[Magdalen] Hereford Musings.

[Marion Thompson]

The other year I visited a friend who lives near Hereford.  While she 
dealt with an eye appointment, I revisited the Cathedral. Because the 
Cathedral School students were packed into the Cathedral proper for a 
function, I had to enter by the south east door, up behind the altar 
somewhere.  As I stood in the gloom getting my bearings outside a 
chapel, suddenly the organ pipes, all around and above me, sprang into 
life and I was right in the thunderous heart of "Jerusalem"  with the 
distant voices of the students singing 'And did those feet ...'  I burst 
into tears.  A remarkable moment that makes my eyes well up at the very 
thought of it.

Marion, a pilgrim   ... today my sail I lift ....
On 1/26/2015 11:07 AM, Sally Davies wrote:
> My hubby's birth mother lives near Hereford and I have a lovely memory of
> wandering around the Cathedral with her. My older son Donal was 18 months
> at the time, and carried in a backpack by Keith...he's a quiet boy now and
> very shy but not then. It didn't take him long to discover the beautiful
> acoustic - calling out loudly and musically as his voice rang
> thrillingly around the rafters. Luckily no one was trying to have a service
> at the time!
>
> I love that part of England.
>
> Sally D
>
> On Sunday, 25 January 2015, Cantor03--- via Magdalen <
> magdalen at herberthouse.org> wrote:
>
>> There is a full page ad in the American Organist this month promoting
>> the Three Choirs Festival (Hereford, Gloucester, and Worchester) this
>> summer.  There are a number of these three choir festivals.  The  one I
>> have attended several times is the Winchester, Salisbury, and  Chichester
>> festival.
>>
>> In any case there is a wonderful sweeping view of the interior of  Hereford
>> (as in "Hartford, Hereford, and Hampshire hardly ever have  hurricanes")
>> Cathedral from a camera mounted high in the vaults of the  sanctuary.  It
>> shows the Cathedral arranged for the concerts with all the  nave chairs
>> turned around to the west end where there are bleachers extending up  to
>> the west window to accommodate the large choir.
>>
>> My one trip to Hereford was before I gave up the booze, and I recall
>> driving
>> through the Malvern Hills from Worchester to Hereford, with a stop at  the
>> Great Malvern Priory.  At that impressive church, I got into a  little tiff
>> with
>> a clergyman at the west entrance.  I baited him, asking him where  the
>> Blessed Sacrament was kept on reserve in the Priory, suspecting full  well
>> that this was a church in the Evangelical camp.
>>
>> In any case, I remember little about Hereford Cathedral, except for  the
>> lovely Early English Lady Chapel with an unusual triptych altarpiece.
>> That's shame, because it looks like a splendid building.  But then,
>> alcohol
>> does pickle the brain, and it was my loss.
>>
>> I wish I could do the Three Choirs Festival.  It looks  wonderful.
>>
>>
>>
>> David S.
>>