The Edington Festival of Music within the Liturgy
Sunday 19 August to Sunday 26 August 2012
REM 2011 Festival Music List and other details (PDF)
This year’s festival takes as its theme those Saints associated with the Priory Church at Edington. Some of these come to mind immediately such as the Saints to whom the Priory Church is dedicated, St Mary, St Katharine and All Saints. Others such as Saint William of York, St Paul, St Christopher, St Audon, Saint Cuthbert and St Leodegar are, perhaps, only associated with Edington by a select few who know each and every inch of the building. On entering the church many of us are pre-occupied with ensuring that the door does not slam or that we keep our footing as we descend those deceptive, shiny final two steps into the Nave. However, this year once you are safely down do take a moment to look up high to the glass in the clerestory level opposite you on the North side of the Nave. There, weathered and worn by centuries of service, the above-named six of the original 36 clerestory window Saints still stand. These Saints give a novel and refreshing structure to our week’s worship together which will allow for preaching and music-making of the highest quality.
The daily offices of Matins and Compline continue to be at the heart of the Festival, sung to plainchant by the Schola Cantorum directed for the first time by Benjamin Nicholas, Director of the Schola Cantorum at Tewkesbury Abbey and Director of Music at Merton College Oxford. He will join the Consort and Nave Choir directors Jeremy Summerly and Matthew Martin in providing a feast of music within its liturgical setting. Noteworthy this year will be the celebration of the 400th anniversary of Victoria’s death when his setting of the Missa pro defunctis forms the backbone of the Requiem on Friday 26 August. We are also fortunate that Professor John Harper, for so many years now an eminent supporter of the festival, has written a set of Preces & Responses for us. As ever we are extremely grateful to the Edington Music Festival Association for continuing to commission important new works which enrich the repertoire and bring the festival to the notice of choirs and congregations across the communion.
This year is the 650th anniversary of the completion of the Priory Church and will be marked by various celebrations between Sunday 3 July and Sunday 10 July. Full details are available on the Friends of the Priory Church website www.edingtonfriends.org.uk.