Verbum Caro Factum Est — Choir of Sheffield Cathedral

The Choir of Sheffield Cathedral, under the direction of Neil Taylor, perform George Malcolm's setting of 'Verbum Caro Factum Est', usually a responsory text out of the Advent and Christmas Matins.

Unlike many cathedrals, Sheffield neither maintains nor is associated with a residential choir school. The sixteen boy and fourteen girl choristers, who together with the gentlemen of the choir sing six weekly Evensong and Choral Eucharist services, come to the choirs from numerous local schools and learn, to very high standards, vast amounts of music in a rather short period of time.

[ Latin Text: ]

Verbum caro factum est
Et habitavit in nobis

Et vidimus gloriam ejus
gloriam quasi unigeniti a Patre
plenum gratiae et veritatis.

In principio erat Verbum,
et Verbum erat apud Deum,
et Deus erat Verbum.

Et vidimus gloriam eius,
gloriam quasi Unigeniti a Patre,
plenum gratiae et veritatis.

Gloria Patri, et Filio, et Spiritui Sancto.

Et vidimus gloriam eius,
gloriam quasi Unigeniti a Patre,
plenum gratiae et veritatis.

[ English Translation: ]

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.

And we have beheld His glory,
glory as of the only Son from the Father,
full of grace and truth.

In the beginning was the Word,
and the Word was with God,
and the Word was God.

And we have beheld His glory,
glory as of the only Son from the Father,
full of grace and truth.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.

And we have beheld His glory,
glory as of the only Son from the Father,
full of grace and truth.

[ Recording available on 'Et in Terra Pax' (Lammas, 2007) ]

Category:

Music

Tags:

• cathedral choir
• abbey choir
• chapel choir
• collegiate choir
• college choir
• boy choir
• children's choir
• knabenchor
• sangerknaben
• kinderchor
• choral tradition
• anglican tradition
• choristers
• trebles
• boy choristers
• boy trebles
• boy soprano
• choirboys
• girl choristers
• choirgirls
• christmas music
• advent music
• christmas
• advent

[1finch2finch]

@markfromireland Thanks, Mark, as always, for your kind feedback. I'm always a bit in awe of these choirs. All around the country—and in some of the far-flung reaches of the world, even—are singers who are not only in school or working full-time, maintaining family lives, and dedicating themselves to sport or instruments or other co-curriculars, but are also meeting to learn and master beautiful music for ever-changing daily performances. I don't know how they do it.

[markfromireland]

"and learn, to very high standards,"

If this is the standard they consistently reach then that's something of an understatement. Thanks for posting it's not a piece I was familiar with nor have I heard that choir before. I can see that I'm going to be doing some seeking out.

markfromireland