Хор Королевского колледжа Кембриджа: История и традиции

English Anglican choir

The Choir of King's College, Cambridge is an English Anglican choir. It was created by King Henry VI, who founded King's College, Cambridge, in 1441, to provide daily singing in his Chapel, which remains the main task of the choir to this day. Today the choir is directed by Daniel Hyde and derives much of its fame from the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols, broadcast worldwide to millions on Christmas Eve every year, and the TV service Carols from King's which accompanies it. The choir commissions a carol from a contemporary composer for each year's festival.

The original statutes specified that the choir should consist of ten chaplains, six clerks (lay singers) and 16 choristers who were to be "poor and needy boys, of sound condition and honest conversation knowing competently how to read and sing". Perhaps recognising the workload placed upon the choristers who were to sing Matins, Mass and Vespers daily, the statutes also stated that "they should be doubly occupied with their prescribed duties and with their education". By 1449 recruitment had resulted in this full choir being in place singing daily services. The choir sang High Mass, Lady Mass and from daybreak, the eight services of the Liturgy of the Hours. In addition the boys alone sang daily "in the finest manner they know" the Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary and also the evening votive antiphon. When Henry VI was deposed during the Wars of the Roses in 1461, a period of brief instability resulted in reduced numbers for a while due to lack of funds. However, in 1479 with the appointment of provost Walter Field the choir came to fulfil the full potential of Henry VI's vision. Field oversaw the acquisition of innovative polyphonic music in the Eton Choirbook style, and appointed a new precentor with expertise in the complicated Salisbury Liturgy.

By the 1860s it was recognised that musical standards in the choir needed improvement. John Jebb's 1843 enquiry into Anglican choirs found that in Cambridge, the Choral Service has suffered mutilation in every place where it is retained. King's College has reduced the original number of its Conduct Chaplains from three to one; and though retaining its sixteen Choristers (which evidently were intended to be proportionate to a more numerous body of adult singers), there are but a small number of Clerks, too weak for the magnificent organ which accompanies them, and for the unrivalled Chapel where they minister. The Choir indeed attends twice daily; but the prayers are not chanted (a very modern innovation), and at the Sunday morning service the Nicene Creed is not sung. Amongst the lay clerks, whose duties were at this time divided by also singing at Trinity, indiscipline and absenteeism were common. He worked on improving the diction and timing of the choir to allow them to work with the acoustic of the chapel and its particularly lengthy reverb.

The statutes of the college provide for 16 choristers. These are boys who are educated at King's College School. They come from a variety of backgrounds with bursaries being available to families unable to afford the subsidised school fees. Boys usually join the choir as probationers aged eight following a successful audition at age six or seven. After two years as probationers, they enter the choir as full choristers, departing three years later or earlier if their voice changes.

From the beginning of the 20th century, the 14 lower voices of the choir have been provided by undergraduates who sing as choral scholars. These students must gain an academic place at Cambridge University as well as successfully obtaining a choral award at King's College through an audition process. They remain in the choir throughout their typically three year degree. Although some will study for a degree in music, many study other subjects, with only medicine and architecture being incompatible. Very occasionally, a lay clerk may be appointed in place of a choral scholar, usually if a vacancy arises unexpectedly: for example, when a student, having gained a conditional place at the college (subject to A level grades being achieved) fails to meet the conditions. Such lay clerks have, to all intents and purposes, the same status as a choral scholar. The few lay clerks that have existed (since the establishment of choral scholars) have often been choral scholars agreeing to remain for an additional year. The choral scholars form collectively, in their spare time, a separate group, The King's Men, singing a wide range of music written for men's voices, from early music through to barbershop arrangements (many of the latter having been written exclusively for the group by present/former Choral Scholars).

The organ is played by two organ scholars, who, like the choral scholars, are students (typically undergraduates) at the college. An organ Scholarship is awarded as necessary to ensure that there are always two undergraduate organists in the college a new scholar is appointed to arrive when the previous one graduates. If the director of music is not present for any reason, an organ scholar takes responsibility for conducting the choir.

The choir maintains a strong recording and touring schedule, in addition to its duties at King's College Chapel, in Cambridge.

The choir first toured in 1936, visiting Netherlands, Germany, Denmark and Sweden. The choir regularly performs in the United Kingdom, giving concerts in the major London concert halls, as well as at numerous festivals around the country. In 2013, the choir sang at the Prime Minister's Easter reception held at 10 Downing Street. The choir also performs with symphony orchestras, such as the BBC Symphony Orchestra at the BBC Proms in 2005 and 2009, the London Symphony Orchestra, and performs an annual Christmas concert with the Philharmonia Orchestra.

The choir's first commercial release was a 1929 recording of Bach's 'God liveth still' and 'Up, up my heart with gladness' on the HMV label, released in 1931. In 1963 the choir released a landmark recording of Allegri's Miserere featuring treble soloist Roy Goodman. A little known work at the time, this release led to it becoming one of the most popular a capella choral works. The choir has recorded more than 100 albums, on the EMI and Decca labels. In 2013 the choir launched its own label, King's College Recordings, which would allow it to gain more artistic freedom over its releases. Releases on this label include 100 Years of Nine Lessons and Carols which remained at number 1 in the classical charts for nine weeks. The choir has been innovative in its release of recordings, as apart from standard CDs they have offered Super Audio CD, Dolby Atmos, audio Blu ray, and 24 bit FLAC download versions of albums. In 2013 the choir began making available recordings of its choral services. These can be listened to on the choir's website. In 2017 for the first time they made the Carols From King's televised Christmas service available as a video download.