THE ALLEYNIAN 708 | OUT OF THE ORDINARY
THE ALLEYNIAN 708 | OUT OF THE ORDINARY
MUSIC
CAROLS BY CANDLELIGHT
TAKING PART IN THE SOUTHWARK CATHEDRAL CAROLS BY CANDLELIGHT SERVICE, WITH ITS STRONG SENSE OF COMMUNITY, WAS A MEMORABLE EXPERIENCE, SAYS CHAPEL CHOIR MEMBER WILLIAM LORD (YEAR 11)
T he carol service at Southwark Cathedral is always a great way to mark the moment when the collective mood of the College tips into Christmas festivity. he 2019 service had the special significance of being the final event of the Quatercentenary celebrations. Equally, we all felt the sombre context of the previous year’s tragic London Bridge attack, together with that of the Fishmongers’ Hall attack precisely a week before. We arrived at Southwark Cathedral before noon, music and cassocks bundled under arms, ready to undertake our final rehearsals before the evening service. From the rows upon rows of neatly aligned wooden seats to the soaring 123-year-old stone carvings that seem to raise the ceiling of the cathedral almost to the heavens, the building itself exudes nobility and grandeur, and the sense of excitement among the singers and instrumentalists was palpable.
Later that day, having completed our rehearsals and fortified ourselves at a local restaurant, our stomachs filled with burgers, milkshakes and fries, we meandered our way back to the cathedral. Excited chatter filled the air as the choir donned their cassocks and organised their music, and a steady stream of teachers, pupils, family members and friends arrived, eager for the service to commence. The pressure lay firmly on the shoulders of Bertie Poullis (Year 8), the treble destined to pierce the hushed silence with ‘Once in Royal David’s City’. He did so beautifully and with great composure. After this glittering start, and with the congregation’s hearty entrance on the third verse, we could relax into what promised to be a great service. There were confident readings from pupils Jovian Yan (Year 8), Daniel Kamaluddin (Year 9), Adam Kasprzak (Year 13) and Nkem Mansaray (Year 6), together with family- favourite hymns such as ‘Hark! The Herald’ and ‘God Rest You Merry’. In addition, the service featured a captivating performance of the new Dulwich Peace Carol, ‘Puer Optime’, composed by Nico Muhly, with words written by the Master. As always, the service was hugely enjoyed by the members of Chapel Choir. It is the welcome marker of the end of the Michaelmas term’s hard work and it heralds the arrival of the Christmas season. I hope the congregation left feeling as much festive cheer and warmth as we did.
THE PRESSURE LAY FIRMLY ON THE SHOULDERS OF BERTIE POULLIS, THE TREBLE DESTINED TO PIERCE THE HUSHED SILENCE WITH ‘ONCE IN ROYAL DAVID’S CITY’
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