PILLORIED?
  • M. Jackson Osborn
    Posts: 8,414
    I may be pilloried for this. I mean only to hear the reactions and criticisms of others concerning one of our and the worlds best church choirs. So, while I may be pilloried for noting a shortcoming, I do not mean in any way to denigrate this superb choir of ours. Namely that of Westminster Cathedral.
    Here, then, is a very brief account of the matter at hand -
    Several years ago I suddenly became aware that the tone of the middle register was noticeably not up to snuff in comparison to other English cathedral choirs of equal calibre. This middle register lacks the brilliance of other choirs, which detracts from the total blend and timbre of the choir. Listen as hard as I could I could not put my finger on the reason or the why of this very noticeable and disappointing phenomenon.
    Well, whilst reading several months ago I came across the reason that WCC's blend seems almost to have a blind spot in the middle registers. It seems that Westminster, unlike all other English Cathedral choirs, does not utilise male altos, which give their choirs that inner brilliance and power. No, Westminster, in good continental style, uses boys not only for the treble but for the alto. These boy altos haven't the power, timbre and maturity that male altos have: hence, the very different and distinctive sound of WCC as compared to the others.
    How many of you already knew this?
    Do you have any comments or opinions about it.
    Understand, I am not judging Westminster negatively; only noting the fact and reason of its rather different and not totally English sound.
  • Maureen
    Posts: 678
    Well, it sounds like a reasonable point of difference to have noticed.

    I'm not really familiar with adult male vocal qualities in the alto part, mostly because I've never been in a choir that had anybody who could have done it. (Adult females singing tenor, that I've heard.) But there do seem to be a lot of UK men who are countertenors and altos. (Of course, it could be that American men with those vocal qualities just aren't joining choirs as much, or aren't being exploited the same way when there.)
  • Liam
    Posts: 5,092
    It's hard for me to compare except in the same, real acoustic. Recordings are not worthwhile for this purpose. I've heard the WC choir in its element once. But that acoustic is different from most of the collegiate chapels.

    I have to admit I am not convinced the English choral sound is the ne plus ultra of choral sound to begin with. And King's hasn't been my favorite exponent of that particular style, for that matter.
    Thanked by 1Patricia Cecilia
  • BruceL
    Posts: 1,072
    MJO, forgive me if I'm incorrect, but do not BOTH male altos and boy altos sing at Westminster Cathedral? I'll hunt up an old program, but I believe that is correct. In any case, I'm not sure I hear what you hear other than an timbral difference: the choir with only male altos (to me) always has an ascending sound: basses--->tenors--->altos--->sopranos, in which there isn't a high/low ladies and high/low men arrangement. I think what our ears hear in the continental/Westminster sound is a bit of that: it's not a constantly ascending sort of voicing. When it's done well (like Westminster), I actually think the boys add a pleasant reediness to the inner parts of Renaissance-style polyphony. I do enjoy the conventional English approach, though.

    Penny for your thoughts on the different choirs along Liam's line: to my ears, there is a huge difference in what choir-what space. We are fortunate to have had three major choirs (Westminster Cathedral, New College, St. John's Cambridge) at the cathedral-basilica in St. Louis since I've lived here. The c-b is roughly equivalent to Westminster Cathedral, although the ceiling is also mosaic and more reflective than Westminster. It is also a bit larger, too, than Westminster by volume. St. John's was totally outgunned by the room here! The lay clerks just didn't have the projection to fill the sound, or at least Nethsingha didn't let them sing enough. It was very top-heavy (versus, say, one of John Scott's choirs like the old St. Paul's where the men were always bellowing a bit!), and not quite as nice. Westminster was great, but to be honest, I thought New College was far and away the best, Higginbottom did a fantastic job deploying his resources.
  • Liam
    Posts: 5,092
    New College is the tops in this style.
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