Belfast lacks a chorus fit for a King
NewsWe reported in July that St Ann’s Cathedral in Belfast has sacked its paid choir and dismissed its excellent director of music, Matthew Owens.
Today, for the visit by King Charles, they’ve had to rustle up members of an amateur choir to support singers from Northern Ireland Opera.
Owens very generously posted last night:
I send my best wishes to the Priory Singers, members of Northern Ireland Opera, and all the other musicians conducted by Philip Bolton in their preparations for tomorrow’s ‘Service of Reflection and Thanksgiving for the Life of Queen Elizabeth II’, which will take place tomorrow in Belfast Cathedral. They have all been asked to perform at this important occasion, as the cathedral currently has no choir or cathedral musicians.
The music which I chose, during my time as Director of Music (which ended just recently on 31st August) aims to reflect something of Northern Ireland (the ‘Nunc dimittis’ by Armagh-born Charles Wood), the island of Ireland (a psalm chant by Dublin-born Sir Charles Villiers Stanford) and the personal tastes of His Majesty, King Charles III (a piece by the late Sir John Tavener, who was a personal friend of the then Prince of Wales).
I am sure that the service, in the presence of the King and Queen Consort, along with the Prime Minister and invited guests, will be one of dignity, solemnity, reflection, and thanksgiving for the life and service of Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. May she rest in peace.
God save the King.
This should be done in silence. Then King Charles can turn to Truss and ask “Do you LIKE this?”
And she can reply that it is the result of Government policy.
Then he says “Oblige me!”
(With apologies to Peter Shaffer).
Another example of ordinary people busting a gut to save the establishment from being embarrassed by its own actions.
The longer we do this, the longer it will take to fix things properly.
There is no established church in Northern Ireland. I do not see why the UK government should or would pay the salaries of singers and other musicians at the Church of Ireland cathedral in Belfast.
There was an established church in Ireland until the 1870s, Church of Ireland when it was disestablished by Gladstone, my ancestor opposed it.
In Germany I understand they pay a church tax or they do not bury you. I think funding choirs in Cathedrals show continue. They are not paid direct from the government, but from donations.
He could also set an example to the tax-avoiding rich by actually paying some inheritance tax. That would be a start on the road to fixing things.
The Church of Ireland is not the established church, nor the Anglican Church in Wales.
What are you on about. The Church of Ireland is not in Wales, it is a sister church of England, which is not disestablished, wise up. In Ireland it was disestablished by Gladstone in the 1870s. GB HAS an established church, Church of England.
There is no need to be sarcastic and rude and apear to be a know-all.
This is from my priest-friend who wlrks in the Anglican Church in Wales:
1920
Unlike the Church of England, the Church in Wales is not an established church. Disestablishment took place in 1920 under the Welsh Church Act 1914. As a province of the Anglican Communion, the Church in Wales recognises the Archbishop of Canterbury as a focus of unity but without any formal authority.
The Anglican Church in Wales is not the established church either, only the Church of England so regardless, funding for choirs is poles apart.
Perhaps King Charles III can spare a dime from his vast wealth:
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/13/world/europe/king-charles-wealth.html
This was previously reported by Lunchtime O’Boulez in Private Eye. Also by Belfast Telegraph and Church Times. They have a cash flow problem, like everywhere else and had to let their rebellious choir go.
Please note the spelling error. it is St. Anne’s Cathedral, not Ann. Grr!
https://www.churchtimes.co.uk/articles/2022/12-august/news/uk/st-anne-s-cathedral-belfast-to-replace-adult-choir-with-volunteers-to-cut-costs
Don’t worry! We all make silly mistakes if at all human!!
I understand King Charles III claims he is defender of faiths no longer the faith! I would not count on his help at all, with all his Duchy of Cornwall funds.
He has been brilliant with the mosques and the synagogues, not just silly versions of Christianity and multiple denominations.
I understand that Neil Hannon has made a special choral arrangement of his masterwork, My lovely Horse to be sung at next week’s service at Westminster Abbey. Her Majesty being very fond of the horses as you all know.
The great Franz Schubert once wrote: “I have composed many wonderful things, the Octet, the Ninth Symphony, the Rosamunde music, the Death and the Maiden Quartet, as well as innumerable songs for voice and piano; yet when I compare myself with Neil Hannon the composer of My Lovely Horse I desire only to throw my entire work on the fire.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jzYzVMcgWhg
St Annes is actually embarking in creating an ecumenical cross community choir school in North Belfast. As Father Jack Hackett wisely remarked to a group of visiting bishops at Parochial House, that would be an ecumenical matter.
Yes, more useful.
Why pretend to have a choir at all. FOOLS.
It was a huge and beautiful choir, who sang willingly and wanted to be there, however it was formed, and they were superb. They should not be belittled.
St Anne’s is not very old, c 1900. St Patrick’s Cathedral, Dublin has a choir school founded in the 15th century, St Anne’s does not. I was a chorister at St Patrick’s when Victor Griffin was Dean.
It was a wonderful service with beautuful music very well played and sung. The addresses, prayers and sermon were very well thought out, and a great outward sign of Christian ecumenism in a still fractious society of Northern Ireland with it’s history – that’s all that matters.
St Anne’s Choir and organist were funded very differently as part of the not established Church of Ireland, a minority Christian denomination beneath Catholics, Presbyterians (and even Muslims) in a country with a very small population of about 2 million. It is an Anglican province in its own right, part of the UK but not part of the by far richer Church of England. Funding is very dofferent. It cannot be compared to any English cathedral.
As a long-time member of the Priory Singers who were asked to sing at Tuesday’s service in St Anne’s cathedral in the absence of a cathedral choir, I feel I should correct some inaccuracies in this article. The Priory Singers (formed in 1986 by former organist and choirmaster of the cathedral Dr WH Grindle) have many years’ experience of Anglican cathedral music, having sung services at most of the main English cathedrals – last month we sang the services at Lincoln cathedral for a week. We were joined on this occasion by 5 members of NI Opera’s freelance chorus. While I personally feel that it is a great shame that the wonderful work that Matthew Owens had begun in the cathedral will not now continue due to the cathedral’s financial situation, I do wish that Mr Lebrecht had actually listened to our contribution to the service before writing that we were not ‘fit for a King’.