As you walk down the Royal Mile in Edinburgh, you can see the beautiful 15th century Bell Tower which rises above the High Kirk of Scotland, better known by some as St. Giles Cathedral. This wondrous building, founded in the early 12thcentury, is said to pre-date most of Edinburgh’s Old Town and, on approach to the West Door, you can only admire its splendour.
It is Saturday 23 May and a number Cathedral Music Trust Friends and Patrons are gathering at the Cathedral to learn more about its history and to listen to a concert given by the Cathedral Choir. The event began with a tour led by a highly professional and knowledgeable guide, who showed us some of the outstanding stained glass windows. The highlight of which for me, was the Robert Burns Window situated at the cathedral’s West end. We were shown a large statue of John Knox, the great reformer of the Church of Scotland, who in the 16th century was invited by the Scottish Lords to keep Scotland a Protestant country. There was so much to see, a copy of the National Covenant, the Saint’s Window, a plaque in the nave showing where the late Queen Elizabeth II’s coffin lay in state and, of course, the Thistle Chapel! The Order of the Thistle is Scotland’s order of chivalry and has its roots in the Middle Ages. The Chapel, designed by Robert Lorimer and finished in 1911is absolutely breath-taking and includes a Sovereign’s stall at its West end.
Following our tour, we were invited to climb the 100 or so steps to the cathedral roof which provided us with exceptional views of the Royal Mile and the Forth Estuary. We were taken into the Bell Tower which houses historic bells, including the 1632 tenor bell. The timber framework is said to date back to the mid 15th century. As we walked back to ground level, we heard the Cathedral Choir for the first time as they were rehearsing for the concert. What a rich, vibrant, choral sound!
The Master of Music is Jack Oades, in his second year at the Cathedral. He first heard the St. Giles’ Rieger organ at the age of 16 and loved the sound so much, decided to learn to play the instrument. He read music at Pembroke College, Cambridge and gained a Masters in Composition at Trinity College, Dublin. In addition to holding posts in Cambridge, the Isle of Man, Dublin, and London, Jack was also a Lay Clerk at Exeter Cathedral and is a Fellow of the Royal College of Organists.
The Concert was truly magical, starting with David Briggs Jubilate Deo and James Macmillan’s Factus est repente, one of the Strathclyde Motets with an organ accompaniment sounding like highland bagpipes! We also had the privilege of listening to two sections of Palestrina’s Missa Veni Creator Spiritus and the sublime Loquebantur variis linguis by Thomas Tallis. A large number of the pieces in this well-planned programme were from the 20th century. The choir demonstrated sensitivity and musicianship in Andrew Carvel’s (A tenor Lay-Clerk at St. Giles) lovely Come, Holy Ghost,and Do Not be Afraid by Philip Stopford, along with Come, thou Holy Spirit, a short piece by Stuart Murray Mitchell, and Listen, sweet dove by Grayston Ives. Jack Oades also included one of his own pieces, O Taste and See which was much admired by the audience. The highlight of the concert was the world premiere of Paul Mealor’s Let us Sing, full of beautiful melodies, and underpinned by a wonderful organ accompaniment. The composer was in the audience, and it was rewarding to hear the rapturous applause!
The Reiger Organ looks and sounds fantastic! The organ case was constructed in 1992 from Austian oak. There are 4,156 pipes. Its sonorous notes filled the cathedral, particularly during a performance of Simon Preson’s Alleluyas, a lively, spiky piece, with overtones of both jazz, and themes by Olivier Messiaen.
Sadly, all good things have to come to an end, but what a finale it was, the Te Deum (Collegium Regale) by Herbert Howells! As the final chords rang out around that colourful, entrancing, spiritual space, one could only sit back and revel in the moment! The title of Paul Mealor’s piece kept running through my head – Let is Sing! Let us Sing! Let us Sing!
Dr. Robert Horton , Regional Coordinator (Scotland)
