Day 11: Exploring Bristol

22 January 2018

Because of a late bus, we made an impromptu trip across the street from our hotel to the ruins of the Temple Church. This church was famous because archeological digs proved that it was originally round. The church was built in the 1130s and was refurbished once. It was destroyed in World War II. There are some interesting parts about this church; in particular, the tower of the church is not straight. While his church was not scheduled on our itinerary, it was cool to see another historical place on our own time and guided by our own interests.

Our bus eventually arrived and it took us to The New Room. This building has become a center for Methodism in England and it includes a chapel, a brand new museum, and a tour of Charles Wesley’s home. We first gathered in the chapel to learn about the history of the chapel. Then, we all went to Charles Wesley’s home and saw many replicas of furniture that was in the house while he lived there. It was cool to see the harpsichord and the bedrooms within the house. The museum, which opened in July, was very informative and there were many awesome features to it. From statues to interactive books, this museum was unlike any other I had been to and I learned a lot about the Wesleys from it. There even was a mention of our school, even though they put “Academy” instead of “College”! 

After the exhibits, we met in the New Room and sang our usual benediction and Alma Mater. We even spontaneously broke out into song with “Wade in the Water” and it was AMAZING! The fun little bits of the trip can be some of the most memorable.

A few of us (Jake, Callie, Jordan, and I) headed over to Sergio’s for lunch. I don’t usually add details of my lunch in these blogs, but I feel like it’s important this time. We talked about how much we’ve learned and experienced while we’ve been on the trip and some of our worries about going back home and trying to get back into the fast-paced and less-friendly culture that is present in the United States. We all have enjoyed getting to explore different churches and other historic places and we’ve enjoyed being able to sing in such amazing places with talented choristers. We’ve also enjoyed getting to try different things, including the food.  Personally, this trip has given me inspiration to go back home and try to make our country more appreciative of our differences and how we can make our country perform even better and be less divisive. I’ll write more about that in my wrap-up once my trip is over. It was an enjoyable lunch all-around from the conversation to the food itself. 

Once lunch and free time were done, we went to Bristol Cathedral and listened to a talk by David Bednall, a composer who wrote many pieces including “I Saw a Stable”. While at times it was hard to focus during this talk due to the large echo in the chapter house and the talk itself went all over the place, the parts I remember were interesting and I’m sure the music majors in the choir got a lot out of it. He talked about different composers and their significance in church music; he talked about how they composed and how it fit with the times that they lived in, much of which could be heard in a typical music history class. He also talked about his inspiration for the piece we are singing and how it was a small work inside of a much bigger work of his. 

After the lecture, we got in our choir robes and rehearsed for the Evensong service. The service was much like the other Evensong service at Salisbury Cathedral. There were sung prayers and spoken prayers, psalms were sung by the British choristers and we joined them in singing “Magnificat” and “Nunc Dimittis”. We later joined them in the anthem of “I Saw a Stable” after some readings from the Bible. The service ended with an Anglican chant from the choristers and a hymn that we all sang together. There was also a long organ postlude that was very entertaining. 

While there were many similar things about the service compared to Salisbury, there were also a few differences. For one, the choristers were all younger and looked like they were in their teenage years; the Salisbury choristers were mostly little soprano girls and a few grown men to sing the other parts. Also, the conducting style of the director was much different; the director was not as clear as the Salisbury director with his entrances and made it clear that he did not like to give pitches at the beginning of songs. I personally thought this was a bad decision because not only did it mess the college choir up at times, I could see that his choristers were quieter at the entrances due to the lack of confidence of the pitch. 

Given these differences, I still believe that both choirs did as best as they could during the service. Other than my one complaint, the choristers sounded beautifully throughout the service, especially during the psalms and prayers. The college choir also performed very well; I thought our performances of the “Magnificat” and the “Nunc Dimittis” were our best to date. Overall, it was an enjoyable experience, but I am not sure if I could see myself participating in this type of service almost every day of the week like the choristers are used to doing.

Another exciting day is over! Tomorrow will be unlike any other as it ends with a fancy dinner in Cambridge! 

- Jacob Stech