All the Christmas services have now taken place and, as usual, it has been a hectic term for the choir. In September we had the Trust’s National Gathering and there were many plaudits from members about the wonderful standard of singing over the weekend. In October, we welcomed our new organ scholar, Jacob Costard, and the choir gave two diocesan concerts. These form an important part of the cathedral’s outreach programme, which were continued when the choir sang carols at Salisbury Hospital. Another very successful ‘Be a chorister for a day’ took place in October and the choir gave a live broadcast of Choral Evensong on BBC Radio 3 in November, which was very well received.
The Darkness to Light processions, eagerly anticipated by the choristers, took place over the Advent Sunday weekend, and on the following Sunday during Evensong we had the Chorister Bishop ceremony. In her sermon, Emmie explored the relationship between adults and children, and said wisely that every choice made by adults has a consequence for a child somewhere in the world.
This year’s performance of Messiah on 6 December was dedicated to John Powell who died, aged 91, in April 2024. John sang his final Messiah only the previous year and his deep, powerful voice is greatly missed. As the programme notes said, ‘John had an exceptional bass voice, a beaming smile, an infectious laugh, and knew his music’. He certainly did!
The two Carols by Candlelight services were both very well attended and amongst the carols sung by the choir were the Salisbury Carol by Errollyn Wallen, and one of my favourite settings, John Gardner’s arrangement of Tomorrow shall be my dancing day. The music at Midnight Mass was Langlais’s Messe Solennelle, and on Christmas Day we heard Missa Sancti Nicolai by Haydn. It was a delight to see such large congregations for all the Christmas services and the choir thoroughly deserved their Christmas break.
In December the cathedral took delivery of a pre-Christmas present, a wonderful new Chamber Organ, made by Henk & Niels Klop, renowned builders of harpsichords and continuo instruments in The Netherlands. The instrument was a generous gift from the Friends of Salisbury Cathedral, and used for the first time at Evensong on 3 December, and then in concert for Handel’s Messiah.
So, the new term has now begun and earlier this month John Challenger played Messiaen’s La Nativite du Seigneur at Organ Vespers, which is always a wonderful occasion. To conclude the Christmas season we have the beautiful Epiphany Procession to look forward to, when the choir will sing the last two parts of Bach’s Christmas Oratorio.
By Chris Barnard, Local Ambassador for Salisbury
