55-420: Worcester Festival Choral Society (WFCS) is an independent, SATB (soprano, alto, tenor, bass) choir of around 150 amateur singers that presents classical choral concerts at Worcester Cathedral , Worcester . The conductor is Samuel Hudson (Worcester Cathedral’s Director of Music) and the accompanist is Nicholas Freestone (Worcester Cathedral’s Assistant Director of Music). The Chairman is Susan White. The President
110-433: A ring of twelve bells plus four semitone bells and a 4.1 tonne non-swinging bourdon . The current peal of 15 ringing bells were cast in 1928 by John Taylor & Co., of Loughborough , from the metal of the original ring cast in 1869. The bourdon bell was cast in 1869 and retuned in 1928. It is only used by the clock to strike the hours and sometimes tolls for special events. The ring is the sixth heaviest ring of twelve in
165-749: A certain extent. Significant recordings would include the Faure Requiem under Nadia Boulanger and the Bach Mass in B Minor under Otto Klemperer. However, it reverted to its old name of the BBC Singers in 1972. Following this, the BBC Choral Society was, in 1977, renamed the BBC Symphony Chorus. Recordings of the first BBC Chorus (today's BBC Symphony Chorus) and the third BBC Chorus (today's BBC Singers) can be found under
220-527: A considerable number of manuscripts which are now scattered over, among other libraries, Cambridge , London ( British Library ), Oxford ( Bodleian ), and the Cathedral library at Worcester of today. Remains of the priory dating from the 12th and 13th centuries can still be seen. John Bell's successor as bishop, Nicholas Heath , was religiously much more conservative and Catholic. During the Civil War ,
275-472: A creditable chorus in its own right, performing both with BBC orchestras and outside groups. Notable recordings include the broadcast premiere of Ralph Vaughan Williams Dona Nobis Pacem under the composer, and Delius' Sea Drift under Thomas Beecham. The death of Leslie Woodgate in 1961 brought significant changes to the BBC's music department. His replacement Peter Gellhorn abolished the 42-member BBC Chorus;
330-485: A feature designed to eliminate the draught which, prior to the installation of modern swing doors, would blow through cathedrals whenever the western doors were open. There are important parts of the building dating from every century from the 11th to the 16th. Its tower in the perpendicular style is described by Alec Clifton-Taylor as "exquisite" and is seen best across the River Severn . The earliest part of
385-570: A period of 200 years, from 1170 to 1374, some bays being a unique and decorative transition between Norman and Gothic. The oldest parts show alternate layers of green sandstone from Highley in Shropshire and yellow Cotswold limestone . The east end was rebuilt over the Norman crypt by Alexander Mason between 1224 and 1269, coinciding with, and in a very similar Early English style to, Salisbury Cathedral . From 1360, John Clyve finished off
440-716: Is The Lord Bishop of Worcester and Senior Vice President is The Dean of Worcester . Worcester Festival Choral Society was founded in 1861 and has performed classical choral music in the City of Worcester ever since. Initially staging its concerts in Worcester’s former Music Hall (later known as the Public Hall; now demolished), most of the Society’s concerts since 1930 have taken place in Worcester Cathedral . To date
495-461: Is a Church of England cathedral in Worcester , England. The cathedral is the seat of the bishop of Worcester and is the mother church of the diocese of Worcester ; it is administered by its dean and chapter . The cathedral is a grade I listed building and part of a scheduled monument . The cathedral was founded in 680. The earliest surviving fabric dates from 1084, when the cathedral
550-453: Is also famous for being the only church in the world to have a ring of ten bells in a harmonic minor key. Worcester Cathedral has three choirs: Worcester Cathedral Choir (the principal choir which has both boys' and girls' sections, normally working independently), Worcester Cathedral Voluntary Choir , and Worcester Cathedral Chamber Choir. All three were involved in the BBC broadcast of the midnight and Christmas morning services in 2007, with
605-430: Is – to St. Mary. Wulfstan , bishop of Worcester, was the last surviving Anglo-Saxon bishop, living until 1095. He was later made a saint. The cathedral is the burial place of King John , who died in 1216. The cathedral priory , one of a number of religious institutions in the city, was a major landowner and economic force, in both Worcester and the county. Its properties included the priory manor of Bromsgrove . It
SECTION 10
#1732793500761660-731: The BBC Men's Chorus and the BBC Women's Chorus : the Men's Chorus was a popular presence, performing "students songs, chanties, and so on", with the accompanist Ernest Lush delivering commentary from the piano; the Women's Chorus was less frequently heard, Woodgate on one occasion explaining "not many listeners are keen about women's voices over the air". Unlike the BBC Singers, the BBC Chorus (and its subdivisions) had fewer performances commitments on
715-530: The Three Choirs Festival Chorus. These aims are still part of its objectives today. The Society had close links with composer Sir Edward Elgar in the 1890s. At that time Elgar, who lived in Worcester , was a musician and not yet famous for composing music. Worcester Festival Choral Society had its own informal orchestral Band, and in the 1890s violinist Elgar became its leader. Several other musician members of his family also played in
770-512: The misericords date from 1379 and include a complete set of the Labours of the Months . The subject matter includes biblical stories, mythology and folklore including N-07, The Clever Daughter , which shows a naked woman draped in a net, riding a goat and carrying a rabbit under her arm. Three of the misericords are Victorian replacements such as N-02, Judas in the jaws of Satan . The tower has
825-413: The 42 professionals of the BBC Chorus, who acted as a semi-chorus where required, and supported the amateurs in challenging works. The Choral Society was the main performer in symphony concerts, and was admired for its capabilities in tackling modern music. Besides its work within the BBC Choral Society, the BBC Chorus between 1935 and 1961 established a presence in broadcasts and in the recording studio as
880-417: The BBC Singers were renamed the BBC Chorus, their subdivisions scrapped, and their numbers brought up from 16 to 28. The BBC Choral Society became an entirely amateur body, although the new BBC Chorus would sometimes perform alongside it in concerts. The newly named BBC Chorus, significantly larger than the old BBC Singers, and sometimes augmented in numbers, was able to take on the mantel of its predecessor to
935-424: The BBC schedules, and so rehearsed less frequently. Its numbers also varied from performance to performance - anywhere between 9 and the full 42 might be required in any performance, and its numbers were occasionally augmented. The BBC Chorus, in turn, served as a core section of what was now to be called The BBC Choral Society (the former BBC Chorus). This choir was made up of 250 people- all amateurs, excepting
990-658: The Director of Music and Organist was Peter Nardone . Worcester Cathedral hosts the annual graduation ceremonies for the University of Worcester . These ceremonies are presided over by the vice-chancellor of the university, and take place over four days in November. Since 2018 Worcester Cathedral became the host to the annual honours celebration of the Royal Life Saving Society UK , celebrating
1045-521: The Royal Opera House, and by May 1923 Pitt was on the BBC pay-roll as a part-time musical advisor. Under Pitt's guidance, in-house musical ensembles such as the "2LO Dance Band", the "2LO Military Band", the "2LO Light Orchestra", and the "2LO Octette" were developed, and the BBC began broadcasting symphony orchestra concerts in the same year. By 1924, the company felt it was in a position to develop its in-house choral output. Stanford Robinson
1100-612: The Society performed more than 350 concerts. It has also staged several choral premieres, been recorded, performed in other UK cities and hosted conductors such as Sir Edward Elgar . The Society’s current concert orchestra is the Meridian Sinfonia, which has played at WFCS concerts since 2013. Each concert is also supported by professional soloists. Worcester Festival Choral Society was first established in 1861. Its aims were to cultivate choral music, and to provide singers to
1155-710: The UK have included the King's Lynn festival and two Elgar Festivals at the Royal Albert Hall in the 1970s; Elgar concerts at Birmingham’s Symphony Hall with the BBC Singers and Chorus in the early 1990s; and a performance of Britten's War Requiem at Symphony Hall with the CBSO and City of Birmingham Chorus in 2004. Many of its singers also took part in a Three Choirs Festival 300th anniversary performance that
SECTION 20
#17327935007611210-609: The WFCS Band.As Elgar’s reputation grew, WFCS performed several of his choral works at its concerts, conducted by the composer. Elgar also wrote two choral works that were given their world premiere by Worcester Festival Choral Society, which he also conducted: The Black Knight (1892) and Scenes from the Bavarian Highlands (1895) [3]. Two WFCS conductors of that era were also close friends of Edward Elgar, and have music dedicated to them: his cantata The Black Knight
1265-489: The Wireless Singers, remained a 16-person group, entirely professional, paid a weekly salary, and rehearsing and performing daily; Woodgate however renamed it The BBC Singers , and divided it into Section-A and Section-B, each of 8 people. Section-A specialised in "madrigals and modern music", and was paid £1 per week more than Section-B, which specialised in light music, "part-songs and glee, and other small types";
1320-546: The Worcester Antiphoner (the only book of its kind to survive the Reformation), the will of King John, and a 1225 copy of Magna Carta . The large scriptorium at Worcester produced many manuscripts and was a place of work for many famous scribes, such as the chronicler John of Worcester and the unnamed monk identified by his distinctive handwriting as The Tremulous Hand of Worcester . Thirty-nine of
1375-674: The Worcester Festival Choral Society performed Belshazzar’s Feast by Walton held a black tie dinner in Worcester’s Guildhall , which the four living Directors of Music ( Sir David Willcocks , Dr Christopher Robinson , Dr Donald Hunt and Adrian Lucas ) attended. Worcester Cathedral Worcester Cathedral , formally the Cathedral Church of Christ and Blessed Mary the Virgin ,
1430-628: The boys and the girls of the Cathedral Choir, respectively, taking the lead in the two services. Since the 18th century, Worcester Cathedral Choir has taken part in the Three Choirs Festival , the oldest music festival in the world. The composer Edward Elgar spent most of his life in Worcestershire. The first performance of the revised version of his Enigma Variations – the version usually performed – took place at
1485-501: The building at Worcester is the multi-columned crypt in Norman style with cushion capitals remaining from the original monastic church begun by bishop Saint Wulfstan of Worcester in 1084. Also from the Norman period is the circular chapter house of 1120, made octagonal on the outside when the walls were reinforced in the 14th century. The nave was built and rebuilt piecemeal and in different styles by several different architects over
1540-566: The cathedral during the 1899 Three Choirs Festival. He is commemorated in a stained glass window which contains his portrait. Worcester Cathedral has a long history of organs dating back to at least 1417. There have been many re-builds and new organs in the intervening period, including work by Thomas Dallam , William Hill and most famously Robert Hope-Jones in 1896. The Hope-Jones organ was heavily re-built in 1925 by Harrison & Harrison , and then regular minor works kept it in working order until Wood Wordsworth and Co. were called in 1978. It
1595-574: The cathedral was heavily restored in the nineteenth century , and contains a set of furnishings by George Gilbert Scott . It contains several funerary monuments, including those of King John ; Arthur, Prince of Wales ; and the prime minister Stanley Baldwin . The cathedral was founded in 680, with a Northumbrian priest, Tatwine, appointed as its first bishop. Tatwine died before he could be consecrated, however, so his successor Bishop Bosel may be regarded as Worcester's first serving bishop. The first cathedral church, dedicated to Ss. Peter and Paul ,
1650-567: The cathedral was used to store arms, possibly as early as September 1642. Worcester declared itself for the Crown and was quickly occupied by extra Royalist forces, who were using the building to store munitions when the Earl of Essex briefly retook the city after a skirmish on its outskirts. The Parliamentary troops then ransacked the Cathedral building. Stained glass was smashed and the organ destroyed, along with library books and monuments. The See
1705-529: The cathedrals of Salisbury and Lincoln , it has two transepts crossing the nave , rather than the single transept usual on the Continent. This feature of English cathedrals was to facilitate the private saying of the Holy Office by many clergy or monks. Worcester is also typical of English cathedrals in having a chapter house and cloister . To the north side of the cathedral is an entrance porch,
Worcester Festival Choral Society - Misplaced Pages Continue
1760-463: The choir and organ casing in 1864, are now at Holy Trinity Church, Sutton Coldfield . As of January 2023 : The Cathedral contains the tomb of King John in its chancel . Before his death in Newark in 1216, John had requested to be buried at Worcester. He is buried between the shrines of St Wulfstan and St Oswald (now destroyed). The cathedral has a memorial, Prince Arthur's Chantry, to
1815-495: The community. The Protestant Hugh Latimer was bishop from 1535, and preached for reform and iconoclasm. He resigned as bishop in 1539, as a result of a theological turn by Henry VIII towards Roman Catholicism, in the Six Articles . John Bell , a moderate reformer, was bishop from 1539 to 1543, during the period of the priory's dissolution. In the early 16th century, Worcester had around 40 monks. This declined slightly in
1870-624: The long service and meritorious achievements of their lifesaving members. BBC Chorus There have been three choirs named The BBC Chorus in the history of the British Broadcasting Corporation . Founded in late 1922, the BBC's initial output was heavily music oriented. The General Manager, John Reith , made arrangements with Percy Pitt , musical director of the British National Opera Company , to broadcast operatic performances from
1925-505: The more traditional works performed are requiems, masses and oratorios by composers such as Mozart , Bach , Verdi , Haydn , Handel and Brahms . The choir also performs many late 19th/early 20th century choral pieces by composers such as Elgar , Vaughan Williams , Poulenc , Fauré and Britten ; and later works by living composers including Morten Lauridsen , Jonathan Willcocks and Jonathan Dove . In addition to its own concerts, Worcester Festival Choral Society’s appearances around
1980-421: The nave, built its vault, the west front, the north porch and the eastern range of the cloister. He also strengthened the Norman chapter house, added buttresses and changed its vault. His masterpiece is the central tower of 1374, originally supporting a timber, lead-covered spire , now gone. Between 1404 and 1432, an unknown architect added the north and south ranges to the cloister, which was eventually closed by
2035-526: The north porch. Other notable burials include: The Cathedral Library at Worcester, located since the 19th century in the loft above the South Nave, contains 289 medieval manuscripts, 55 incunabula , and 6600 post-medieval printed books. The library and archive of Worcester Cathedral also has a total of 19000 archived documents, along with a music collection containing works from famous composers such as Edward Elgar and Thomas Tomkins. Of particular note are
2090-473: The second half of the tenth century (one author gives the time range 974–977; another considers 969 more likely). There is an important connection with Fleury Abbey in France, as Oswald , bishop of Worcester from 961 to 992, was professed at Fleury and introduced the monastic rule of Fleury to the monastery that he established at Worcester around the year 966, which was dedicated – as the present cathedral church
2145-659: The small Jewish community in Worcester. Peter of Blois was commissioned by a Bishop of Worcester, probably John of Coutances , to write a significant anti-Judaic treatise Against the Perfidy of Jews around 1190. William de Blois , as Bishop of Worcester, imposed particularly strict rules on Jews within the diocese in 1219. As elsewhere in England, Jews were officially compelled to wear rectangular white badges, supposedly representing tabulae. In most places, this requirement
2200-421: The two sections would sometimes combine in bigger or complex works. Section-B of the BBC Singers also formed the core of the BBC's new mid-sized choir, The BBC Chorus . This was a choir of 42 professional singers, tasked with performing the more complicated choral pieces broadcast by the BBC considered unsuitable for an amateur chorus. The Chorus was sometimes sub-divided into Sections-A, -B, and -C, and also into
2255-495: The wearing of badges. The priory came to an end with King Henry VIII 's Dissolution of the Monasteries . Shortly beforehand, in 1535, the prior William More resigned, and was replaced by Henry Holbeach . More had a reputation for fine living, although his standards seem in line with other senior ecclesiasts of the time. However, there certainly were problems with the administration of the priory, including divisions within
Worcester Festival Choral Society - Misplaced Pages Continue
2310-401: The western range by John Chapman, 1435–1438. The last important addition is Prince Arthur ’s Chantry Chapel to the right of the south choir aisle, 1502–1504. Worcester Cathedral was extensively restored from 1857 to 1874 by W. A. Perkins and Sir George Gilbert Scott . Most of the fittings and the stained glass date from this time. Some early 17th century screens and panelling, removed from
2365-611: The world; only the bells in the cathedrals of Liverpool, Exeter, York, and St Paul's in London, and of St Mary Redcliffe church in Bristol are heavier. The bells are also considered to be one of the finest toned rings ever cast, a close contender to York Minster. The bells hang in a wooden frame that was constructed in 1869 for the previous ring. Worcester Cathedral is unique in having a purpose-built teaching centre equipped with eight special training bells, linked to computers. The Cathedral
2420-578: The years immediately before 1540, as recruitment seems to have halted. There were 35 Benedictine monks plus the Prior Holbeach at the time of dissolution, probably 16 January 1540; eleven were immediately given pensions, while the remainder became secular canons in the new Royal College. Holbeach was re-appointed as the first Dean. A further five former monks were pensioned from the college in July 1540. The former monastic library of Worcester contained
2475-539: The young prince Arthur Tudor , who is buried here. Arthur's younger brother and next in line for the throne was Henry VIII . Worcester Cathedral suffered badly from iconoclasm but was spared total destruction by Henry VIII during the English Reformation because of his brother's chantry in the cathedral. An epitaph in Latin to Henry Bright , headmaster of the King's School, Worcester , can be found near
2530-419: Was a centre of learning, providing schooling, and was associated with hospitals. The Church received a portion of local taxations, and administered ecclesiastical law as applied to Christian morals, which could result in punishments. It had close political associations with leading gentry and aristocracy. It thus had a central role in the medieval life of the city and county. The Diocese was notably hostile to
2585-606: Was a large four-manual organ with 61 speaking stops. It had a large Gothic Revival case with heavily decorated front pipes as well as two smaller cases either side of the quire. This organ (apart from the large transept case and pedal pipes) was removed in 2006 in order to make way for a new instrument by Kenneth Tickell, which was completed in the summer of 2008. The nave has a separate three-manual Rodgers organ. Notable organists at Worcester have included Thomas Tomkins (from 1596), Hugh Blair (from 1895), Ivor Atkins (from 1897) and David Willcocks (from 1950). From 2012 to 2018
2640-833: Was abolished during the Commonwealth and the Protectorate , approximately 1646–1660. The bell tower was demolished in 1647 and the building used as a prison in the aftermath of the 1651 battle. In the 1860s, the cathedral was subject to major restoration work planned by Sir George Gilbert Scott and A. E. Perkins. An image of the cathedral's west facade appeared on the reverse of the Series E British £20 note commemorating Sir Edward Elgar, issued between 1999 and 2007, remaining in circulation as legal tender until 30 June 2010. Worcester Cathedral embodies many features that are highly typical of an English medieval cathedral. Like
2695-478: Was built in this period, but no remains of its architecture survive. The crypt of the present-day cathedral dates from the 11th century and the time of Wulfstan, Bishop of Worcester. The community associated with the cathedral in the early eighth century included members of various clerical orders. The cathedral community was regulated along formal monastic lines as a consequence of the Benedictine reforms in
2750-579: Was created using Wireless Chorus singers as a semi-separate entity; and in 1928 a full sized symphony chorus was created, named the BBC National Chorus. This last, which recorded Elijah under Stanford Robinson in 1930, was renamed The BBC Chorus in 1932. Significant changes to the BBC's choral set-up came in 1934–5 with the appointment of Leslie Woodgate as the corporation's chorus master. Under him, three distinct but inter-related choirs were established. The Wireless Chorus, with its sub-group
2805-570: Was dedicated to Hugh Blair ; and the Third Pomp and Circumstance March (1904) was dedicated to Ivor Atkins . [4][5]. Other composers and conductors to have guest-conducted Worcester Festival Choral Society concerts over its history include Hubert Parry , Samuel Coleridge-Taylor , Walford Davies , Charles Villiers Stanford , Vernon Handley , Jonathan Willcocks and Sir Adrian Boult . Worcester Festival Choral Society presents choral works written for SATB chorus, orchestra and soloists. Amongst
SECTION 50
#17327935007612860-606: Was engaged as chorus master, and he proceeded to form a 16-voice choir, the BBC Wireless Chorus, made up entirely of professional singers, which was called upon to rehearse and perform on-air near daily. A larger choir, the BBC Choir, was developed for bigger works, recording Handel's Messiah in 1927 and Gounod's Faust in 1929–30, both with Thomas Beecham ; a vocal octet, the BBC Wireless Singers,
2915-746: Was given to The Prince of Wales at Buckingham Palace in 2015. The following year, one of WFCS’s past Directors of Music, Sir David Willcocks , died. As a tribute, Worcester Festival Choral Society joined Worcester Cathedral Choir to create a music CD featuring many of the Christmas carol arrangements for which David Willcocks was famous, and it briefly entered the UK’s classical music charts . The Society has commissioned two pieces from its conductors: A Song of Celebration composed by Dr Donald Hunt in 1995 (marking English Music Year); and Creation Canticles, by Adrian Lucas , in 2004. For its 150th season in 2011,
2970-549: Was rebuilt in the Romanesque style by Bishop Wulfstan . The chapter house dates from 1120, and the nave was extended in the 1170s. Between 1224 and 1269 the east end was rebuilt in the Early English Gothic style. The remainder of the nave was rebuilt in the 1360s, and the "exquisite" central tower completed in 1374. The cathedral retains a set of medieval misericords , now set into Victorian choir stalls;
3025-544: Was waived as long as fines were paid. In addition to enforcing the church laws on wearing badges, Blois tried to impose additional restrictions on usury , and wrote to Pope Gregory IX in 1229 to ask for better enforcement and further, harsher measures. In response, the Papacy demanded that Christians be prevented from working in Jewish homes, "lest temporal profit be preferred to the zeal of Christ", and insisted on enforcement of
#760239