New Events

The Schola's monthly Vespers have moved to Saturday evenings at 4:30pm.

The calendar of events has been updated for October and November and can be viewed here.

Holy Saturday Tenebræ Cancelled

* HOLY SATURDAY TENEBRÆ CANCELLED *

Owing to complications brought about by three days of no electricity in the Cathedral, we have with regret taken the decision to cancel Holy Saturday Tenebræ. Our sincere apologies to those of you who had intended to come. Next year, God willing...

The Schola was grateful to receive permission to bring some of the marvellous liturgy of the Great Week back to St Mary’s Cathedral this year. From early February we had been arranging additional practices in an attempt to learn all the music for Tenebræ. This quickly proved to be an impossibility, given the sheer amount to be learnt (the total duration of these Tenebræ, where Vigils and Lauds are chanted together without a break, over the three days of the Triduum amounts to some eight hours of chanting): antiphons, psalms and responsories combine to imbue these great offices with more drama that in all the operas ever penned by man.

The very name, Tenebræ, derived most probably from the Good Friday responsory, “Tenebræ factæ sunt” (although some scholars differ on this), had a certain relevance this year, given that from the Tuesday until Good Friday morning the Cathedral had been completely without electric power supply. (Purists might add that the relevance would have been all the greater had not the 1955 reform of the Liturgy introduced by Pope Pius XII stipulated that Tenebræ, instead of being anticipated on the night before, should now take place on the morning of the day itself!) Shadows are not seen as clearly in daylight, but the overwhelming culminating effect of nigh on three hours of uninterrupted chant on each of three successive days, I would venture to say, leaves one with more than just an inkling of the enormity of what took place over those three days of Our Lord’s Passion. As for the cantors, I can vouch for us all when I say that the physical effect cannot be much different from that of running a marathon! We were delighted that Fr Brendan Gerard FSSP, in Edinburgh to assist Fr Emerson over Easter, was able to be present with us as officiant for the two days when we were able to chant this great office: Maundy Thursday and Good Friday. The Schola’s thanks are also due in no small measure to Mark Hamid, who at very short notice set about applying his carpentry skills and coming up with a magnificent Tenebræ Hearse, without which we could not in all conscience have gone ahead with the solemnity we managed to achieve.

Scottish Catholic Observer

Ben Whitworth of the Orkney Schola reliably informs us that we are in the Scottish Catholic Observer this week.

Thank you, SCO!

Assumption Solemn Vespers

The following was issued as a press release on Thursday 8th July:

SATURDAY 15th AUGUST 2009
FEAST OF THE ASSUMPTION
SOLEMN SUNG VESPERS
IN THE EXTRAORDINARY FORM
METROPOLITAN CATHEDRAL OF THE ASSUMPTION
BROUGHTON STREET, EDINBURGH

The Metropolitan Cathedral of the Assumption will be celebrating its patronal feast day with a celebration of Vêpres de la Vierge (Op.18) by Marcel Dupré. This is an exciting work for organ and Gregorian chant which will be performed by the internationally acclaimed cathedral organist, Simon Nieminski, and the Schola Sanctae Margaritae, a group which performs and promotes Gregorian chant within the Archdiocese of St Andrews and Edinburgh. The event will not only be significant as the patronal feast of St Mary’s Cathedral but also as a significant 90th anniversary performance in the Edinburgh Festival Fringe on the new Matthew Copley organ.

The officiant at Vespers will be the cathedral administrator, Mgr Michael Regan, who will be assisted by six coped clerics according to the ceremonies of the usus antiquior. Unfortunately His Eminence, Cardinal Keith Patrick O’Brien, will be out of the country in mid-August but he has kindly given his blessing to the celebration.

The work is a significant one from both a musical and liturgical perspective. It came into being when Claude Johnson, one of the original directors of Rolls Royce, chanced to be in Paris in August 1919. On the Feast of the Assumption he went to the Cathedral of Notre-Dame for Vespers. On that day the Organiste Titulaire, Louis Vierne, was replaced by Marcel Dupré, the former ceding the console to the latter for the purpose of testing his skill at improvisation. Dupré’s performance, by all accounts, did not disappoint his mentor.

So impressed was Johnson by what he had heard, that, upon his return to England, he contacted Dupré to ask how he might obtain a copy of the music. When the composer replied that the entire thing had been improvised, Johnson immediately offered a commission for their committal to paper.

Whereas during most of their history after publication they tended to be heard as a series of pieces for organ, their original place was in liturgical context. It was in 1994 that the late Dr Mary Berry CBE, Director of the Schola Gregoriana of Cambridge, embarked upon a project to reintroduce the Versets into their proper liturgical context, recording them later that year in Notre-Dame de Paris, with Philippe Lefèbvre, Titulaire of the Cathedral at the Grandes Orgues, and David Hill on the chamber organ. (Herald: HAVPCD170). The organ is treated as a liturgical voice, taking up the reprise of the antiphon after each of the five psalms, and basing its improvisation on the melody of the original chant of the antiphon: canon, chorale etc,. The Schola and organ alternate throughout the hymn, Ave Maris Stella, the organ offering the most varied of treatments of the melody. This alternation continues throughout the Magnificat, with the organ, rather than improvising on the chant, engaging in interpreting parts of the text.

Rounded off by the concluding Preces and the Salve Regina, the whole Office comes together to provide an uplifting – even at times breathtaking – celebration of one of the major feasts in the Church’s calendar. Nothing is left out, nothing is left to chance, and every element – every voice – integrates perfectly. It will be fitting to hear a work of such quality and which musically expresses the renaissance within the Church of organic development in Edinburgh for her cathedral’s patronal feast and during the world’s largest cultural festival.

Vespers will begin at 4pm and will be followed by a free organ and guitar recital at 5pm.

Forthcoming Events

Thursday 6th August
Feast of the Transfiguration of Our Lord
Solemn Sung Latin Vespers
and Benediction

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Saturday 15th August at 4pm
Feast of the Assumption of Our Lady
Solemn Sung Latin Vespers

The Schola will be collaborating with Simon Nieminski, the Cathedral Organist, for the second of his Saturday Vespers on the last four Saturdays in August. Together we will perform Marcel Dupré's Vespres de la Sainte Vierge for Chant and Organ. The event will be of particular significance not only because it will be the ninetieth anniversary of the work's premiere at Notre Dame de Paris but also because it will be the patronal feast of the Cathedral and thus an important day for the whole Archdiocese. We hope that as many people as possible will be able to join us from the various deaneries. Vespers will be followed by a recital on the new organ.

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Thursday 3rd September
Feast of Pope St Pius X
Solemn Sung Latin Vespers
and Benediction

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Thursday 15th October
Feast of St Teresa of Ávila
Solemn Sung Latin Vespers
and Benediction

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All liturgies begin at 6:45 pm at St Mary’s Cathedral unless otherwise stated.

Sacred Heart Vespers

The Sacred Ministers, Schola (seated) and Servers after Vespers

On 18th June the Schola sang Vespers and Benediction for the Feast of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. Mgr Michael Regan, the Chaplain of the Schola (centre of photo), officiated and was assisted by Fr Paul Francis Spencer CP, Fr John Emerson FSSP, Fr Neil Ferguson OP and Fr Gerard Byrne (pictured in copes from left to right respectively). We are most grateful to them all for their contributions.

The more solemn form of Vespers was a most fitting celebration of this much loved feast. We are looking forward to celebrating the Feast of the Assumption with even greater solemnity on 15th August for the patronal feast of the Cathedral. We are also looking forward to our next event, which will be Solemn Vespers for the Transfiguration of Our Lord on 6th August at 6:45pm.

Photo: Claire Hamid

Welcome!

Welcome to the blog for the Edinburgh Schola!

Our hope is to render praise unto God through the singing of Gregorian chant, to preserve the ancient music of the Church in this way, and to facilitate and promote the Chant throughout the Archdiocese of St Andrews and Edinburgh

Mgr Regan has kindly allowed us to use St Mary’s Cathedral in the east end of Edinburgh as the base for our weekly practices and monthly Vespers.

The Schola meets most weeks on Thursday evenings for rehearsal or to chant Vespers.

In order to promote chant, we will also have around half a dozen Masses with Gregorian chant each year. These will be spread among the deaneries and will begin in Autumn 2009.

This website aims to provide information for both current and prospective members and all who are interested in our work.