Unofficial sound archive of Guildford Cathedral Choir (1961-1974) during Barry Rose's tenure as Organist & Master of the Choristers. This archive is a private, non-commercial initiative and has no connection with Guildford Cathedral.
With the exception of two uploads, this is a sound-only archive, allowing you to sit back and listen without distractions to what was, at the time, one of England's finest cathedral choirs. The choir was founded by Barry Rose in September 1960, prior to the consecration of the cathedral on 17 May 1961. He remained in post at Guildford until 1974, when he moved to St Paul's Cathedral. For more about Barry Rose, see en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barry_Rose and www.barryrose.co.uk. Barry's autobiography is available as a Kindle download at www.amazon.co.uk/Sitting-Pin-Musical-Barry-Rose-ebook/dp/B09NHQ1GLJ/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=B09NHQ1GLJ&qid=1639872086&sr=8-1.
ArchivesofSound is now under the auspices of the Archive of Recorded Church Music.
Thank you - I have been humming (the alto part of) this for a while and struggled to identify it -- last sang it over 40 years ago. I love the way the music echoes the sense in 'sunt secuti' and in 'sine die'
I too remember this from my junior school circa 1960 we sang this as a choir at the local church. I love this and so pleased I found this from Guildford Cathedral - beautiful 😊.
Definitely the best canticles ever written 100%, and since I am a sop and I have sang in a church choir almost all my life I used to sing the solo as a treble and this and it is the only piece of music I sing second sop 😅
Trebles' favourite....the best chance to hear our Vicars Choral and Lay Clerks on song and the finest set of dramatic set-pieces, the best (my personal favourite) being 'and the redeemed shall walk there'. A pity about about the tedious note-spinning 'stile antico' movement 'And the ransomed of the Lord' but the rest is most engaging.
We were carefully instructed as soloists about diction, & not to sing; "He heapeth up, heapeth up breeches!" (as well as, "and dever shall be, world without tend, amen". But that's for another video).
Although I am a decidedly Ernest Lough fan, this is quite superb. 2 things I notice: 1) That Barry Rose uses the shortened "EL" version, rather than the longer version usually heard today. 2) That the tempo is beautiful, again, similar to the Thalben-Ball recording, unusual for 1972? My suspicion is that Barry Rose was, like me, a secret fan of EL & TB! And NO wonder!
This recording seems to be around a quarter tone sharper than A440. Was the Guildford Cathedral tuned higher than A440 at that time or has something happened to the original recording to make it now sound sharper?
Ok So far was a por of this choir, this recording BUT it is the the best very BUT I have heard so my many versions over the years But bloody hell we we were the very best. Barry Rose had the vision and he amalgamated a a very rare collection of rare talent into the best best choir in the world - ever. Been around the world, heard many things, this is raw GREATEST ever/
