Page 84 - CJFeb24

Book Reviews
Book Reviews

Chapter 13 is a grab-bag of great essays, including
those on “organ geekery, tied eighth-notes in English
choral music, choir vestries, and singing lessons for choir
members” (p. 331). As an example, those of us who have
looked askance at the tied-from-the-previous-measure
eighth notes in English choral music will appreciate her
perspective on how to handle them, as it is as thoughtful
as it is musical. (One fun anecdote in this chapter tells
the story of her choir as special guest artist in an Agatha
Christie adaptation by none other than Hugh Laurie,
himself a Selwyn alumnus.) The final chapter is a series
of guest columns, including Alexander Berry’s “Curry,
Qur’an, and Choral Evensong” (an inspiring interfaith
story) and a column by the late Sir Stephen Cleobury
which offers an insightful perspective on the life of an-
other Cambridge musician.
Anglophiles, of course, will love this collection, but
anyone who enjoys short-form writing on choral music
making will thoroughly enjoy it. The writing, besides be-
ing meticulously researched, is thoroughly entertaining,
engaging, and heartfelt. There is no better example of
this than in the epilogue:

To sum up, the role of music in worship must
be to move both heart and mind, to challenge
both emotion and intellect, to be inspiring and
also rigorous, to point to the divine and also
to strive for excellence in human endeavour.
And this is because we all possess both heart
and mind, both emotion and intellect, we are
capable of being inspired and also of being
rigourous, and striving for excellence in hu-
man endeavour is itself the essence of the di-
vine—we were created in God’s image, after
all. So sing with the spirit, and sing with the
understanding also, to the best of your ability,
at all times. Psallam Spiritu et mente! (p. 387)

Cathedrals, Chapels, Organs, Choirs will be a welcome and
often-reread addition to the shelf of any working choral
musician; I look forward to future volumes from Sarah
MacDonald and am exceedingly grateful for this one.

Ian Loeppky
Florence, Alabama

82 CHORAL JOURNAL February 2024 Volume 64 Number 6