Friday, September 19, 2008

Vespers

I am listening to the recording by the BBC of Vespers at the London Oratory and it is making me terribly sad.

I don't know why.

We've lost something of incalculable worth.

No, it's worse than that.

We've thrown it away.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Yes, that's right. Just thrown away.
Depressed. Now, why would one be so depressed. Could it be because this music is absolutely beautiful yet so rare nowadays. Maybe because most of us have to listen to guitars and drums on Sunday. Guitars and drums -- we even had bongo drums and a calypso beat at one time at my parish.

M. Alexander said...

And not only thrown away but derided and disavowed.

Wait. Maybe I'm not helping.

Anonymous said...

Very beautiful. I'm so used to recordings of vespers from continental monasteries. This sounds so very English and parochial (in a good sense)!

Anonymous said...

But look on the bright side. It is still being done at the London Oratory in 2008. There can never have been many places in England where polyphonic multiple cope Solemn Vespers was ever celebrated (since the "Reformation," I mean). If for no other reason, it is very expensive to mount such a liturgy.