The Crown of Roses – words Pleshcheev (1825-93) tr. Drearmer, music Tchaikovsky (1840-93)

Did you know that carols, like puppies, are not just for Christmas? According to the Encyclopaedia Britannica, a carol is a song characteristically of religious joy, associated with a given season, with uniform stanzas or verses that may alternate with a refrain. The musical emphasis is on melody and rhythm rather than harmony. Interestingly, the … More The Crown of Roses – words Pleshcheev (1825-93) tr. Drearmer, music Tchaikovsky (1840-93)

The Owl – Toby Young (b. 1990), text by Jennifer Thorpe (b. 1988)

Musicians planning repertoire for their ensembles are usually considerably ahead of the calendar. It was no surprise then that all the students on a conducting training weekend in June 2024 were set Christmas carols from a new publication, “Carols for Choirs 6”. We learned some fabulous new Christmas music that weekend, and most students programmed these carols for their choirs this Christmas – including Notability, the Whitefield choir that I practiced with ahead of the course … More The Owl – Toby Young (b. 1990), text by Jennifer Thorpe (b. 1988)

Candlemas 2025

Rev Sue preached this sermon at St Gabriel’s on Sunday 2 February, on which we celebrated the presentation of Christ at the temple, and blessed the candles to be used in church over the coming year. It’s no coincidence that in the last three months, the darkest of the year, we have been celebrating the … More Candlemas 2025

Give a little

You may have noticed a QR code on our weekly service sheets over the past few weeks. QR codes are clever bits of technology – a bit like bar codes – that link the real world with the online world. Those of us comfortable with using smartphones can simply point the camera at the QR … More Give a little