Sunday, 21st May, 2023
It being Sunday, we had the opportunity to attend several services.
The first of these was a Choral Eucharist at Durham Cathedral at
10:00am. The setting was “Missa Brevis” by Mozart from which we
heard the Gloria, Sanctus and Angus Dei. The choir of girls and
adults also sang “O Salutaris Hostia” by Rossini. There were only 11
girls, two of whom were probationers so they were a little
overpowered by the other parts. Nevertheless, the music was of a
high standard.
We stayed at the cathedral for Matins which followed at 11:30am. The
responses were by Philip Radcliffe, the Festival Te Deum by Britten
and the Jubilate by Walton. The anthem was “The Call” by Richard
Lloyd. The organ voluntary was “Prelude and Fugue on a Theme of
Vittoria” by Britten. Once again the music was of a good standard,
particularly the Te Deum.
After lunch in the cathedral cafe (cream of tomato soup and a piece
of chocolate cake) we went for a walk down to the River Wear.
Newcastle is only a half-hour drive from Durham so we ventured there
to visit the cathedral. When we
arrived, we found a choir and orchestra rehearsing for a concert
that night so we were a little restricted in the taking of
photographs but we were able to move around pretty freely
considering.
Looking from the Nave into the Quire
I enjoyed some of the poppyheads
This lectern is purported to be the oldest in Northern
England. It is pre-Reformation.
The Bishop's Throne
There are several organs in the cathedral
Some angels above the choir stalls
A brass memorial removed from the floor so as to conserve it.
There were a great many stained-glass windows. This one shows
the Lord's Supper.
Saints Aidan and Oswald
Weatheringsett Organ
When the soundboard of this organ was discovered in a
farmhouse in Wetheringsett, Suffolk in 1977, it was being used
as a dairy door. An organ soundboard is a central, vertical
wooden plate built into the body of the instrument. Its
unmistakable holes and grooves led to its recovery and
preservation.
Constructed from Baltic oak dating no earlier than 1525, this
aged wood provides clues to the typical shape, size and sound
of pre-Reformation organs.
This soundboard is characteristically English and perhaps
local to where it was discovered. East Anglian organ builders
were well-known in Tudor England.
This instrument is a reconstruction of an English
pre-Reformation organ built in 2001-2.
Archival research into construction specifications of the
period was undertaken, with the soundboard as a starting
point. This replica gives a reliable idea of what Tudor organ
music would have sounded like.
"And I saw a new heaven" Revelation 21:1
Saints Oswald and Cuthbert from the window above. I really
enjoyed this window because of the llittle extras depicted.
See below.
Saints Edmund and Edward
St Nicholas (the Patron Saint of the Cathedral)
The Venerable Bede
The view from the back of the cathedral (after the choir and
orchestra had stopped rehearsing)
The Pulpit
A detail of the above
And another detail of the Pulpit. I'm not sure that this lion
would give me confidence as I ascended the steps to preach!
We were able to sit in the Quire for Evensong. The responses were by
Clucas, the canticles were the “Trinity Fauxbourdons” by Park, and
the anthem “God is Gone Up” by Gerald Finzi. The standard was
excellent. According to a lady we spoke with after the service, the
current director of music has “done wonders. Before he came the
music was painful.”
We found that the concert was to start at 6:00pm and was part of the
Northern Chords Festival at the cathedral. As the program included
Handel’s Coronation Anthem “Zadok the Priest”, Mozart’s Piano
Concerto No.20 in D minor K466, and his “Coronation Mass”, we
decided to stay for that too! The musicians involved were:
Martin James Bartlett piano
Julieth Lozano soprano
Caitlin Golding mezzo
Ben Johnson tenor
Andri Björn Róbertsson bass
Voices of Hope
London Mozart Players
Northern Chords Community Choir
All conducted by Jonathan Bloxham
The £15 tickets for this concert turned out to be a wonderful
investment, the standard of the musicians was amazing. The pianist
was only 26 years old but he had total control of his instrument. It
was definitely one of the highlights of our trip to this point.
Queen Victoria was waiting for us after
the concert.
The Tyne Bridge in
Newcastle looked strangely familiar!
