Sunday 6th May was a warm, sunny day. As we drove along the city bypass heading for Rosslyn Chapel, thoughts of the Knights Templar, the Holy Grail and Dan Brown’s “The Da Vinci Code” drifted through my mind, a rather strange, colourful mixture….. but it was time to put these thoughts aside and focus on the Choral Evensong. We approached the chapel carpark, busy with a good number of visitors; glimpsing some purple cassocks, we knew we had got to the right place.
Round behind the car park stood the imposing, ornate chapel with its arched windows and fine pillars towering above us…. as imposing now as it most certainly would have been when built by William Sinclair, First Earl of Orkney and Caithness in 1446.
To the side stood the smart, glass frontage of the Reception area and café with tourists coming out into the sunshine. Spying our cassocks one lady with a hat and tourist leader’s pole asked whether we were here to sing. Her rather large group (mostly east European) were keen to stay for the Service but, sadly for them, time did not permit… just as well as there would have been standing room only in the Chapel.
Inside the café most of our regular choristers and some (well known) extras as volunteers were sipping cups of tea, pulling on surplices and sorting out music, when we were called into the Chapel.
We arrived in time to rearrange pews, sort out our music and have a little sing through. I recognised some familiar faces in the congregation just before our rector Simon rose to his feet to welcome all present, then Phillip Kear, the Chapel organist played a rousing introduction to the opening hymn “Praise to the Lord the Almighty, the King of Creation.” All got to their feet and we were off!
The opening hymn was followed by Confession and the Opening Responses, Simon acted as Cantor with the choir (and hopefully the congregation) enjoying the lilting responses; the lessons read clearly and thoughtfully by Stella Lewin and Simon Searle, then the choir were on their feet to sing Stanford’s rousing setting of the Magnificat – an eye on our conductor Bill Blackwood, an ear open to the organ… perhaps the voices not quite all together, but still an exciting sing…then the Nunc Dimittis…perhaps we were sounding a little more comfortable by now…I spied William, the Chapel cat pacing down the aisle, tail held high…a feline sign of pleasure? The service continued with prayers and sung responses, then Thomas Tallis “If ye love me” a lovely, contemplative anthem, one of the choir’s favourites. Then the closing hymn, (one of the best loved in the Church canon) “The Day thou gavest Lord is ended” with its parts blending beautifully, the closing prayer and we were processing out into the early evening sunshine to the organ voluntary.
Thanks are due to the Reverend Joe Roulston, Rector of Rosslyn Chapel (officially “the collegiate Church of St Matthew, Roslin), Phillip Kear, organist at the chapel, our Rector Simon, Bill Blackwood, St Baldred’s organist and choirmaster, Deborah Backhouse of St Baldred’s choir, who had attended a service at Rosslyn last Summer led by the Choir of St John’s Church (Princes Street, Edinburgh) and had suggested to the Reverend Joe Roulston that St Baldred’s might do something similar. Thanks are also due to the St Baldred’s choir both members and volunteers, to Sadie for providing the photo of the choir at Rosslyn and of course to members and friends of the congregation, who came to support us and enjoy the Service. Here’s to the next time!
Postscript
A visit to Rosslyn Chapel is highly recommended. We did not have as much time to explore as we would have liked, but during the service we admired the stained glass windows and the intricate stone carvings on pillars and arches, a good number of green men sculptures (apparently there are more than 100 in the chapel) and of course the eye is inevitably drawn to the Apprentice’s Pillar with varied patterns carved in the stone depicting plants, flowers, birds and animals. Legend has it that the master stonemason went off to Rome to see the original of the pillar that his patron required, only to find on his return that his apprentice had completed the column. The master flew into a rage and killed the apprentice with a mallet. So in punishment his face was carved into the pillar opposite to stare at his apprentice’s pillar for eternity.
Robin Murray
