what is Choral evensong?
Evening Prayer, or Evensong (as it is often referred to when it is sung), was instituted in the reigns of King Henry VIII (1509-1547) and his son, King Edward VI (1547-1553), following England’s disestablishment from the Church of Rome, and the creation of the Church of England. Evensong evolved through a series of reformed Prayer Books during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, and at St. Thomas's, the liturgy is drawn from the 1662 Book of Common Prayer and the King James Bible. Evensong is essentially an adaptation and fusion of the older Latin rites of Vespers and Compline; rituals that go back in time to the very earliest centuries of the Church.
In America, the beloved English service survived dissociation of the colonial Anglican Church from the Church of England during the War of Independence (1775-1783). As the nascent Episcopal Church grew and thrived in the new nation, so too did its reverence for and cohesion to much of the forms and liturgies of the erstwhile “mother” Church. Therefore, the tradition of Choral Evensong - a staple of the Anglican rite - has flourished and spread across the American landscape over the past two centuries.
Evensong begins with the first set of Responses, inviting those present to join their hearts and voices in prayer and praise. The psalm or psalms of the day are then sung, usually to Anglican Chant, followed by an Old and a New Testament lesson, alternating with musical settings of the Magnificat (The Song of Mary) and the Nunc Dimittis (The Song of Simeon). All then join in the recitation of the Apostles' Creed, followed by the choir and cantor singing the second set of Responses. An appropriate anthem for the day or season then follows, sung by the choir. Evensong concludes with prayers and intercessions, often asking God to watch over those present for the coming night. A final hymn is usually sung by all, followed by an organ voluntary.
In the present day, Choral Evensong holds special resonance for regular churchgoers, as well as those of other faith traditions or none at all. Whatever the reason for attending, all respond to the beauty, richness, and tradition of the music and language, and for many, a sense of connectedness binding present to ancient past becomes an experience approaching holy awe.
In America, the beloved English service survived dissociation of the colonial Anglican Church from the Church of England during the War of Independence (1775-1783). As the nascent Episcopal Church grew and thrived in the new nation, so too did its reverence for and cohesion to much of the forms and liturgies of the erstwhile “mother” Church. Therefore, the tradition of Choral Evensong - a staple of the Anglican rite - has flourished and spread across the American landscape over the past two centuries.
Evensong begins with the first set of Responses, inviting those present to join their hearts and voices in prayer and praise. The psalm or psalms of the day are then sung, usually to Anglican Chant, followed by an Old and a New Testament lesson, alternating with musical settings of the Magnificat (The Song of Mary) and the Nunc Dimittis (The Song of Simeon). All then join in the recitation of the Apostles' Creed, followed by the choir and cantor singing the second set of Responses. An appropriate anthem for the day or season then follows, sung by the choir. Evensong concludes with prayers and intercessions, often asking God to watch over those present for the coming night. A final hymn is usually sung by all, followed by an organ voluntary.
In the present day, Choral Evensong holds special resonance for regular churchgoers, as well as those of other faith traditions or none at all. Whatever the reason for attending, all respond to the beauty, richness, and tradition of the music and language, and for many, a sense of connectedness binding present to ancient past becomes an experience approaching holy awe.
