What is Evensong?
Evensong is one of the treasures of the Anglican Church. Devised by Archbishop Thomas Cranmer at the time of the Reformation and first laid out in the Book of Common Prayer of 1549, it combines elements of the monastic evening offices of Vespers and Compline, principally the Magnificat and the Nunc Dimittis canticles, in a format which is widely admired for its beauty of thought and expression.
In Choral Evensong, as opposed to a sung or said evensong, the choir sing
composed responses, one or more psalms, settings of the Magnificat and Nunc
Dimittis, an anthem, and often one or more congregational hymns. For the
congregation, participation is expressed through attending, listening to the words
and music and joining in the hymns. The poster shows the upcoming Choral Evensong services in St. Mary’s Conwy – we’d love to welcome you.
St Mary’s, Conwy, is the only parish church in North Wales to hold a regular monthly choral evensong, sung by our own choir, Cantorion Celynnin. The choir
was formed in the aftermath of the pandemic, with its nucleus being our own church choir members. Other singers come from our sister churches in the Bro Celynnin Ministry Area, from churches in adjacent Ministry Areas, from other
Christian traditions, and from no tradition at all. What draws members together to give up hours of their time in rehearsals is their love choral worship, the beauty
and timeless rhythm of evensong, and the wonderful repertoire of music to be explored. Along the way, many new friendships have been forged and a great feeling of camaraderie now exists within the choir.
Each month we prepare music for the next evensong and have sung settings of
the Evening Canticles by C V Stanford (Bb and C), Herbert Brewer, Thomas
Attwood Walmisley, Charles Wood (F and D), Thomas Tertius Noble, Orlando
Gibbons, Chris Roberts, Basil Harwood and others. Anthems have included works
by Balfour Gardiner, William Byrd, S S Wesley, Hubert Parry, Handel, Ernest
Bullock, Gabriel Faure, Basil Harwood, Malcolm Archer and many more.
As well as singing for Evensong, we sing to a packed church at the annual Service
of Nine Lessons and Carols, for other carol services and events, and for
occasional services throughout the year. Within the past twelve months we have
sung three times at Bangor Cathedral, on one of these occasions with the
Cathedral Choir, and for services in Llanelian and Betws-y-Coed.
If you have not already experienced the beauty of Choral Evensong, please do
come along and join us one evening. We would be delighted to see you, and even more delighted if you decided that you would like to join us in the choir. As the
Revd Dr Jonathan Arnold, writing for the Spectator; puts it, “Choral music within
the liturgy is one of our greatest cultural and religious heritages; it is every bit as
sincere and meaningful on a wet Sunday in March as in a Christmas Nine
Lessons and Carols. Do give it a go.”
Want to see what life is like behind the scenes? This short video explores life in Cantorion Celynnin, and offers a glimpse into the friendship and camaraderie of the choir. The choir always welcomes new members, so if you’d like to give it a go, contact Chris Roberts, choir director at ChrisRobz03@aol.com
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