BBC TV: Consecration of Guildford Cathedral 1961 - Guildford Cathedral Choir (Barry Rose)

Guildford Cathedral Choir, directed by Barry Rose:
Service of Consecration of Guildford Cathedral, 17 May 1961:
(This is a restored version of a damaged telerecording copy of the live BBC TV broadcast of the Service of Consecration, which took place in the still-unfinished cathedral in the presence of Queen Elizabeth II and HRH the Duke of Edinburgh, with the cathedral choir, directed by Barry Rose and accompanied by Simon Preston. The commentator was Richard Dimbleby. The cathedral choir was enhanced for the occasion by professional singers from London and by choristers from St Andrew’s Kingsbury, North London, where Barry Rose had been organist and choirmaster before taking up his appointment at Guildford. The film shows just how far apart the choir stalls at Guildford are – the furthest apart of any British cathedral, in fact, which is why Guildford broke new ground by having its services conducted “from the floor”, a practice that was virtually unheard of at the time. We ask your indulgence for the generally poor quality of the audio, which makes the choristers sound as if they suffer from vibrato, and for occasional missing frames in the film, whereby both picture and sound jump from time to time. If you want to know how the choir REALLY sounded, listen here:    • BBC transcription disc (extract): Consecra...   and here:    • Highlights of the Consecration - Guildford...  )

1. Opening fanfare
2. Psalm 121 (Michael Bishop)
3. Psalm 122 (Barry Rose)
4. Psalm 84 (Henry Smart)
5. Hymn: Come, Holy Ghost, our souls inspire (“Veni Creator Spiritus”)
6. The Litany (Thomas Tallis)
6a. Amen (Orlando Gibbons)
7. CONSECRATION OF THE BUILDING
8. Psalm 43 (Herbert Brewer)
9. CONSECRATION OF THE ALTAR
10. Sacerdotes Domini (William Byrd)
11. SENTENCE OF CONSECRATION
12. Hymn: All people that on earth do dwell (“Old Hundredth”)
13. Hymn: City of God, how broad and far (“Richmond”)
14. SERMON by the Archbishop of Canterbury
15. Hymn: Christ is made the sure foundation (“Westminster Abbey”)
16. Sing joyfully (John Mundy)
17. Hymn: Praise, my soul, the king of heaven (“Lauda anima”)

Trumpeters of the Royal Military School of Music
Rev Eric Ware, Precentor of Guildford
Very Rev Walter Boulton, Provost of Guildford
Rt Rev Dr George Reindorp, Bishop of Guildford
Most Rev Dr Geoffrey Fisher, Archbishop of Canterbury

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