'What service settings and anthems were sung in Canterbury Cathedral during 1873- 1988' is a straightforward question to answer. The significance of the practice of choral music making in Canterbury Cathedral in the restoration and growth of Cathedral worship and early music repertoire deserves close examination through the information discovered in that first answer. The implication is that reinstatement of the worship and development of early music, following a period of impoverishment, was necessary. Investigation of the nature of changes made in Canterbury Cathedral, together with the progress of expansion of that worship, through music, becomes a challenging essential. Regeneration describes the breathing of new life, as in recovery from serious illness, which was shown to be necessary in the music and worship of the early 19th century, following the vicissitudes of disagreement, war and apathy regarding style of worship in general and the role and compositional characteristics of music in particular. Preservation implies maintenance and safeguarding something of value, which had been hard won, in the battle for wellcrafted music that conveyed and supported the meaning of the words that the music carried. Sustenance speaks of active feeding and nurture of something that has been made healthy, on a daily basis, so that it will have future life. The churchmanship evident in regular choral services in Canterbury Cathedral is middle to high, as is that of the writer, (akin to the Via Media recommended by John Henry Newman, between 'the superstitions of Rome ... and the errors of Protestantism'). The Cathedral building, its people and its musical life were historically damaged by those of excessive Puritanism. A teenage exposure to The Wilderness: John Goss, made a deep and life-changing impression on the writer; in later years serving as Organist and Choir Master of an Anglo-Catholic church choir, together with singing in a national chamber choir in Cathedral services made a significant contrast to the crushing puritanism experienced in childhood and also to some extent the low Anglican church services of early adulthood. However, a respect for those with different approaches to spirituality and worship remains an essential component of the Cathedral ethos and the views of the writer. The knowledge of the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist has given purpose to the writer's life, especially when combined with well-crafted music, and in its original language wherever possible. One of the chief roles of this study is to demonstrate the way in which Canterbury Cathedral's music has been an essential part of the movement towards reconciliation of the differing tenets of Roman Catholicism and Protestantism.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:566760 |
| Date | January 2011 |
| Creators | Saint, L. |
| Publisher | Canterbury Christ Church University |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Source | http://create.canterbury.ac.uk/10812/ |
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