Calling organists and singers who know about singing pslams/evensong............

[FAQ]

Please tell me I have a point on this one.

Once a month in the evening at church we have Evensong. However with the absence of a church choir (something I hope to try and start afresh once DS3 is a little older) and having an average of 7-10 people attending the service (often including me and the verger - who takes it!) of late we've been saying the Pslam.

We do sing the mag and nunc - but it's the same setting we sing each month so everyone knows it.

Now I'll be honest - Evensong is absolutely torturous for me - don't get me wrong - I love a proper Evensong with choir and/or large congregation singing - but honestly - this is just awful.

We're about to start back with the first Evensong after the summer holidays and the Verger has dropped a note through my door suggesting that we sing the Pslams again. I know his reasoning - it's because among the tiny number of regular attenders we have one soprano, one alto, one tenor, and one bass - who are all capable of holding their own line. Most of the others that come just sing the top line and struggle through.

Now he's suggested that we "arrange a pracctice at my convenience" to practice the Pslams - I personally feel it will be a complete joke - going to be like an OAP's Barber Shop Choir.

I'm hoping to talk to my Vicar on Sunday to tell her I don't want to do this - we either have a choir or we don't (and we don't right now) and I know that this is just the Verger and 2 long standing members of the church (who sang in the choir for nearly 20yrs while it existed) trying to "force" their ways on things again)

I'm not mad am I - trying to sing the Pslam with 1 of each part who have practiced,and a few member of the congregation battling along with us will be awful won't it??

• not telling, but isn't THAT exciting!!!

Not a particularly large church - but quite diverse

tortoise - that's not fair........you're not free on the 30th November are you - looking for a decent organist for DS3's Christening

omg I had to sing the Evensong (and Matins too) every week for YEARS

I too always found something about Evensong incredibly magical and I wouldn't be surprised if you come up against resistance to remove it.

As it has already been cut down to once a month, I imagine if the congregation gets any smaller, then it may disappear of its own accord.

Do you have no choir at all? No possibility of getting a few dedicated souls in for evensong choir? I love the sung evensong service.

Here's a suggestion for a variation on the Mag - at school, the whole school used to sing Dyson in C Minor (which was written for girls' voices, but actually works really well as an all purpose unison setting) - could you try that? It's a good sing, and would get rid of the problem of rogue tenor parts!

30th November is Advent Carols I'm afraid - hope you find someone!

they know what they're doing for the mag and nunc (basic chant setting) because it's the same one we've been doing for years. If I did one of the other chants it would totally flummox everyone except the 4 that have sung in choirs before, and they would be singing different things probably.

Evensong has only ever been once a month (except during August - where we have no evening services) Lent and Advent (where we there are united services with the churches together). It's the other services that used to be once a month that are now every 3 months or so...

I have no choir at all - except during University holidays - when I have some fantastic singers come back home....it's my project for next year once DS3 is easier to manage at choir practices with my DS's there (ie when I tell him to stop "playing" the piano he will actually understand and perhaps stop ).

Mind you even then several of those that have said they'd be happy to join a group/singing group (depending on the service type) have said they can't commit to every week, and that evening services are difficult and/or impossible to get to.

I knew you'd probably be busy on the 30th being Advent Sunday and all that - thought it was worth a try though . I'm no fantastic organist, but I have my "standards" and for DS2's christening was lucky to get the nephew of someone at church who, at the time, had no church to play at so was able to come up and play (and enjoyed doing so) - unfortunately (for me) not only have he and his wife had a new baby, but he's found a position as an organist down in London somewhere.

Try the Dyson - our rugby players at school used to love singing it!!! It's not a chant, so it's a bit more singable imo.

Can you compromise by having the 4 experienced singers just 'lead' the rest by singing the sop part?

I quite agree that, unless you have 4 really good professionals, a quartet with a few others doing karaoke is appalling.

hey what you saying about Rugby players??

Most of the 1st Team Rugby players at the school I worked at in Zim were also involved in music/drama at the school as well - including taking the leading rolls in the (very successful) Gilbert and Sullivan productions we did - not bad when you consider the school had 1800 11-18yr old boys

well I spoke firstly to the women that runs the music group at church, as she also goes to Evensong and asked her what she thought - didn't tell her why - managed to word it like a general chat about the service.

Vicar wasn't there today - off sick with D&V but I spoke to the church warden and explained it to her and she was fine about it.

Also discovered that Evensong will no longer be once a month, pushing the other even services into 3 monthly slots, apparently it only happened like that when the vicar was off ill and it was a case of finding people to do the evening services - and there was a ready and willing volunteer to do it every month so it ensured that there was at least one Evensing Service a month "sorted"