Acknowledged to be the definitive Discography & Collection of recordings from
choirs of Gentlemen & Boys singing in the English Cathedral tradition
I hope you find your visit interesting, informative and enjoyable and please do not hesitate to contact me on any aspect of the Collection or recorded church music in general. You may also
find the FAQ page has the answers to your questions.
We live in a golden age of recordings
where new CDs are issued by choirs almost monthly. How fortunate we are to be able to hear these choirs
in the comfort of our own home.
What we tend to forget is the vast amount of recordings made before the advent
of the CD, with choirs turning out 1000s of LPs from the mid 1950s.
The really enterprising choirs were recording
from the early 20th century on 78rpm records, with the first ever choir recording appearing in 1902 from St. Andrews Church,
Wells Street in London.
Nor does this take into account the many 1000s of private recordings, made by enthusiast
amateurs, armed with a tape recorder and some of the greatest gems in the Collection are from these private recordings.
Preserving a Unique
and Priceless Heritage of Recorded Church Music
For a country so dedicated
to heritage, this is one part which has been almost completely ignored - never having been catalogued, preserved
or gathered together as a unified collection.
So in 2003 I decided to do just that.
Now standing
at over 5500 recordings, the Collection comprises all past and current commercial releases, in-house releases, rare private
recordings, together with radio and TV broadcasts of services, concerts and documentaries. In addition, there
is a large photographic collection, together with the library archive which covers all aspects of the written and
spoken word.
Eventually, the Collection will be left to a musical
or educational establishment as a national resource for research, study and listening.
Historic Recordings
of Choirs
At
the top and bottom of most pages on the website you can listen to a complete historic recording, accompanied by a contemporary
photo of that choir.
After pressing 'play' the music may take a few moments to start and by clicking
on the thumbnail photo you can enlarge to full size.
Listening Post
LISTEN
TO THE FIRST CHOIR EVER TO RECORD IN 1902
Choir of St Andrew's Church Wells Street
London directed by F. Docker
Onward
Christian Soldiers : Sullivan Single sided 78rpm Gramophone
Monarch Record : October 1902
My
passion for church music started as a young chorister, progressing to organ lessons then playing for evensong at 13 years
old. University to read music combined with organ scholar, during which time I founded a boys' choir at the
local church. My time is now devoted to the Collection and the researching of recordings and choirs.
Today's news
Please
donate £1 towards the work of the Collection The Discography,
Collection and Website are funded entirely by myself and your donation will be very much appreciated.
