Music

Background

Music has always been an important aspect of worship at St Mary’s. The church has a Director of Music, organists and choral scholars, as well as a church choir, singing choral services on regular occasions. The church is also proud to own a famous neo-classical organ by Frobenius.

Choral services

On first Sundays of the month a Sung Eucharist is usually offered, which typically involves the choral scholars and church choir in the singing of a Latin mass setting and a communion motet. Additional choral services are offered on Maundy Thursday (evening Sung Eucharist), Good Friday (Three hours devotion) and Ascension Day, as well as carol services at either Advent or Christmas and Epiphany (Carols by Candlelight).

The regular church choir consists of committed members of the congregation who support the singing at morning services and join our five choral scholars for special services.

In addition to supporting our Sunday services the choral scholars, Helen Pritchard (soprano), Jane Searle (soprano), Tessa Forbes (alto), Graham Wili (tenor) and Nicholas Langston (bass), are planning to hold an annual summer concert and sing choral evensong from time to time.

The Frobenius organ

Installed in 1975 by Frobenius Organ Builders of Lyngby, Denmark, the organ at St. Mary’s is widely praised for its responsive touch and unique sound. It is a small two-manual neo-classical instrument with mechanical action, whose specification can be found on the National Pipe Organ register at the following link:

http://www.npor.org.uk/cgi-bin/Rsearch.cgi?Fn=Rsearch&rec_index=N08960