All Saints' Wokingham Choir at St. Paul's Cathedral
Saturday 29th April 2006

In 604 the first Christian cathedral dedicated to St Paul was built on the site of the present St Paul’s Cathedral. The Cathedral as we know it today was completed in 1710, having taken 35 years to build at a cost of £738,845 5 shillings and 2½ pence – approximately £50 million in modern terms.

On Saturday 29th April the All Saints Choir sang Choral Evensong in St Paul’s Cathedral.

We needed to be at the refrectory in the Cathedral by 14:30 and although we didn’t travel together we all managed to arrive in respectable time to be greeted by Ralph and taken to the rehearsal room.

The refrectory leads into the crypt and the room where we were to make our base was located in this impressive underground area. Immediately outside the room was a rather splendid black sarcophagus which on closer examination proved to be Nelson’s tomb. Along the corridor in a simple casket made of Cornish granite, rests the Iron Duke – Arthur Duke of Wellington.

The acoustics in the practice room were excellent and gave us encouragement that even though we were missing some regular singers it would turn out all right on the day. A collection of CDs made by the Choir of St Paul’s made up a collage on the wall and was a quick reminder of the tradition and professionalism of the incumbents whom we were covering for. However the mood lightened when Ralph was delighted to discover that the music stand swayed alarmingly – even more than Ralph in full flow. We decided that it must have come from Nelson’s flagship as the only way it would remain still and upright would be on a rolling deck!

After a brief run through of the psalm and Magnificat we robed up (cassocks but not surplices) and made our way up to the main floor of the Cathedral where we were joined by Simon one of the four residentiary Canons, who was to be the Cantor for the service. After a few words of welcome we were lead onto the altar and into the choir stalls. Although many of us have visited St Paul’s before (school trips seemed to be favourite) for most of us this was our first view of the day, of the inside of the Cathedral.

It’s difficult to convey the size of St Paul’s other than to say that it is huge. Everything about it is overwhelming – certainly one of my first impressions when sitting in the Choir stalls at the rehearsal was how on earth were we going to be able to fill this place with music. Although we numbered just over twenty, we barely made an impression on the number of choir stalls – the normal Choir has 18 adult singers and approximately 40 choristers. From our position it was possible to look right up into the dome and the cupula. The people looking down at us from the galleries were too far away to be seen clearly - hardly surprising as they were 280 ft off ground level.

The cathedral has no regular congregation and visitors from many different backgrounds and countries attend the services. The service sheet drew our attention to the importance of leading worship in such an important and holy place “As words and music come together and enrich each other, our senses and intellects, our hearts and minds, are drawn closer to God” .

So we were coming to terms as to what was expected of us. But we hadn’t bargained on the noise! And what a noise! Ralph had warned us about the constant background sound but it is still a shock to walk out of a quiet corridor, up the stairs and hear the noise level increasing as you approach the main body of the Cathedral. This wasn’t the whispering that you normally get in Churches or smaller Cathedrals. This was hundreds of people trying to be heard above all the other people, also trying to be heard. Of course there is always a reaction when a robed Choir walks out in procession. At St Georges’ Chapel, we were a source of great interest to hoards of Japanese tourists – if we had charged for photos, we could have funded the Tower restoration!

At St Paul’s, everyone at the front of the Cathedral stopped to watch us whist the people at the back, being too far away to see us, carried on talking and walking, so the noise level continued but as a ‘white noise’ rolling in from the back of the Cathedral. Of course when we started the rehearsal something like 200 people immediately sat down and settled in for the ‘show’.

Simon had a good voice. He also had a microphone and a tuning fork. As he lead us into the rehearsal for the responses, it became obvious why all three were necessary. In my naivety I had expected the Cathedral to quieten down as soon as we started singing – this is normally the case when we rehearse at other Cathedral visits. But far from it. In fact the music possibly sparked off more noise as people were trying to identify where the music was coming from. As we launched into the responses the extent and impact of this background noise became immediately apparent – I could only hear myself and David and Ian on either side of me! I could see from the reaction of other choir members that they were experiencing the same effect. Comparing notes afterwards we all agreed that the only time we could hear the choir as a unit was in the echo at the end of a piece. Ralph has always insisted that ‘first and foremost, you sing with your eyes’, meaning that we must always watch the conductor, never had this been more critical. Without being able to hear the other parts, we would quickly lose synchronisation unless we all followed Ralph’s lead. The rehearsal was an immediate awakening (if one were needed) to the task ahead.

We ran through the responses and part of the psalm and spent a little time practicing our entry and exit procession. It’s amazing the number of people who will try and walk through a processional line! But we eventually made it back to Nelson and the rehearsal room where we unrobed and were given 40 minutes to relax and explore. The nervous excitement was evident and it was hardly surprising when one member of the Choir went into the refrectory coffee shop and asked for a Jubi latte! I’m told Nelson turned a blind eye to that one!

At St Paul’s Evensong is at 17:00. At around 16:30, the staff start to shut down the Cathedral in preparation. This is not just restricted to the main access to the altar as I discovered when I met my family and decided to take Christopher my eight year old, to see Nelson’s tomb. Getting there was no problem. Getting back was almost an issue as staff were appearing from everywhere and blocking off passages and staircases back into the Cathedral. Fortunately when I explained the problem a member of the cathedral staff escorted Christopher all the way through to the Cathedral floor.

So finally it was time to get robed up and prepare ourselves. A last few words from Ralph about the importance of leading God’s worship and we were ready to go. Up the stairs of the crypt into the Choir corridor, now cordoned off and hidden from the body of the Cathedral by a large curtain. Line up in four rows, a welcome and prayer from the curate, a quick check of the watch, it’s five o’clock, back go the curtains and off we go. Process the long way, keep right angles, no curves, don’t hang about, hold your music in your left hand supported by the right. Don’t trip over the steps, mind the candles, a stolen glance at some familiar faces in the stalls – family and friends, up the steps, sharp left into the stalls, negotiate the kneelers, down to the end and about turn ready to bow all together, straighten up, hardly time to open our folders before the quiet thud of the tuning fork and……

“Oh Lord open thou our lips”……….

It went very quickly, although I can recall each of the music pieces. The solemnity of the Fauxboudons Nunc Dimitis, offsetting the joy and pace of the Song of Mary (Shepherd). The familiar Smith responses and the anthem – Exultate by Palestrina. Holding the last note and staying absolutely still until the 9 second echo finally died away.

The service was solemn and uplifting. The Canon talked about the numbers of people who had worshipped and prayed in the cathedral throughout the centuries. He emphasised the holiness of the place and invited us to lend our prayers and voices to the millions that had gone before us. The prayers included not only a prayer for All Saints parish, the Choir and our families, but also a special individual prayer for Lionel Mellor who was seriously ill – Nigel and Emily were due to sing with us but at the last minute had been called to his bedside. The Mellor family had been in our thoughts all day and this prayer in this great Cathedral added an extra poignancy.

And that was it. We processed off, the curtain was closed behind us. A few words of thanks from the Canon and it was almost finished, apart from a quick photo call on the main altar. Interestingly we managed to get a few photos taken when a member of the staff hurried over to say that we weren’t allowed to take photos. I apologised but said that we had been given permission by the Canon. The reply was immediate, “yes but we run the Cathedral, not the clergy”,

So that told me then!

Apart from the normal sung services, the Choir will be leading Choral Evensong in All Saints at 18:30 on Sunday 21st May.

John Boylan