Month: January 2021

Abbey hosts visit of American organists No tour of the churches in the south and west of England would be complete without taking in a visit to Romsey Abbey, which boasts some of the finest Norman architecture in the country. Given that the party of Americans who came recently were all organists and organ aficionados… Continue reading Abbey hosts visit of American organists

Good response to RSCM invitation to ‘come and sing’ Jeffrey Williams reviews performance of Fauré Requiem Some 80 singers from all corners of the Winchester Diocese and beyond responded to a come and sing invitation from the Winchester branch of the Royal School of Church Music: perform Faure’s Requiem in the magnificent surroundings of Romsey’s Norman Abbey. It was particularly… Continue reading Good response to RSCM invitation to ‘come and sing’

Abbey choirs unite once again On Sunday 9 October we once more enjoyed welcoming our colleagues from Sherborne Abbey Choir to sing Choral Evensong with us. We brought George Dyson’s Evening Service in D back into our repertoire in honour of the occasion and duly raised the roof in the final bars of the Magnificat,… Continue reading Abbey choirs unite once again

Listen to us online You can now listen as you browse through our site, provided that your PC has a soundcard, speakers and the RealAudio® player installed. Simply click on a hyperlink to start: Choral Bairstow: Let all mortal flesh keep silent (3:13) Balfour-Gardiner: Evening Hymn (5:52) Bruckner: Locus iste (2:53) Byrd: Ave Verum Corpus (3:59) Duruflé: Ubi caritas (Quatre motets sur des thèmes… Continue reading Listen to us online

Who’s who: the Director of the Girls’ Choir Diane Williams teaches in the specific learning difficulties department at Stanbridge Earls School, near Romsey. She began her teaching career in West Sussex upon graduation from Bath College of Higher Education in 1978, moving to Hampshire in 1981. Her musical achievements, in addition to founding the Girls’… Continue reading Who’s who: the Director of the Girls’ Choir

How to get to Romsey The historic market town of Romsey is well connected with the rest of England by road, rail and, indeed, air. The centre of Southampton, the major economic centre of the region, is just seven miles away. A map of the area is provided at the foot of the page, prefaced… Continue reading How to get to Romsey

Stop press: new guidebook just published The organist, Jeffrey Williams, has now produced a guide to the organs that detail their history in greater depth than the abstract on this page. If you are interested in purchasing a copy – provisional price: £2.50 – e-mail us with your contact details and we will pass your details to… Continue reading Stop press: new guidebook just published

Liturgy used in Choral Services at the Abbey Sung Eucharist, or Holy Communion as it used to be called, begins at 10am and uses Order One (‘contemporary’ language version) from Common Worship (CW). The Sanctus, Benedictus and Agnus Dei from the Ordinary of the Communion Service are sung by us to a variety of settings ranging from Palestrina to Leighton, whilst… Continue reading Liturgy used in Choral Services at the Abbey

A brief history of Romsey Abbey The Abbey Church of St Mary and St Ethelflaeda can trace its origins back to 907 AD, the year in which King Edward the Elder, son of the Saxon King Alfred the Great, first settled some nuns here under the charge of his daughter Elflaeda. King Edgar refounded the… Continue reading A brief history of Romsey Abbey