St Peter’s Choir
About this week’s music
This week’s Mass setting is the Communion Service in E, by Harold Darke (1888–1976). The anthem, Behold the Tabernacle of God, is by William Harris (1886–1976).
Harold Darke was born in North London and studied as a young man at the Royal College of Music, including under Hubert Parry, Charles Villiers Stanford, and Charles Wood. He served for fifty years as the organist of St Michael Cornhill in London, and after serving in the Royal Air Force through the first World War, he then became the professor of organ at the Royal School of Music. He wrote the Communion setting in E whilst he was Acting Director of Kings College Cambridge; it is one of three services he wrote – the others being in F and A minor. The setting in E has been described as serene and introspective, and suited to a more pared-back choral tradition made necessary by wartime austerity.
Sir William Harris is almost completely contemporaneous with Darke, and in fact also trained in composition under Charles Wood. Like Darke, he worked in church music his whole career, although he also tutored the princesses Elizabeth and Margaret in music during his tenure at St George’s Chapel Windsor during the war years, and served as sub-conductor at the coronations of both George VI and Elizabeth II. His anthem takes its text from Revelation 21.3-4: Behold, the Tabernacle of God is with men, and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.
About the St Peter’s Choir
Founded in 1847, the choir of St Peter's Eastern Hill is one of the oldest continuing Anglican church choirs in Australia.
Music plays an important part in the liturgical life of St Peter’s, with the choir singing at High Mass on Sundays as well as regular Evensongs. Our repertoire ranges from Plainsong to more recent liturgical settings, with a range of familiar and lesser-known composers. We are particularly enjoying re-discovering English Communion settings of the late 19th and early 20th century, alongside the great Mass settings of the Renaissance.
Membership is made up of volunteers, professional musicians, and a quartet of Foundation Scholars who are studying singing at the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music. The Church recently launched the music foundation to support this endeavour and to provide opportunities for young up-and-coming singers to develop their performance experience while contributing to our liturgy; if you would like more information about this, or to support this vital ministry, please contact the Director of Music, Christopher Watson.
Join the choir
The choir rehearses at 9 am for a 10.30 am service, with no mid-week rehearsal or other commitment. We encourage amateur singers who wish to sing regularly or occasionally to get in touch with our Director of Music, Christopher Watson, to arrange an audition.