moment finished choosing the music for this year’s ‘Festival Worship’, the feast of sacred music which will enhance the services in August, and am so excited I would like to share it with you!

As you know, St John’s maintains the three principal choral services of the Scottish Episcopal tradition every week, Matins, Eucharist and Evensong and this August the music across these services covers some 400 years and includes among its treats a first performance and a whole day devoted to the music of Giovanni Gabrieli, the maestro di cappella of St. Mark’s, Venice who died 400 years ago this year and who raised the art of cori spezzati - literally ‘spaced choirs- to its zenith.

St. John’s has one of Edinburgh's leading church choirs and attending Choral Matins here is a treat
(The Independent)

Matins (9.30am), the morning ‘call to prayer’ features no less than three anniversaries including that of John Ireland, who died 50 years ago and whose canticles and most famous anthem, Greater Love opens our Festival Worship, and the organ music of Leon Boëllmann, whose anniversary has inspired the programming Jean Huré's subtle Te Deum and Fauré's ever-popular Cantique de Jean Racine. The motoric rhythms and pungent harmonies of Hutchings' St. John's, Edinburgh Service, specially dedicated to the Choir of St. John’s and Dove's show-stopper Seek him that maketh the seven stars enliven the final Matins of the Festival.

If you come to Eucharist (10.30am), these days the main service of the day, you will hear Rheinberger's gloriously romantic Mass for double choir, Cantus Missae, written in defiance of the restrictive ideals of the Caecilian movement, Bob Chilcott's A Little Jazz Mass with its toe-tapping rhythm, drums and bass and a world premiere in John Hoyle's Missa Brevis. Over the last few years the Choir of St. John's has built a good relationship with this composer, which has been recognised in this lyrical, vibrant mass and his kind dedication to me.

While the first Sunday of August is devoted to the Launch of the Festival of Spirituality & Peace, later in the month you can Evensong (6.00pm), which has a distinctive spiritual quality all of its own. While much of the music we will perform during August originates from around the world, for Evensong on 19th August it's all firmly in-house. There's music by three members of the Choir including world premieres of Peter Silver's Responses and my own festival anthem, I saw, and Lo, a Whirlwind, coupled with canticles by a former Professor at Edinburgh University. Three major English composers - Finzi, Holst and Tippett - all combine in our final Evensong of the Festival.

I finish with news of our 'festival-within-a-festival' and our celebration of the music of the Italian composer Giovanni Gabrieli. As I mentioned earlier he was maestro di cappella of St. Mark’s, Venice. An architectural feature of St. Mark’s is the choir lofts high on either side of the altar which led to a musical style known as cori spezzati. The sound from these choirs would project back and forth across the building, coming together at moments of greatest impact. Music for 4, 8 and 12 part forces is the order of the day here and the fame of this
spectacular music spread across Europe, with numerous musicians coming to Venice to hear it, absorb it and take it back to their countries.

Sunday 12th August 2012 is the 400th anniversary to the day of the death of Gabrieli. I am delighted we will be joined by the early instruments of the Scottish Gabrieli Consort during the morning services- a collection of cornets, sackbuts, early violins, curtails and more! Come to St. John's and hear what all the fuss was about!

Stephen Doughty
Director of Music, St. John's