Choir of King's College (Cambridge)
Choir of King's College | |
---|---|
Seat: | Cambridge |
Carrier: | King's College, Cambridge |
Founding: | 1441 |
Genus: | Boys' choir |
Founder: | King Henry VI. |
Head : | Daniel Hyde |
Voices : | SATB , boys: soprano, men: alto, tenor and bass |
Website : | http://www.kings.cam.ac.uk/chapel/choir/ |
The Choir of King's College, Cambridge (also: King's College Choir, Cambridge ) is the choir of the educational institution of the same name and is one of the most respected and well-known representatives of the British choral tradition .
history
The choir was in 1441 by King Henry VI. , the founder of King's College, to ensure the chanting of the daily prayers and other services in the King's College Chapel . This is still the main task of the choir today.
Well-known composers have written commissioned works of liturgical music for the choir, such as Herbert Howells and John Rutter .
From 1982 to September 2019 the choir was directed by Stephen Cleobury (1948–2019). He was succeeded on October 1, 2019 by Daniel Hyde.
Much of the choir's worldwide fame is based on the annual BBC broadcast of the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols on Christmas Eve, which is followed by millions of listeners .
Members
The college's statutes provide for sixteen choir members. These are boys who receive their education at King's College School . They usually belong to the choir after a two-year probationary period from the age of ten until their voice changes. In addition, since the beginning of the 20th century, the male voices have been sung by fourteen college students who have received a scholarship as choral scholars . They usually belong to the choir for three years until the first exam.
Music director
The choir is led by the Director of Music , who is a fellow of the college. In the past these were:
- 1876–1929: Arthur Henry Mann
- 1929–1957: Boris Ord
- 1940–1945: Harold Darke (Deputy for Boris Ord during World War II)
- 1957-1973: Sir David Willcocks
- 1974–1982: Philip Ledger
- 1982-2019: Stephen Cleobury
- 2019– : Daniel Hyde
Choral Scholars
Applicants for a scholarship as a choral scholar not only have to prove their musical skills in the choral trials , but also have to have received a regular study place - not necessarily in music, but in any subject (except medicine and architecture).
Two of the choral scholars are assigned the role of beater , one as a senior and one as a junior beater (traditionally these are the Senior Choral Scholar and his designated successor). They suggest (ger .: to beat ) the clock (or conduct) by, even if the inside of the stalls during the Psalms and often the Introit of worship Director of Music is present.
Very rarely does it happen that a non-student singer belongs to the choir as a so-called lay clerk ; mostly when there is an unforeseen vacancy at the Choral Scholars (for example, if a student has received preliminary admission but has not achieved the required school leaving certificate ( A-Level )). Most of them were choral scholars who agreed to stay in the choir for another year after their exams.
The Choral Scholars form the ensemble The King's Men (formerly: Collegium Regale ) outside the choir and sing a wide range of music for male voices under this name, from early music to barbershop (often by current or former choral scholars especially for the group arranged). The ensemble is usually led by the two beaters .
Other singing groups that emerged from the Choral Scholars :
- The King's Singers (1968-present)
- Pange Lingua , under the direction of Berty Rice (1990s)
- Polyphony (1986-today)
- The Scholars (1960s – present - also known as The Scholars Baroque Ensemble )
Well-known former members
- Orlando Gibbons - composer
- Michael Chance - counter tenor
- James Gilchrist - tenor
- Richard Farnes - Music Director, Opera North
- Stephen Layton - conductor
- Edward Gardner - conductor, English National Opera
- Stephen Varcoe - baritone
- Robert Tear - tenor
- Andrew Kennedy - tenor (winner of the Rosenblatt Song Award at the Cardiff Singer of the World 2005)
- Andrew Davis - conductor
- David Willcocks
- Simon Preston - organist and conductor
- Marcus Creed - conductor
Organ Scholars
The organ is played by two Organ Scholars who, like the Choral Scholars, are also college students. If the Director of Music is absent, one of the Organ Scholars will lead the choir. A new organ scholarship is awarded whenever an organ scholar leaves the university after completing his exams; this ensures that the college always has two organists. For applicants for an organ scholarship in Cambridge there is an exception to the rule of the UCAS application system, which prohibits simultaneous application in Cambridge and Oxford . Since King's College became a co-educational college, there have been a few female applicants for the position of organ scholars , but so far the scholarships have only been awarded to men.
Tours
The choir goes on numerous tours . Longer concert tours usually take place in summer and during the Christmas holidays, shorter ones throughout the year. Previous tours have included:
- 1996 - South Africa
- Summer 1998 - Hong Kong and Australia
- January 2000 - Bermuda
- April 2000 - France ( Paris )
- July / August 2000 - Far East (Hong Kong, Macau , Taipei , Tokyo ) and the USA
- April 2001 - Greece ( Athens , Thessaloniki )
- June 2001 - Netherlands ( Haarlem )
- July / August 2001 - Australia
- September 2001 - Belgium
- December 2001 - France (Paris)
- Summer 2002 - Belgium
- Summer 2003 - Germany
- December 2003 - Netherlands
- Summer 2004 - Hong Kong
- December 2004 - USA
- September 2005 - Italy
- December 2005 - Switzerland , Holland and Belgium
- January 2006 - Italy
- May 2006 - Germany ( Stuttgart )
- September 2006 - Sweden ( Gothenburg )
- December 2006 - Far East ( Korea and Singapore )
- June 2007 - Turkey ( Istanbul Festival)
- August 2007 - Estonia , Latvia and Finland
- September 2007 - France and Germany
Recordings
Recent recordings on the EMI Classics label include:
- 1998: Rutter: Requiem
- 1999: Rachmaninov: Vespers
- 2000: Bach: Magnificat
- 2001: Best Loved Hymns
- 2001: Trade: Coronation Anthems
- 2002: Vivaldi: Gloria, Magnificat, Dixit Dominus
- 2004: Rachmaninov: Liturgy of St John Chrysostom
- 2005: Heavenly Voices
- 2005: Rutter: Gloria
- 2005: Gregorian Chant
- 2005: On Christmas Day
- 2006: Purcell: Music for Queen Mary
- 2006: Brahms: A German Requiem
- 2007: I Heard a Voice - Music of the Golden Age
- 2014: I Was Glad: The Immortal Sound
The choir has been publishing its recordings under its own label since 2012 . The first release was a double CD released in October 2012 with a cross-section of recordings from the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols from 2007–2012.
Web links
- Works by and about Choir of King's College in the catalog of the German National Library
- Website of the choir
- The King's Men website
Individual evidence
- ↑ Sir Stephen Cleobury (1948-2019) , accessed November 23, 2019
- ↑ King's College appoints new Director of Music , accessed November 23, 2019
- ↑ Choral Awards