now boarding

Where to sit at the Advent Procession?

Bit of a strange title I admit, but it is an interesting question for the dedicated Chorister Family. Here's why.

This year will be our fifth and final Christmas as Chorister Parents and it presents quite possibly the very best musical feast you could imagine. There's the midnight mass and the perenial 'will our boy be caught yawning' question; the excitement and stamina of Christmas Day itself; the musical magic of Britten and Handel and the lighter entertainment of the Celebration; and then there are the two Advent Processions.

Musically more testing than the traditional carol services (and arguably richer) they're repeated over two evenings, I'm guessing to supply the huge demand. It's a good and long-ish service and one that sees the day pupils and the famous candle-lit procession.

But the question exists; where to sit?

The Cathedral is kind enough to reserve seats and organise tickets for us, which we sould remain grateful for, and for the Advent service our tickets are reserved for the usual Evensong spots in the Quire.

Which would be fine but the Choir is not actually in the Quire until about 3/4 of the way though the service. They start at the west end processing slowly through the Cathedral pausing to sing as they make their way eastwards.

The first year we attended (2009) and sat in the quire, we spent a large part of the service feeling just a little left out, although recompensed when the choir reached their final seats. I think it was the second year when one of the Wandsmen suggested that the best spot might in actual fact be somewhere around the middle of the Cathedral at the top of the nave where it meets the dome. The photo above shows the choir singing at this point and it was possible to sit even closer to the boys than usual. You also get to hear O Adonai up close, an eery, multi-textured piece with stunning bass and treble parts that cleverly uses the space.

So the middle of the Cathedral then? Well, the current Chapter have made a few changes to some of the services and I'd anticipate continued experimentation, and until we see the order of service, who knows.

Where to sit then? You decide. 

Of course if you're going to both processions you could have the best of both worlds...

  

 

Missing her brother

The father of the first Head Chorister Tom knew made a very valid point during his speech at the end of term BBQ. He spoke of how understanding we all must be of the boys' siblings and especially what the younger borthers and sisters have to put up with, their older playmates taken away and how they're dragged up to the Cathedral far too frequently to hear their brothers sing.

We see this every year, especially as the boys are made up, so many four and five year olds at the service. If only they knew this was just the beginning.

Of course it's very tough for them, especially when you have the two Children. Imogen has travelled back and forth on too many occassions for her liking (probably), fallen asleep during late Carol services and seen her Christmas Day spent up in town and not at home enjoying her presents.

It's a lot for them to take on and not always easy, but we have moved from taking in colouring books, dolls and comics when she was five, to now taking part in the service now she's ten. Still, they bear the brunt but school holidays see our two hanging out together like most brothers and sisters don't. Absence makes the heart...

Siblings do go on to take the voice trials and become Choristers themselves and in one recent Chorister family, all four boys joined the Choir. Sometimes younger siblings join other choirs or start their own musical journeys, encouraged I'm sure by their bigger brothers.

It is a slightly unusual way to family life to be sure.

 

 

School cricket match

I was lucky enough to have time one week day in July (of year 6) to be able to go watch the Under 11s cricket play cicket against a South London Catholic School. Due to their Cathedral commitments, the boys don't always get to complete full matches which is a great shame as so many of them love to play (in the summer term as they're using every spare minute in the school playground for knockabouts).

The Head of Games has always encouraged us parents to go along and watch if the opportunity arises, and it did. Of course it reminded me of my school days.

The team (day boys and Choristers) were accompanied by the sports master, a gap and the Director of music (not sure if he was just helping out of if this was an official duty but at my school sports teachers always had to double up). 

Very nice to be invited to join in the warm up and fielding exercices. The DOM made me feel very welcome and this single inclusive act transformed my experience from being a mere spectating Dad to being part of the squad; well that how it made me feel and I'll ever forget that.

I'm not sure how these things are worked out but there did seem to be one or two older boys in our team, or at least bigger, much bigger in fact than the opposition. We smashed them. William took a couple of wickets in the first over and many of the Choristers had fine spells of attacking bowling.

It was a very special afternoon and I felt very privilaged to be there to see the win. Tom even took a good catch at mid wicket.

So if you're ever able to go along to a match or a tournament, do. It's great fun, you get to see the boys in another light and who knows, maybe the next Cookie?

 

What happened to years six and seven?

I guess the challenge you set your self when posting a diary format blog is the expectation, the requirement to post regularly, especially when the subject matter is liable to frequent and noteworthy change.

There are two reasons for this 2 year break in posting; one that we moved house early in the summer tem of 2011 and soon after I started work on the London 2012 Olympics which pretty much took up all my available time until late 2012. I guess the second reason is that year six and to a degree year seven seemed at the time to be realtively unremarkeable, the comfortable middle period.

Of course they weren't, and I'll aim to report some of those activities, but at the time it just all seemed like business as usual.

Of course Tom did special things; he worked super hard at school and his end of terms grades seemed to get better and better. He undertook an increasing number of important and high profile solos. His Cello went from strength to strength, he won cups and prizes. The choir toured, recorded and performed its duties at special, televised occassions. We started planning his next school.

All of which he seemed to take in his stride as to a degree did we, his family. 

But now he's in his final year, year eight and the hike up the steep slope that started five years ago is now an equally short (how short?) descent. He was awarded the honour of being made Head Chorister and has attended to those duties with aplomb, taking part in the ceremony to admit new Choristers at the first Sunday Evensong after returning from summer holidays. We can remember him being admitted as if it was only yesterday and so it feels as if the circle for this chorister family is completing.

 

Voices don't break, they change.

The boy's time in the choir is a very precious time, determined at one end by a mix of natural potential and aptitude and at the other by their changing voices and the move on to senior schools.

One is used to hearing about voices breaking, but the more acceptable term these days is of changing. This from Wikipedia:

Under the influence of androgens, the voice box, or larynx, grows in both sexes. This growth is far more prominent in boys, causing the male voice to drop and deepen, sometimes abruptly but rarely "over night," about one octave, because the longer and thicker vocal folds have a lower fundamental frequency. Before puberty, the larynx of boys and girls is about equally small. Occasionally, voice change is accompanied by unsteadiness of vocalization in the early stages of untrained voices. Most of the voice change happens during stage 3-4 of male puberty around the time of peak growth. Full adult pitch is attained at an average age of 15 years. It usually precedes the development of significant facial hair by several months to years.

Since September we've seen three of the current year eights become 'non singers' (they continue to board during the week, but can take full weekend leave) and one more whose voice changed at the end of year six. This leaves just four year eights in full voice and going on the past years, it wouldn't surprise if we've just left with one or two come July.

Just this week one of the year seven boys saw (heard?) his voice change; in fact it happened over just a few days according to Tom. I sat next to his Father at Sunday's Evensong, who was typically pragmatic about it "One door closes, another door opens", but obviously sad for the boy who has been a stalwart when it comes to the tricky or high octave solos. This boy already has a place at Eton.

We also saw one of the year five boys need to rest his voice for 8-10 weeks, apparently due to nodules on his vocal cords. This from Wikipedia:

The nodules appear as symmetrical swellings on both sides of the vocal cords. The cause of these formations are usually strenuous or abusive voice practices such as yelling and coughing. Persons who are often susceptible are those who use their voice constantly in a loud environment. Examples include teachers, cheerleaders, politicians, actors, preachers, singers, and military drill instructors.

 Precious time, precious ability.

More links:

The Male changing voice: http://www.leedberg.com/voice/pages/male.html

The different ways boys voices change: http://www.cambiatapress.com/CVMIA/differingways.html

A 'gap' in boy's changing voice:  http://www.choralnet.org/view/281969

 

 

 

First half of term.

After the full-on month of advent and all the Christmas services, and a good couple of weeks holiday, the winter term approaches with all the regularity that business as usual brings.

We've been very busy as a family since Christmas trying to move house, hence the lapse in posts, so here's a brief overview of some of the things that have happened.

Christmas Day
Our second Christmas spent at the Cathedral, Tom has a hectic schedule (which I'll describe later) and we end up collapsing in a heap back home around 5.30 in the evening. What's nice is that for us, having our family day on boxing day, added to the festive warm up of activities, services and concerts, means that christmas is warmly long and gradual, enabling us to savour the spiritual aspect of this time of year. 

Settling back in
Tom goes from strength to strength and the beginning of this term was his best ever, I know he'd agree that. He helped with packing and organising and there was barely a tear on returning to school.

Radio 3 Broadcast
Every year around the time of St. Paul's day, choral evensong is broadcast live from the Cathedral. Apart from the microphones everywhere it's business as usual for the boys.

Parents Evening
There are some teachers we barely get the chance to see, or indeed have never met before, so the parents evening is a great opportunity. And of course to hear how Tom's doing. Here too he seems to be going from strength to strength. Possibly as his confidence in the choir and with boarding rises, his school work reflects this.

Games Workshop trip
One Saturday I took five of the boys to Games Workshop on Oxford Street. They loved it. They really are a great bunch, working and playing together and supporting each other in a way that would put many adults to shame. 

300th Anniversary Gala
A big concert this one, to celebrate the Cathedral's 300th year of completion. John Rutter conducted and Andrew Carwood, the director of music, sang Tenor. 

Cello
We knew Tom was enjoying his cello but we weren't quite prepared when his teacher told us just how much potential she believes he has (echoed by the schools director of music). The plan is for him to take his grade 2 exam this spring but then skip straight to grade 5. this also means we need to prepare for the purchase of decent instruments, so long as, as his teacher puts it, he doesn't decide to give it up and play rugby.

A new year 5 chorister
Tom is joined by a new probationer after half-term, boosting the numbers in his year to four! Eight seems to be average. For a couple of terms, Tom was the only chorister in his year.

 

Midnight Eucharist

I really don't know how the boys do it. Christmas Eve's midnight Eucharist started at 11.30 and didn't finish until 1.00am. The boys sung beautifully but must have been exhausted; in fact when I spoke to Tom afterwards, he said that one of his year mates didn't make it as he was 'too sleepy'.

That said Tom was on a bit of a high, full of energy and looking forward to later on in the morning.

It's that wonderful mix of solid professionalism and young boy.

The Cathedral does feel very Christmassy, complete with lit tree above the West end pediment, the formal and informal although I'm getting to be a little ambivalent about some of the carols, I wonder what the Choristers think.

So we'll see him at the 11.00 Eucharist, that'll be just 10 hours since he sang his last. Then it'll be Christmas lunch with all the Chorister Parent families, followed by Festal Evensong, then end of term. Phew.

Happy Christmas!

Vision of a choir at work

The Cathedral has started posting a few photos of life at St Paul's online and this is a particularly fine example, it was taken as the choir were singing O Adonai during this year's Advent service.

 As photography is not allowed in the Cathedral, these images are rare and valuable, especially if your son is in them.

 

Britten's Ceremony of Carols and a Celebration of Christmas

The concerts keep coming thick and fast, and two of the most popular within 5 days of each other. With their school work continuing a pace, the cold weather and numerous rehearsals really put pressure on the boys, but their commitment, stamina, professionalism plus the support form the nurses(!) too see them through.

The exeat, a probationer-style weekend off from Friday afternoon until Monday morning the weekend before Christmas comes as a very welcome respite.

The pretty much have no time to themselves, even cramming in ice skating, pizza eating and a trip to the potted panto.

Benjamin Britten's Ceremony of Carols is possibly our favourite, not only did Britten write the piece especially for boy's voices but it's short and the only musical accompaniment is a single harp, so it's pretty much perfect. If you're really lucky and get into the Cathedral earlier in the day, you might even catch a glimpse of them rehearsing.

The Celebration of Christmas is quite a different affair, corporately sponsored and featuring a large orchestra (the City of London Sinfonia). It includes traditional carols the audience can sing along to as well as readings from actors, politicians and the like.

The first piece was Once in Royal David's City. Apparently all the most senior boys had rehearsed for the first verse solo but won't have known who it would be until the last minute.

Contrary to my last post when I observed that tom always seemed to be stood behind or off to one side, for these two events he was plumb in the middle, according to one of the gap students, Tom seems to perform better when he has a very clear view of the conductor (although Tom himself isn't quite sure why he's positioned there).

These concerts and the Christmas Eve carol services in particular get ever more popular and this year a giant screen and sound system were erected in Paternoster Square. Glad I was inside, as it was snowing all evening.

Photo from the Cahedral's facebook pages

 

Messiah.

In a word...

Awesome.

 

Each year, in early December, the boys perform this great work along with the Vicars Choral (the full-time men) St Paul's Cathedral Chorus (the amateur choir formed to augment the Cathedral Choir for Messiah and during Holy Week) and the City of London Sinfonia. 

As is tradition (well both times I've seen it at St Pauls), the soprano solos are sung by the boys, sometimes on their own, sometimes as a small group.

Another practice is to perform one or more of the pieces as anthems during Evensong and during other concerts. This year they performed...

For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given:
and the government shall be upon his shoulder;
and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor,
The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

And yes the centuries-old tradition of standing during the Hallelujah Chorus is observed.

No matter where I sit at concerts, Tom always seems to be slightly out of sight or obscured. There have numerously been flags and bassoons between us; for Messiah he was in the second row, far to the right and behind one of the taller boys.

Not that I'm complaining.