The Choir

The Choir had a busy term, for besides its normal function of leading the singing in Chapel, it travelled to Ripon to take part in the first Royal School of Church Music Festival for Northern Schools in the Cathedral, and appeared on the stage at the School Concert.

During the term the trebles struggled hard to make their cracking voices last for the Commemoration Anthem "I was glad" (Parry), and some managed to produce good tone on the top B flat Parry has given them in his climax on the last page. These experienced trebles will be sorely missed next term, but we shall look forward to seeing them back as the altos, tenors and basses of the future.

We say goodbye also to many tenors and basses who are leaving, all of whom have our best wishes. It is good to have seen more than one former member of the School Choir in the Minster Choir recently.

Because of the R.S.C.M. Festival the music list contains more novelties than usual. Of these Dr. Statham's "Praise thou the Lord" was a favourite from the start.

Carol: This joyful Eastertide. Motet: Splendente te--Mozart.* Anthem: Come Holy Ghost—Attwood. All from the sun's uprise—Tomblings.* How goodly are thy tents—Ouse/ey.* Praise thou the Lord—S'tatham.* Give us the wings of faith—Bullock. Save us, 0 Lord—Bairstow. Thou wilt keep him—S. S. Wesley. I was glad—Parry. Settings: Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis—Stanford in B flat. Jubilite—Stanford in B flat.* * New music.

THE CHOIR AT RIPON

Some of the more conservative back-benchers of the Choir shook their locks, and felt that things were not what they used to be, on hearing that the outing would not be to Scarborough this year. Something new was planned, a visit to Ripon to take part in the first Northern School Choirs' Festival arranged by the Royal School of Church Music.

So on 7th June we went to Ripon, a respectable, quiet city, over whose Town Hall is painted the pleasing sentiment, "Except ye Lord keep ye cittie, ye Wakeman waketh in vain"; the Wakeman once being the leading citizen of Ripon. In the Market Place stands a high column to commemorate sixty years' service as M.P. for this one-time "rotten borough" by William Aislabie, son of the Old Peterite Chancellor, John Aislabie, who helped to blow the South Sea Bubble.

The main purpose of the visit was, of course, to sing, and sing we did. In little more than an hour's rehearsal in the afternoon, Mr. 35