Choir of Chichester Cathedral
Encyclopedia
The musical foundation of Chichester Cathedral
consists of the Organist and Master of the Choristers
, the Assistant Organist, and the Organ Scholar
; together with six singing men (called Lay Vicars), eighteen Choristers, six Probationers - and including a Head Chorister and a Senior Chorister (Deputy Head) who both wear a notable medallion on a red ribbon
according to their office held. The Choristers and Probationers are all boarders at the Prebendal School
, the Cathedral's Choir School
. The Lay Vicars are professional singers, who all have everyday jobs as well as being Lay Vicars. The Organists (Organist & Master of the Choristers, Assistant Organist and Organ Scholar) and the Lay Vicars are given a house free of charge with their liturgical offices in the Cathedral
.
During school term, the cathedral has six sung services a week. As well as singing, choristers learn the piano
and an orchestral instrument, spending at least eighteen hours a week on musical performance.
at Christmas where they sing "Christmas Concerts" alongside local school choirs including the Bishop Luffa School Choir
, and are accompanied by the Band of HM Royal Marines, Portsmouth
. They sing a variety of carols
and are directed by the Organist & Master of the Choristers. They have been considered the highlight of the show for years. The choristers return to school in the interval and Close Company perform.
The choir sing at the Chichester Festivities each year in a concert called "Chichester Cathedral Choir By Candelight". The programme normally consists of music by composers who are being commemorated that year. As tradition follows, the choir leave the stage and exit the cathedral
, carrying candle
s and singing the hymn
, The Day thou Gavest Lord is Ended. It is one of the Festival’s perennial favourites. In the concert, there are also solo items played by the Assistant Organist and Organ Scholar
. The ensemble accompanying the choir also performs its own piece.
They also participate in the Southern Cathedrals Festival
with the choirs of Winchester
and Salisbury
. They have taken part in this annual festival since it was first established in 1904. The choir stays at the hosting cathedral's choir school.The choir perform concert
s, sing evensong
and participate in masterclasses.
In Christmas 2007, they sang with Seamus Cullen (runner up to the TV series Any Dream Will Do
). The choir has appeared with many different artists including Petula Clark
, Richard Stilgoe
, the King’s Singers, the Cambridge Buskers
, the Philip Jones Brass Ensemble
and Cantabile
. Television appearances have included Placido’ Domingo’s Christmas Choice and Rumpole of the Bailey
. In 1985 their recording of cathedral music by Geoffrey Burgon
won a Critics Choice of the year Award in Gramophone Magazine.
and sing Evensong. They also frequently tour other countries with links to the cathedral
.
Recent tours include:
when they sing the men's voices barbershop repertory
made popular in the United Kingdom
by the King's Singers
. As well as being professional singers, most of them work everyday jobs. Still, every evening they are back in the cathedral
with the choristers for Evensong at 5.30pm. The Lay Vicar who has been in the Cathedral Choir for the longest is given the title 'Senior Lay Vicar'.
Their duties with the Cathedral Choir also include singing concerts and making concerts in the UK and abroad, but they are perhaps best known for their performances at the annual Christmas Carols
, having been part of that tradition since 1993, when they first stepped out in their white jackets.
Throughout the rest of the year, Close Company performs in a variety of venues, and recent performances include a very successful evening at the Alexandra Theatre, Bognor Regis
, the Assembly Rooms
in North Street
, St. John's College, West Dean College
and the beautiful Tudor
house of St. Mary's House, Bramber
. On the Choir's 2005 tour of South Africa
, Close Company had the great honour of performing to Archbishop Desmond Tutu
.
Chichester Cathedral
The Cathedral Church of the Holy Trinity, otherwise called Chichester Cathedral, is the seat of the Anglican Bishop of Chichester. It is located in Chichester, in Sussex, England...
consists of the Organist and Master of the Choristers
Organist and Master of the Choristers
An Organist and Master of the Choristers is a title given to a Director of Music at a Cathedral, particularly an Anglican Cathedral in England. The tradition dates back to the Middle Ages. He is both the organist and the choirmaster....
, the Assistant Organist, and the Organ Scholar
Organ scholar
An organ scholar is a young musician employed as a part-time assistant organist at an institution where regular choral services are held. The idea of an organ scholarship is to provide the holder with playing, directing and administrative experience....
; together with six singing men (called Lay Vicars), eighteen Choristers, six Probationers - and including a Head Chorister and a Senior Chorister (Deputy Head) who both wear a notable medallion on a red ribbon
Ribbon
A ribbon or riband is a thin band of material, typically cloth but also plastic or sometimes metal, used primarily for binding and tying. Cloth ribbons, most commonly silk, are often used in connection with clothing, but are also applied for innumerable useful, ornamental and symbolic purposes...
according to their office held. The Choristers and Probationers are all boarders at the Prebendal School
Prebendal School
The Prebendal School is a private preparatory school in Chichester, situated opposite Chichester Cathedral. It is a boarding and day school with roughly 150 pupils including the choristers of the cathedral choir. Most students go on to English public schools such as Winchester, Westminster, Eton,...
, the Cathedral's Choir School
Prebendal School
The Prebendal School is a private preparatory school in Chichester, situated opposite Chichester Cathedral. It is a boarding and day school with roughly 150 pupils including the choristers of the cathedral choir. Most students go on to English public schools such as Winchester, Westminster, Eton,...
. The Lay Vicars are professional singers, who all have everyday jobs as well as being Lay Vicars. The Organists (Organist & Master of the Choristers, Assistant Organist and Organ Scholar) and the Lay Vicars are given a house free of charge with their liturgical offices in the Cathedral
Chichester Cathedral
The Cathedral Church of the Holy Trinity, otherwise called Chichester Cathedral, is the seat of the Anglican Bishop of Chichester. It is located in Chichester, in Sussex, England...
.
During school term, the cathedral has six sung services a week. As well as singing, choristers learn the piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
and an orchestral instrument, spending at least eighteen hours a week on musical performance.
Appearances
Each year, the Choir appears at the Chichester Festival TheatreChichester Festival Theatre
Chichester Festival Theatre, located in Chichester, England, was designed by Philip Powell and Hidalgo Moya, and opened by its founder Leslie Evershed-Martin in 1962. Subsequently the smaller and more intimate Minerva Theatre was built nearby in 1989....
at Christmas where they sing "Christmas Concerts" alongside local school choirs including the Bishop Luffa School Choir
Bishop Luffa School
Bishop Luffa, named after a former Bishop of Chichester, Ralph de Luffa, is a coeducational Church of England secondary school in the City of Chichester, West Sussex, England. The number of enrolled students was around 1,400 in 2010, in eight 'Year' house-forms and the sixth form...
, and are accompanied by the Band of HM Royal Marines, Portsmouth
Royal Marines Band Service
The Royal Marines Band Service is the musical wing of the Royal Navy. It currently consists of five Bands and its headquarters is the Royal Marines School of Music at HMS Nelson in Portsmouth dockyard.-History:...
. They sing a variety of carols
Christmas carol
A Christmas carol is a carol whose lyrics are on the theme of Christmas or the winter season in general and which are traditionally sung in the period before Christmas.-History:...
and are directed by the Organist & Master of the Choristers. They have been considered the highlight of the show for years. The choristers return to school in the interval and Close Company perform.
The choir sing at the Chichester Festivities each year in a concert called "Chichester Cathedral Choir By Candelight". The programme normally consists of music by composers who are being commemorated that year. As tradition follows, the choir leave the stage and exit the cathedral
Chichester Cathedral
The Cathedral Church of the Holy Trinity, otherwise called Chichester Cathedral, is the seat of the Anglican Bishop of Chichester. It is located in Chichester, in Sussex, England...
, carrying candle
Candle
A candle is a solid block or cylinder of wax with an embedded wick, which is lit to provide light, and sometimes heat.Today, most candles are made from paraffin. Candles can also be made from beeswax, soy, other plant waxes, and tallow...
s and singing the hymn
Hymn
A hymn is a type of song, usually religious, specifically written for the purpose of praise, adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification...
, The Day thou Gavest Lord is Ended. It is one of the Festival’s perennial favourites. In the concert, there are also solo items played by the Assistant Organist and Organ Scholar
Organ scholar
An organ scholar is a young musician employed as a part-time assistant organist at an institution where regular choral services are held. The idea of an organ scholarship is to provide the holder with playing, directing and administrative experience....
. The ensemble accompanying the choir also performs its own piece.
They also participate in the Southern Cathedrals Festival
Southern Cathedrals Festival
The Southern Cathedrals Festival is the bringing together of the choirs of Chichester Cathedral, Winchester Cathedral and Salisbury Cathedral in the penultimate weekend of July...
with the choirs of Winchester
Winchester Cathedral
Winchester Cathedral at Winchester in Hampshire is one of the largest cathedrals in England, with the longest nave and overall length of any Gothic cathedral in Europe...
and Salisbury
Salisbury Cathedral
Salisbury Cathedral, formally known as the Cathedral Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary, is an Anglican cathedral in Salisbury, England, considered one of the leading examples of Early English architecture....
. They have taken part in this annual festival since it was first established in 1904. The choir stays at the hosting cathedral's choir school.The choir perform concert
Concert
A concert is a live performance before an audience. The performance may be by a single musician, sometimes then called a recital, or by a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra, a choir, or a musical band...
s, sing evensong
Evening Prayer (Anglican)
Evening Prayer is a liturgy in use in the Anglican Communion and celebrated in the late afternoon or evening...
and participate in masterclasses.
In Christmas 2007, they sang with Seamus Cullen (runner up to the TV series Any Dream Will Do
Any Dream Will Do (TV series)
Any Dream Will Do, often known as 'Joseph', was a 2007 talent show-themed television series produced by the BBC in the United Kingdom. It searched for a new, unknown lead to play Joseph in a West End revival of the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.The show...
). The choir has appeared with many different artists including Petula Clark
Petula Clark
Petula Clark, CBE is an English singer, actress, and composer whose career has spanned seven decades.Clark's professional career began as an entertainer on BBC Radio during World War II...
, Richard Stilgoe
Richard Stilgoe
Richard Henry Simpson Stilgoe OBE is a British songwriter, lyricist and musician. He is noted for clever wordplay as much as for his music....
, the King’s Singers, the Cambridge Buskers
Cambridge Buskers
The Cambridge Buskers were a duo of British musicians, whose career began in the late 1970s and are now called The Classic Buskers, still going strong today.Michael Copley and Dag Ingram met when they were students at Cambridge University...
, the Philip Jones Brass Ensemble
Philip Jones Brass Ensemble
The Philip Jones Brass Ensemble, founded in 1951 by trumpeter Philip Jones, was one of the first modern classical brass ensembles to be formed. The group played either as a quintet or as a ten-piece, for larger halls...
and Cantabile
Cantabile
Cantabile is a musical term meaning literally "singable" or "songlike" . It has several meanings in different contexts. In instrumental music, it indicates a particular style of playing designed to imitate the human voice. For 18th century composers, the term is often used synonymously with...
. Television appearances have included Placido’ Domingo’s Christmas Choice and Rumpole of the Bailey
Rumpole of the Bailey
Rumpole of the Bailey is a British television series created and written by the British writer and barrister John Mortimer which starred Leo McKern as Horace Rumpole, an ageing London barrister who defends any and all clients...
. In 1985 their recording of cathedral music by Geoffrey Burgon
Geoffrey Burgon
Geoffrey Alan Burgon was a British composer notable for his television and film themes.-Life and career:Burgon was born in Hampshire in 1941, and taught himself the trumpet in order to join a jazz band at school...
won a Critics Choice of the year Award in Gramophone Magazine.
Tours
Each year, the choir visits churches in the dioceseDiocese of Chichester
The Diocese of Chichester is a Church of England diocese based in Chichester, covering Sussex. It was created in 1075 to replace the old Diocese of Selsey, which was based at Selsey Abbey from 681. The cathedral is Chichester Cathedral and the bishop is the Bishop of Chichester...
and sing Evensong. They also frequently tour other countries with links to the cathedral
Chichester Cathedral
The Cathedral Church of the Holy Trinity, otherwise called Chichester Cathedral, is the seat of the Anglican Bishop of Chichester. It is located in Chichester, in Sussex, England...
.
Recent tours include:
- 2011 - Ravenna, Italy
- 2010 - Berlin, Germany
- 2007 - Bamberg, Germany
- 2006 - Chartres, France
- 2006 - Lessay, France
- 2005 - Cape Town, South Africa
- 2000 - Bamberg, Germany
- 2002 - Bayreuth, Germany
- 1998 - Chartres, France
Recordings
- 2010 - Holst in Chichester
- 2009 - Carols from Chichester Cathedral
- 2007 - Jubilate
- 2007 - Let Us Lift Up Our Heart: 19th Century Church Music
- 1999 – Benedicite
- 1997 - Sing Ye to the Lord
- 1996 - Chichester Commissions
- 1996 - Great Cathedral Anthems Vol. 7
- 1994 - Malcolm Archer: Requiem
- 1991 - Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis Vol. 2
- 1991 - The Welkin Rings
- 1984 - 19th Century Church Music by Goss, Ousely, Smart, Stainer and S.S. Wesley
- 1984 - Cathedral Music by Geoffrey Burgon
- 1977 - Christmas in Chichester
- 1976 - In Quires and Places...
Close Company
Close Company is the name used by the Lay Vicars of Chichester CathedralChichester Cathedral
The Cathedral Church of the Holy Trinity, otherwise called Chichester Cathedral, is the seat of the Anglican Bishop of Chichester. It is located in Chichester, in Sussex, England...
when they sing the men's voices barbershop repertory
Barbershop music
Barbershop vocal harmony, as codified during the barbershop revival era , is a style of a cappella, or unaccompanied vocal music characterized by consonant four-part chords for every melody note in a predominantly homophonic texture...
made popular in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
by the King's Singers
King's Singers
The King's Singers is a British a cappella vocal ensemble who celebrated their 40th anniversary in 2008. Their name recalls King's College in Cambridge, England, where the group was formed by six choral scholars in 1968. In the United Kingdom, their popularity peaked in the 1970s and early 1980s...
. As well as being professional singers, most of them work everyday jobs. Still, every evening they are back in the cathedral
Chichester Cathedral
The Cathedral Church of the Holy Trinity, otherwise called Chichester Cathedral, is the seat of the Anglican Bishop of Chichester. It is located in Chichester, in Sussex, England...
with the choristers for Evensong at 5.30pm. The Lay Vicar who has been in the Cathedral Choir for the longest is given the title 'Senior Lay Vicar'.
Their duties with the Cathedral Choir also include singing concerts and making concerts in the UK and abroad, but they are perhaps best known for their performances at the annual Christmas Carols
Chichester Festival Theatre
Chichester Festival Theatre, located in Chichester, England, was designed by Philip Powell and Hidalgo Moya, and opened by its founder Leslie Evershed-Martin in 1962. Subsequently the smaller and more intimate Minerva Theatre was built nearby in 1989....
, having been part of that tradition since 1993, when they first stepped out in their white jackets.
Throughout the rest of the year, Close Company performs in a variety of venues, and recent performances include a very successful evening at the Alexandra Theatre, Bognor Regis
Alexandra Theatre, Bognor Regis
The Alexandra Theatre is a 364 seat auditorium in the British town of Bognor Regis showing a variety of entertainment from comedy to drama to pantomime....
, the Assembly Rooms
Assembly rooms
In Great Britain and Ireland, especially in the 18th and 19th centuries, assembly rooms were gathering places for members of the higher social classes open to members of both sexes. At that time most entertaining was done at home and there were few public places of entertainment open to both sexes...
in North Street
Chichester
Chichester is a cathedral city in West Sussex, within the historic County of Sussex, South-East England. It has a long history as a settlement; its Roman past and its subsequent importance in Anglo-Saxon times are only its beginnings...
, St. John's College, West Dean College
West Dean College
West Dean College is situated in the West Dean Estate, of West Dean near Chichester. The Estate was formerly the home of the poet and patron of the arts, Edward James. He was an avid admirer of the Surrealist movement, and formed one of the largest collections of their works during his lifetime...
and the beautiful Tudor
Tudor style architecture
The Tudor architectural style is the final development of medieval architecture during the Tudor period and even beyond, for conservative college patrons...
house of St. Mary's House, Bramber
Bramber
Bramber is a village and civil parish in the Horsham District of West Sussex, England. It is located on the northern edge of the South Downs and on the west side of the River Adur. Nearby are the communities of Steyning to the west and Upper Beeding to the east, and the other side of the river....
. On the Choir's 2005 tour of South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
, Close Company had the great honour of performing to Archbishop Desmond Tutu
Desmond Tutu
Desmond Mpilo Tutu is a South African activist and retired Anglican bishop who rose to worldwide fame during the 1980s as an opponent of apartheid...
.