Cantores Vagantes

Cantores Vagantes - pictured here at Carlisle in August 2010 - is a mixed choir of around 40-45 members who meet for the weekend after Easter and a week in the Summer each year to sing the daily services in a Cathedral or Great Church. They visited Newport, St Woolos and Bristol Cathedral in 2009 and Portsmouth Cathedral and Carlisle Cathedral in 2010 Visits are planned to Lichfield Cathedral (2nd and 3rd April) and Llandaff Cathedral (1st to 7th August) in 2011.

The weather in Portsmouth for the weekend of 17th and 18th April was bright and sunny though still a touch chilly when Cantores Vagantes went there to sing. it was a good, successful weekend with much good singing and good cheer. We were well looked after by the Verger and Precentor. Many thanks also to our organist, Philip Bailey.

Our week in Carlisle (2nd to 8th August) was also very successful. Carlisle is a lovely little city in a very beautiful part of the country. It has a gorgeous cathedral which is also not large having had its nave gradually demolished over many centuries. The remaining choir, crossing and stump of the nave are both beautiful and rich in history and the acoustics are very helpful to choral singing. The Cathedral staff are most welcoming, very helpful and, whilst obviously aiming to maintain the best standards and dignity of worship, are wonderfully relaxed in their approach to visiting choirs. We really felt and enjoyed being part of a centuries old tradition of worship. The choir sang well, negotiating several different musical styles and rising superbly to the challenge of Howells Cantices in B minor. Two organists served us with great distinction: Mark Browne for the first part of the week and Richard McVeigh for the latter part. Many thanks to you both for your valuable contributions.

Here are two external views of Carlisle Cathedral.

Half way through the week some of the choir made a pilgrimage of a different kind to the Hesket Newmarket Brewery and its 'tap' the Old Crown Inn. That was an evening of superlatives too, the village, the Inn, the beer and the food were all deserving of such. The three pictures that follow shew the choir in less formal mode.

Below are pictures of Cantores Vagantes rehearsing in Bristol Cathedral in August 2006 (upper) and Durham Cathedral in August 2008 (lower).

Music List for
PORTSMOUTH CATHEDRAL
17th and 18th April 2010
Saturday 17th April
Evensong 17:00
Responses: Clucas
Canticles: Arnold in A
Anthem: 'Dic nobis Maria' Giovanni Bassano

Sunday 18th April
Eucharist 11:00
Introit: 'O sing joyfully' Batten
Setting: Stanford in C and F
Anthem: 'Haec Dies' Byrd
Evensong 18:00
Responses: Clucas
Setting: Noble in B minor
Anthem: 'Paschal Anthem' (Christ our passover)
Philip Drew

Music List for
CARLISLE CATHEDRAL 2nd to 8th August 2010
Monday 2nd August: Evensong 17:30
Responses: Smith (Stones Lord's Prayer)
Psalm 47 (S. Leviathan)
Canticles: Harris in A
Anthem: 'Save us, O Lord' Bairstow

Tuesday 3rd August: Evensong 17:30
Responses: Smith (Stones Lord's Prayer)
Psalm 50 (Murrill and Howells)
Canticles: Pelham Humfrey Evening Service
Anthem: 'O Lord' look down from heaven' Battishill

Wednesday 4th August: Evensong 17:30
St Jean-Baptiste Vianney, Curé d'Ars
Responses: Smith (Stones Lord's Prayer)
Psalm 59 (Goss and G. Elvey)
Canticles: Dyson in F
Anthem: 'Give us the wings of faith' Bullock

Thursday 5th August: Day Off

Friday 6th August: Evensong 17:30
Transfiguaration
Responses: Drew 2nd setting (1994)
Psalm 72 (John Burrows Watson)
Canticles: Gibbons Short Service
Anthem 'O nata lux' Tallis

Saturday 7th August: Evensong 17:30
Responses: Drew 2nd setting (1994)
Psalm 66 (Atkins)
Canticles: Howells in B minor
Anthem: 'O Lorde the maker' Joubert

Sunday 8th August:
Eucharist 10:30
Setting: Ireland in C
Psalm 32 vv 12 - 22 (Goss)
Anthem: 'Et incarnatus est' Daniel Knott

Evensong: 15:00
Responses: Drew 2nd setting (1994)
Psalm 108 (Marchant and Harris)
Canticles: Wood in Eb No.2
Anthem: 'Ascribe unto the Lord' S. S. Wesley

Full list of places in which CV has sung.

1973 Summer - Bradford Cathedral
1974 Summer - Portsmouth Cathedral and
Ecclesfield Priory
1975 Summer - Wells Cathedral
1976 Summer - Llandaff Cathedral
1977 Summer - Portsmouth Cathedral
1978 Summer - Portsmouth Cathedral
1979 Summer - St Mary the Virgin, Oxford
1980 Summer - Hereford Cathedral
1981 Summer - Llandaff Cathedral
1982 Summer - Portsmouth Cathedral
1983 Summer - Lichfield Cathedral
1984 Low Sunday - Holy Spirit, Southsea
1984 Summer - Ripon Cathedral
1985 Low Sunday - Holy Spirit, Southsea
1985 Summer - Llandaff Cathedral
1986 Low Sunday - Holy Spirit, Southsea
1986 Summer - Lichfield Cathedral
1987 Low Sunday Holy Spirit, Southsea
1987 Summer - Ripon Cathedral
1988 Low Sunday - Portsmouth Cathedral
1988 Summer - Exeter Cathedral
1989 Low Sunday - Portsmouth Cathedral
1989 Summer - Salisbury Cathedral
1990 Low Sunday - Southwell Minster
1990 Summer - Lichfield Cathedral
1991 Low Sunday - Holy Spirit, Southsea
1991 Summer - Guildford Cathedral
1992 Low Sunday - St Matthew's, Northampton
1992 Summer - Exeter Cathedral
1993 Low Sunday - Rochester Cathedral
1993 Summer - Lichfield Cathedral
1994 Low Sunday - Liverpool both Cathedrals
1994 Summer - Durham Cathedral
1995 Low Sunday - Portsmouth Cathedral
1995 Summer - Llandaff Cathedral
1996 Low Sunday - Chelmsford Cathedral
1996 Summer - Ripon Cathedral
1997 Low Sunday - Bristol Cathedral
1997 Summer - Exeter Cathedral
1998 Low Sunday - Guildford Cathedral
1998 Summer - Manchester Cathedral
1999 Low Sunday - Southwell Minster
1999 Summer - Wells Cathedral
2000 Low Sunday - Portsmouth Cathedral
2000 Summer - Durham Cathedral
2001 Low Sunday - St Alban's Abbey
2001 Summer - Norwich Cathedral
2002 Low Sunday - Southwell Minster
2002 Summer - Carlisle Cathedral
2003 Low Sunday - St Alban's Abbey
2003 Summer - Manchester Cathedral
2004 Low Sunday - Guildford Cathedral
2004 Summer - Carlisle Cathedral
2005 Low Sunday - Christchurch Priory
2005 Summer - Exeter Cathedral
2006 Low Sunday - Southwell Minster
2006 Summer - Bristol Cathedral
2007 Low Sunday - St Woolos Cathedral, Newport
2007 Summer - Manchester Cathedral
2008 Low Sunday - Gloucester Cathedral
2008 Summer - Durham Cathedral
2009 Low Sunday - St Woolos Cathedral, Newport
2009 Summer - Bristol Cathedral
2010 Easter 3 weekend - Portsmouth Cathedral
2010 Summer - Carlisle Cathedral

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