| Service in B-flat major | |
|---|---|
| Sacredchoral composition byCharles Villiers Stanford | |
 The composerc. 1894 | |
| Full title | Morning, Communion and Evening Service in B-flat |
| Opus | 10 |
| Text | Liturgical texts of theAnglicanService |
| Language | English |
| Composed | 1879 (1879) |
| Published | 1902 (1902) |
| Vocal |
|
TheService in B-flat major (in fullMorning, Evening and Communion Service in B-flat),Op. 10, is a collection ofAnglican church music byCharles Villiers Stanford for mixedchoir andorgan containing thecanticles for each of the principalservices of theAnglican Church. Stanford set the traditional liturgical texts in English in 1879 when he was the organist ofTrinity College, Cambridge. They were published byNovello in 1902. Stanford orchestrated the work in 1903, with additional organ.
In 1877,Charles Villiers Stanford, returning from extended studies inLeipzig andBerlin, was appointed organist ofTrinity College, Cambridge.[1] He had to conduct two weekly rehearsals, training the boys for six hours per week during term time, and four hours during holiday periods. Choral services were held on Saturdays and Sundays, also on Christmas Eve, on Christmas Day, on theFeast of the Circumcision (1 January) andEpiphany (6 January).[1]
Stanford composed the service inB♭ major, as the first of several, for mixed choir andorgan in 1879.[2] He set the traditional liturgicalAnglican texts in English, as part of his efforts to improve singing at theCollege Chapel.[1] The Jubilate Deo (Psalm 100) andTe Deum in B♭ were first performed duringMatins (Morning service) on 25 May 1879. On 24 August that year, during vacation, the Te Deum was repeated with the first performance of theBenedictus, while theMagnificat and theNunc dimittis were first performed in the evening service. The Service in B♭ was a significant development in Stanford's setting of the morning and evening canticles.[1]
The work is structured in the ten traditional sections of the Anglican service:
A reviewer summarised: "The service is a major milestone in the development of Anglican church music, representing the harnessing of Brahmsian symphonic technique to the needs of the Anglican liturgy."[3]
A 2010 recordingThe Feast of Saint Peter the Apostle at Westminster Abbey, celebrating the patron saint ofWestminster Abbey, contains four of the ten parts, performed by theChoir of Westminster Abbey and organistRobert Quinney, conducted byJames O'Donnell.[3]
| Operas | |
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| Orchestral works | |
| Chamber music | |
| Vocal works | |
| Related articles | |
