Monday, May 21, 2007

For the Beauty of the Earth, Sung by Ecclesium (one of our choirs!!) music by Philip Stopford



© 2007 Fredordead
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    posted by Freddy @ Monday, May 21, 2007 Comments: 0

    Monday, April 09, 2007

    A shared song...

    "My Way" by St Paul's Cathedral Choir. Listen out for Paul Phoenix's solo in the third verse - an amazingly expressive performance - sung from the heart. Very clever getting a child to sing a retrospective song sung by someone at the end of their life! I've never heard a treble sing like that.



    15 My Way.mp3


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    posted by Freddy @ Monday, April 09, 2007 Comments: 0

    Tuesday, April 03, 2007

    Melisma perform on u-tube



    © 2007 Fredordead
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    posted by Freddy @ Tuesday, April 03, 2007 Comments: 1

    Sunday, April 01, 2007

    A lesson on the importance of clear diction when singing...



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    posted by Freddy @ Sunday, April 01, 2007 Comments: 1

    Monday, January 29, 2007

    Ed's Place

    I would like this website to perhaps be the first place to inform you that our ED has got a place in York Minster as a choral scholar next year!!

    Congratulations Ed!!

    HOOT!

    © 2006 Fredordead

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    posted by Freddy @ Monday, January 29, 2007 Comments: 0

    Tuesday, November 14, 2006

    Interview with Philip Lawson, King's Singers


    I thought some of you might be interested in an interview with baritone Philip Lawson, who has been a member of the King's Singers since 1993 - I found this interview on the internet and have shamelessly reproduced it.

    For almost four decades, the King's Singers have wowed audiences worldwide with a distinctive sound, sophisticated musicianship and intriguing repertoire. Put together in 1965 by members of the choir of King's College of Cambridge University, the sextet sings everything from Renaissance motets to daunting new contemporary music to popular songs in the American tradition of close harmony.

    Q: What made the King's Singers such an enduring institution?

    A: The main thing is the sound. It's the thing people notice when they first hear the group. It doesn't sound like six soloists battling for supremacy.

    Q: When did you start singing?

    A: I started at the age of 9 at the local parish church in Worth in Sussex in southern England. I became a boy chorister in the choir.

    I was unlike most of the members of the King's Singers. I was not a cathedral chorister, which means living at the (cathedral choir) school and singing every day. I just sang on Sunday.

    Then at age 18, I did go to York Minster (the cathedral in York) to be a choral scholar.

    Q: How did you continue your singing career?

    A: I moved to London and did free-lance singing and had (voice) lessons.

    In 1982, I moved to Salisbury as a baritone lay clerk in the Salisbury Cathedral. That meant (singing) daily services, which I had always wanted to do — three service on Sundays and midweek services as well.

    When I got to Salisbury, one of the boy choristers was the son of Simon Carrington, one of the founders of the King's Singers. He used to come in and listen to us, and occasionally deputize for me. When he decided to retire, he suggested that I try out. That was in 1993.

    Q: Is the path followed by most of the King's Singers members the typical manner for training English male singers?

    A: The tradition of cathedral-trained singers (starting as young boys) is the dominant manner for male singers.

    In your country, singing is very well established in high schools and colleges. In England, it's not.

    Q: Have any singers not raised in the cathedral tradition been members of the King's Singers?

    A: I think I might be the only one.

    The original members were all cathedral choristers. Once you get the bug of English church music, it's in you forever.

    Q: Would a singer from other traditions be able to join?

    A: We have auditioned people from other countries — recently a Canadian and a German — but there's something in the way the vowel sounds are produced. The German couldn't make the vowel sounds (we needed) at all.

    © 2006 Fredordead

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    posted by Freddy @ Tuesday, November 14, 2006 Comments: 0

    Friday, October 13, 2006

    There is a Green Hill

    I'd like you all to get an exclusive

    Click HERE for an exclusive recording of a new anthem, "There is a Green Hill" written by our very own Philip Stopford.

    This recording was made in Clonard Monastry a few weeks ago at a live concert given by Cathedral Voices. It is your very own Freddy singing the solo....

    Enjoy!!

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    posted by Freddy @ Friday, October 13, 2006 Comments: 3

    Friday, September 01, 2006

    Midsommer Murders - goes choral...

    Set your watches, and mark your calendars. Sunday night 3rd of September, 9.00 ITV1

    The 50th episode of the popular nine-year-old English village green detective series "Midsomer Murders" involves DCI Tom Barnaby (John Nettles) in a heinous plot involving competing parish church choirs.

    The cozy settings, quaint characters and leisurely pace of the 'Midsomer' series are, of course, the prime reasons for its popularity, along with the reliably familiar regulars.

    Nettles is joined in the anniversary show by his beloved wife Joyce (Jane Wymark), daughter Cully (Laura Howard) and pathologist Dr. Bullard (Barry Jackson), plus Jason Hughes as Barnaby's right-hand man, DC Ben Jones.

    There's the usual rich assortment of odd and eccentric country folk including a couple of rival conductors, each determined that his choir should win the upcoming choral competition. When one of the choristers is found dead, some murky practices involving local landowners and an expert forger of fine art gradually come to light.

    DC Jones turns out to be a pretty good tenor and a perfect substitute for the murder victim, as Mrs. Barnaby, who is in the choir, quickly observes.

    With a tuning fork found at a crime scene, birdwatchers lurking in the church graveyard at night, and the intricacies of mobile telephones all there to complicate his life, Barnaby takes his sweet time in solving yet another murder case while DC Jones, of course, does the running about.

    I have been watching this show on and off for years and quite enjoy it however most all the eposodes are set in the same quaint little English village which means by now, after 50 episodes pretty much everybody in the village has either been murdered or are the muderers. A more dangerous place to live than Belfast!!

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    posted by Freddy @ Friday, September 01, 2006 Comments: 0

    Tuesday, August 29, 2006

    DEO !! DEO!!

    This is a bit of an "In - Joke" so apologies to anyone who does not surround themselves in church music in the sad way I do.

    If you are on the other hand up for a choral rib tickler, then look no further than HERE


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    posted by Freddy @ Tuesday, August 29, 2006 Comments: 0

    Monday, April 24, 2006

    We brought our music forward....


    Monday morning and I'm sure you are all delighted to be back at work.

    We had quite a weekend here and I thought you would like to know the details.

    A choir I am a member of called "The Ecclesium Choir" was recording a CD in St Anne's Cathedral Belfast. (I always like to give it it's full official title as the current management there insist on calling it Belfast Cathedral which does not seem altogether correct - there is also a Catholic Cathedral in Belfast so how can it be Belfast Cathedral?? St George's High Street should start calling itself "Belfast Parish Church" by that logic)

    Anyway I took the day off work on Saturday and we started rehearsing at 12.15pm or so. Then we went away to the Dirty Duck Pub in Holywood for lunch and started recording sessions at 4.00pm

    The music for the CD is entirely Choral music with organ accompaniment in most cases, all by Richard Shepherd who is (correct me if this is wrong someone) Headmaster of the Song School at York Minster and a composer. The organ playing was admirably shared and executed beautifully by Richard and Stephen. We also had a trumpeter from the Ulster Orchestra.
    The musical director of the CD was Phillip, Director of Music at St Anne's Cathedral Belfast.

    Richard and Stephen - Good friends who have a large organ in common

    Earlier in this blog I published links to two of the pieces that we recorded - these links don't actually lead to our versions of the pieces - they are earlier recordings - but they will let you hear what we were up against - there was some very challenging stuff and he is not an easy composer to sight read - but the music is so rich and so beautiful - I came away an avid fan.

    Anyway there you go - the recording all went well and we will have the discs ready in the not too distant future (let's hope) I should point out that they are being published by Priory Records under their ongoing series of British Church Composer Series.

    Susan looks tiny next to this huge Organ.

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    posted by Freddy @ Monday, April 24, 2006 Comments: 4

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