Abbey choristers learn from leading church musician
On Saturday 25 March the choristers of Romsey Abbey, led by Organist and Choirmaster Robert Fielding, were granted the rare privilege of a masterclass with the Organist of St Pauls Cathedral, Malcolm Archer. After vocal warm-up exercises they wer put through their paces in Philip Moore's anthem Through the day and George Oldroyd's Prayer to Jesus. Mr Archer encouraged them to focus on the most important word in a musical phrase and shape it accordingly.
Afterwards the Romsey boys were allowed to sit in on a practice for the choristers of St Pauls. Dick Hewett, a baritone in the Abbey Choir, noted afterwards, 'The choristers of St Paul's are chosen by audition and practice twice daily. The tone produced by the Abbey choristers, whose selection and schedule is not so intensive, therefore bears comparison.'
It being the Feast of the Assumption, Choral Evensong was replaced by a service of Eucharist, sung to Schubert's Mass in G. Although much detail obviously went into the performance, as heard in rehearsal, much of it was unfortunately lost in the resonant acoustic of the building. It was nevertheless a memorable experience.
To ensure that the day was not completely music-focused for the boys, the visit to St Pauls was preceded by an enjoyable visit to the Imperial War Museum.
Practicing in the song school at St Paul's Cathedral