St Peter’s Choir
About this week’s music
This week’s Mass setting is in the key of G, written by Francis Jackson (1917–2022). The anthem is All People That on Earth Do Dwell, a setting attributed to Thomas Tallis (1505–1585), but likely actually an adaptation by Henry Aldrich (1648–1710).
Francis Jackson was a chorister under the composer Edward Bairstow (of whose biography, incidentally, he was the author), before becoming his assistant and then succeeding him as organist and Master of Music at York Minister. His church music in G – the communion service, and the evening and morning canticles – were in response to a request from the Dean of York for use in worship. This “family” of works is not conventionally in G major, lacking an F# in the key signature, which gives it more of a modal colour: reminiscent of plainchant or antique music, it never really seems to settle on the “home note” of G.
The score of this week’s anthem says “Attributed to Thomas Tallis”, but this is likely the traditional manuscript ascription – the editorial judgement is that likely the adaptation is by the seventeenth-century composer Henry Aldrich. Aldrich was Dean of Christ Church Oxford and Vice-Chancellor of Oxford University: a classical scholar, architect, logician and composer who sang in the choir of Christ Church Oxford. He was known for adapting and arranging the music of earlier composers for use in the Christ Church choir – a task he treated as a pastoral concern rather than a musical or intellectual one.
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.