Saturday 28th May 2011

First Vespers of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary

 

POSTPONED

We are very sorry, we have taken the decision to cancel our Marian Vespers Day for 28^th May. We have received too few applications to make this day worth running. We would be wasting the Society’s funds to run it for around twelve people. We hope to re-arrange the date for later on in the year, possibly November or early December, after our Canterbury Festival appearances but before Christmas panic sets in. We have asked Philip Duffy for some alternative dates over this period and we will inform you as soon as we have fixed the new date.  

HELEN NATTRASS

Secretary & Musical Director

Gregorian Chant Workshop Day, Saturday 28th May

Don’t let the chance to attend our wonderful workshop day on 28th May pass you by! Again we will have Philip Duffy (Schola Gregoriana of Cambridge) leading us in preparing the First Vespers of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary from the 13th century Hereford Breviary and the Worcester Antiphoner. There will also be a talk given on this recent find which was first performed for the first time in many centuries by a few of us from St Thomas’s last August in Lancashire. It is amazing and a fascinating story of detective work.
In the afternoon, Dr Mark Bateson will take us to the Cathedral Archives for a private showing of some documents and a talk.
This will be our best workshop day ever so don’t miss it! Please send in your reply slip that came with the recent newsletter from Helen to ensure that you reserve a place as this will be very popular! We are advertising it very widely in local churches. if you have lost the form, e-mail me at contact@gregoriansociety.org and I will send another.

Have a very happy Easter!

Jonathan

Early Church Architecture Study Day: references and links for you to explore

Following on from last month’s successful lectures, Helen Gittos has provided details of books and articles she made reference to in her talk and which may interest members who wish to do some more reading on the subject.
Cambridge, Eric (1999), ‘The Architecture of the Augustinian Mission’, in Richard Gameson (ed.), St Augustine and the Conversion of England (Stroud: Sutton), 201-236 – on Reculver, St Augustine’s etc.
Gem, R (2005), ‘How Much Can Anglo-Saxon Buildings Tell Us About Liturgy?’, in H Gittos and M Bradford Bedingfield (eds.), The Liturgy of the Late Anglo-Saxon Church (HBS Subsidia; London)
Gittos, Helen (2005), ‘Architecture and Liturgy in England c. 1000: Problems and Possibilities’, in Nigel Hiscock (ed.), The White Mantle of Churches: Architecture, Litugy and Art around the millennium (International Medieval Research 10: Art History Subseries 2; Turnhout: Brepols), 91-106
Gittos, Helen (forthcoming), Liturgy, Architecture and Sacred Places in Anglo-Saxon England (Oxford: Oxford University Press)
Hare, Michael (2009), ‘The 9th-century west porch of St Mary’s Church, Deerhurst, Gloucestershire: Form and Function’, Medieval Archaeology, 53, 35-93 –for reconstruction drawing of west end of Deehurst
Pfaff, Richard W (2009), The liturgy in medieval England: a history (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press).

Related current research projects including reconstructions of rituals:
AHRC Interpreting Medieval Liturgy Research Network: http://projects.exeter.ac.uk/mlnetwork/

Reconstructions of the rite for Reconciling Penitents created at one of the network’s meetings can be seen on You Tube: http://www.youtube.com/user/MedievalLiturgy#p/a

John and Sally Harper’s AHRC ‘The Experience of Worship’ Project: http://www.bangor.ac.uk/music/AHRC/index.php.en

The Centre for Medieval and Early Modern Studies at the University of Kent’s webpage is here:
http://www.kent.ac.uk/mems/index.html

Mary Berg also provided some details for people wishing to become a friend of the The Centre for Medieval and Early Modern Studies.

Friends can find out about lectures, conferences, excursions and social events and it is only £10 to join.

See http://www.kent.ac.uk/mems/ for details!

AGM & Early Church Architecture study morning

For the first time ever, the Canterbury Gregorian Music Society assembled in the Franciscan International Study Centre and thanks to Helen’s really effective marketing we had an excellent attendance of 29. It was almost standing room only and a testament to the topics and reputation of our speakers.

Passing quickly through the AGM in which Helen’s comprehensive report of 2010 activities, Jonathan’s financial report were distributed and continuation of officers confirmed, we passed to the main event our first non-singing study morning on Early Church Architecture.

Dr. Helen Gittos gave us a lively account of how churches evolved in the Saxon period and how they reflected the liturgy of the time with processions at key feasts were mainly conducted externally so allowing church buildings to evolve in cell-like structures, rather in the more familiar aisles of the later Norman period. She showed us evidence of this in the original construction of Reculver church among many others. These cells allowed study rooms and chapels to be built. She also showed that the odd door holes high on the outside of early churches led out onto high balconies, presumably for preaching to a mass congregating outside. Some internal windows also allowed children to sing antiphonally on occasions like the Maundy Thursday mass.

After coffee, Mary Berg showed us how the early Norman churches in East Kent replaced most of the Saxon churches. The Normans, after the invasion of 1066, built castles and cathedrals in very quick order. When craftsmen were released from these tasks they were available to the Norman Barons and landowners to build the churches, many of which mirrored the architecture of their Norman domains to the west of Caen rather than a more local Kent “standard” design, thus giving us a wonderful variety of churches in this area.

Many of us retired to the Unicorn in St Dunstan’s Street afterwards to have a very pleasant lunch.

Thanks to everyone who supported us onb the day. We look forward to welcoming you at our next event; check this website for details.

Early Church Architecture and Liturgy 26/02/2011

EARLY CHURCH ARCHITECTURE AND LITURGY
The surroundings of Gregorian Chant
Saturday 26th February 2010 from 10.00-12.00
At The Franciscan International Study Centre, Giles Lane, Canterbury, CT2 7NA

Dr Helen Gittos
(University of Canterbury at Kent)
‘Early church architecture and liturgy’
Mary Berg
(Canterbury)
‘Norman Churches in Kent’

Notice: The Annual General Meeting of the Canterbury Gregorian Music Society will take place during this event

During this morning of talks we will hear something about what sort of buildings surrounded Gregorian Chant in Anglo-Saxon and Mediaeval England and what forms of worship took place. Dr Helen Gittos has been researching these subjects for a number of years and will talk about some of her findings. Mary Berg has recently written a book about the Norman Churches of Kent and will give an account of some of the local churches where Gregorian Chant would have been heard around a thousand years ago. There will be ample time for informal discussion and refreshments. There is space for parking at the Franciscan International Study Centre.
Cost: members free, non-members £5 – includes refreshments but not lunch
Please note that Jonathan Butchers is co-ordinating this event, as Helen is away.

Afterwards, we will repair for lunch to ‘The Unicorn’ in St Dunstan’s Street, close to the level crossing for Canterbury West Station. This is a traditional pub, selling good beer and food. The excellent menu is small but changes daily and is cooked on the premises by a real person. We need to reserve sufficient tables, so please let us know if you want to join us.

December 2010 Newsletter

Newsletter – December 2010

Canterbury Festival success
We had encouraging success with our three appearances in the Canterbury Festival. We sang our short midday service, ‘The Angelus, the Ave and the Salve’, in three of Canterbury’s mediaeval chapels. The first Saturday of the Festival we were in St. Thomas’s Hospital, Eastbridge, the second Saturday in Greyfriars and the final Saturday in St. John’s Hospital, Northgate. The most intriguing of the three venues was St. John’s Hospital, a hidden gem totally invisible from the busy city centre streets. This eleventh century mediaeval foundation, from the time of Bishop Lanfranc, is currently home to a number of older people. The Tudor porter’s gate in Northgate is well camouflaged within a row of mock-tudor shops. Of course once you know it is there, you wonder how you ever walked past it without noticing. Raising the sneck and walking through the gate, you encounter a scene which could be from any age. A close of stone houses with clipped geometric hedges surrounds a green of manicured turf. Quiet serenity quiet pervades the scene as the street-noise recedes behind the heavy door. Winifred, the Resident Historian, took us on a tour showing us the oldest parts of the foundation’s remains; then the mediaeval lavatories, now obsolete, and the contemporaneous hall and dining room, still in use. Our final destination was the Chapel. We sang through a couple of familiar chants to warm up and then rehearsed the hymn to St. John the Baptist, ‘Ut queant laxis’; the famous source of the sol-fa note-names. We felt it was appropriate for us to sing this iconic piece of chant dedicated to the Hospital’s Patron in a building which would have known the music for hundreds of years.
In each venue many members of the public came to hear us and join in. I wonder how many of them feel a little nervous when they discover it is not a concert and ‘audience participation’ is strongly encouraged. We hope to build on this success for the 2011 Canterbury Festival.

Website
We are currently looking for someone to help us keep our website up to date.

We have had a bit of a lapse with keeping our website refreshed since the summer. Anyone feeling they might wish to help in this way could contact Jonathan Butchers
Plans for 2011
Saturday 26th February 2011 – Morning of talks on ‘Early church architecture and liturgy’
Our first event of 2011 will be a Saturday morning with some talks about early liturgy, church architecture and use of space in churches. This will take place at the Franciscan International Study Centre, Giles Lane, close to Kent University. The event will begin with our very brief AGM at 10am. The talks will be by Dr. Helen Gittos of Kent University on early church architecture and liturgy and Mary Berg on the Norman Churches of Kent. The event will conclude around 12.00. We will arrange for a space in ‘The Unicorn’, St. Dunstan’s, for all those who wish to have lunch together afterwards. Mindful of the slightly ad hoc arrangements for eating during the Canterbury Festival, we will make sure we have a tick-box to ensure there are enough places for all. More details in January.

Lent 2011 – Compline at St. Paul’s
We have been invited to sing Gregorian Chant Compline in St. Paul’s Church, Canterbury on two occasions during Lent. The service of Compline never changes. So those of you who sang for the St. Anselm’s Compline or for the two services we did for the Christian Meditation Society last summer, you need have no fears. More details early next year.

Looking ahead – Saturday 28th May 2011
We are organising a whole-day workshop led by Philip Duffy to review and perform our new edition of the Vespers for the Birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary taken from the Hereford Breviary and the Worcester Antiphoner. The music has been edited and the order of service prepared by Helen Nattrass and Chris Smith. We hope to attract participants from further afield to join us for a day of ‘home-grown’ scholarship. There will be singing sessions and talks over the course of the day culminating with us singing the Vespers. More details around Easter.

Later in the summer we hope to arrange what has become our usual afternoon at Minster Abbey; theme to be agreed with Mother Nikola. We will also be planning our appearances in next year’s Festival.

CGMS Officers – 2011 Elections coming up
In February 2011, Tim, Jonathan and Helen will have done our initial three years getting the Canterbury Gregorian Music Society up and running. At the time we set up the Society we agreed between ourselves that we would do three years in the first instance to see how things went. We had a committee meeting in early November and agreed we were all willing to continue in our posts. But now is your chance to stand for one of the officers’ positions if you would like to add your weight to the direction the Society takes in future. In the case of the Committee remaining unchanged, we may consider co-opting some members to help us. Any nominations should be received by Jonathan Butchers

Local Gregorian Chant Services
Angela Franklin-Ryan wants to announce that there will be Midnight Mass, using the Old Rite (Tridentine) Mass in the Church of St. Augustine at Ramsgate on 24th December at 9pm (Carols at 8.40pm). Anyone who wants to join their choir to sing the Gregorian Chant settings for Mass is welcome.

St. Thomas’s Catholic Church in Canterbury continues to hold a Gregorian Chant Mass at 11 o’clock on the 1st Sunday of the Month. Next dates: 2nd January 2011, 6th February 2011

Our Lady of Mount Carmel Catholic Church in Faversham holds Gregorian Chant Mass on the 1st Sunday of each month at 6pm. For those who would like to sing, rehearsal is 5pm in the Church for Mass at 6pm. We go for a beer afterwards! Next dates: 2nd January 2011, 6th February 2011. Minster Abbey has Gregorian Chant Vespers every night at 6pm.

Helen Nattrass

Canterbury Festival ‘Angelus’ – success

We had encouraging success with our three appearances in the Canterbury Festival. We sang our short midday service, ‘The Angelus, the Ave and the Salve’, in three of Canterbury’s mediaeval chapels. The first Saturday of the Festival we were in St. Thomas’s Hospital, Eastbridge, the second Saturday in Greyfriars and the final Saturday in St. John’s Hospital, Northgate.

The most intriguing of the three venues was St. John’s Hospital, a hidden gem totally invisible from the busy city centre streets. This eleventh century mediaeval foundation, from the time of Bishop Lanfranc, is currently home to a number of older people. The Tudor porter’s gate in Northgate is well camouflaged within a row of mock-tudor shops. Of course once you know it is there, you wonder how you ever walked past it without noticing. Raising the sneck and walking through the gate, you encounter a scene which could be from any age. A close of stone houses with clipped geometric hedges surrounds a green of manicured turf. Quiet serenity quiet pervades the scene as the street-noise recedes behind the heavy door. Winifred, the Resident Historian, took us on a tour showing us the oldest parts of the foundation’s remains; then the mediaeval lavatories, now obsolete, and the contemporaneous hall and dining room, still in use.

Our final destination was the Chapel. We sang through a couple of familiar chants to warm up and then rehearsed the hymn to St. John the Baptist, ‘Ut queant laxis’; the famous source of the sol-fa note-names. We felt it was appropriate for us to sing this iconic piece of chant dedicated to the Hospital’s Patron in a building which would have known the music for hundreds of years.

In each venue many members of the public came to hear us and join in. I wonder how many of them feel a little nervous when they discover it is not a concert and ‘audience participation’ is strongly encouraged. We hope to build on this success for the 2011 Canterbury Festival.