Christmas carols

After a year's absence, thanks to Covid-19, it was a delight to be in the audience last night for "A Festival of Lessons & Carols," presented by the Northwest Boychoir, together with their teenage cousins, Vocalpoint! Seattle.

The performance was presented in St. Mark's Episcopal Cathedral, to an audience carefully checked for proof of vaccination and the wearing of masks.  

This Christmas festival is performed (in normal times) annually, and is based on a similar service offered by King's College, Cambridge.¹  The boys file in from the rear of the cathedral in total silence.  They halt in the aisle, half way to the front.  Suddenly the cathedral is filled with the sound of a solo boy soprano, singing the haunting first verse to "Once in Royal David's City."  With the beginning of the second verse, the entire ensemble joins in, as they continue filing forward and take their places facing the audience.

Covid-19 still lurks, and there were some changes.  The boys (and girls in Vocalpoint) were all masked.  Their voices still soared, but the masks seemed to blur slightly the enunciation of the lyrics.  (Or maybe my hearing is just going bad!).  Also, the audience/congregation was not invited to join in the singing of well-known carols, as in past years, in order to limit viral spreading.  

As the program notes reminded us, the choir members were unable to practice singing together until last summer -- a year and a half during which each singer practiced alone, sitting in his bedroom, singing to his computer.  The quality has held up remarkably well.

As in past years, after singing four carols, nine young lectors from the two choirs read nine "lessons" -- scripture readings from the King James Version of the Old and New Testaments.  After each reading, the choirs sang one carol, and then a second popular seasonal carol (where the audience would ordinarily have joined in the singing).

The performance ended with an ethereal singing of "O Holy Night," and then "Joy to the World" as a recessional.

Despite the masks, the singing was beautiful and moving.  My only complaint -- and it's very subjective -- is that I could have done without the piano accompaniment during many of the carols.  It was unusually loud, and I would have preferred to hear the carols sung a capella.  An insignificant complaint.  Welcome back to live performances, boys (and girls).

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¹A YouTube recording of their inspiration: Service at the chapel of King's College Cambridge