church

Choir inventory

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The current state of our choir: a good young soprano who needs occasional reining in to keep her from being both too fast and too loud from sheer enthusiasm a shy soprano with a soft but sweet and clear voice, needs encouragement but does very well when she’s confident a strong mezzo-soprano who prefers her

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Vespers of Easter

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Time: 0:25  Total: 3:40  Grand total: 18:05 Crew: Altar: Fr T, Fr Deacon V (when I said to him later “I missed you in the night!” he said “I can’t be in two places at once” and we agreed that he wasn’t St Nicholas of Myra)  Choir: SSSAAT (someone: “We have no bass!” me: “Then we’ll do

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Christ is risen!

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Time: 3:15  Total: 3:15  Grand total: 17:45 Crew: Altar: Fr T, two adult acolytes, two boy acolytes. One was the boy who had been standing on the sidelines looking eager. I think he either volunteered or (more likely) got drafted.  Choir: SSSAATBB (which seems to be everybody at the moment, except the young soprano who begged off to

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Vespers and Liturgy of Holy Saturday

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Time: 2:45  Total: 4:40  Grand total: 14:30 Crew: Altar: Fr T and two acolytes. I heard later that Deacon V wanted to come but couldn’t for some reason; perhaps not tonight either but I’m not sure of that. Choir: SSSAAT, with one A away to read some of the time but two sopranos could fill in and

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Matins and First Hour of Holy Saturday

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Time: 1:55  Total: 1:55  Grand total: 11:45 Crew: Altar: Fr T with an acolyte, though a boy on the side looked longingly at the goings-on and got to hold the censer at some point. Choir: SSSSAABB (I had to tell the basses to sing softly more than once because they were so pleased with there being

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Vespers of Good Friday

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Time: 1:15 (Emerita Choirmistress and I tried to estimate how long it would take, and I said “about an hour for the Vespers and then twenty minutes for venerating the Epitaphion”, and she had about the same idea, and we were right)  Total: 6:00  Grand total: 9:50 Crew: Altar: Fr T and an acolyte. Good

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Royal Hours and Typika of Good Friday

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Time: 2:15  Total: 4:45  Grand total: 8:35 Crew: Altar: Fr T, not exactly in the altar, he only went there occasionally to fetch or return the censer. Choir: (well, let’s call it “readership” because there’s very little to sing) SAB Once again (noticed already last night) this, John 18:28: “Then they led Jesus from Caiaphas to the

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Matins of Good Friday

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Time: apparently 2:30, which seems uncommonly quick, but though it says “about 3 hours” in the front of the book I’ve got 2:45, 2:40 and 2:35 in previous years, five minutes faster every year. I can ascribe at least some of that to more familiarity = better flow; also we didn’t venerate the Cross because

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Vespers and Liturgy of Holy Thursday

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Time: 1:50 Total: 3:50 Crew: Altar: Fr T and one acolyte. Choir: SSAA, the soprano with the huge range singing melody parts occasionally but I didn’t want to assign her the melody part of the Eucharistic Canon in order to sing alto myself, because we were following Fr T’s pitch and he was on the

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Matins and First Hour of Holy Thursday

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This is my first Holy Week as choirmistress so I do want to keep a record, but I won’t be able to count the congregation, just the altar and the choir! Time: slightly under 2 hours, not counting the panichida; let’s make it a round 2 hours including the panichida Total: 2:00 Crew: Altar: Just

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