Henry Croswell et al. in St Mark's Church, Albert Road, Regent's Park, London - 30 January, 1881, 07:00 PM
from Transcript of the diaries of Henry Croswell, page 239:
We sat in the gallery and couldn't see. It would seem to be very Low Church but Mackkean's [Mackeson's?] shows it to be High and dry!
O[rgan]. – In the West Gallery. [Hubine] was learnt on it.
H[ymns]. – Church Hymns, an ordinary selection.
C[hoir]. – Twelve ladies and gentlemen, in the West gallery, moderately well trained.
[The congregation numbered] 250 – It was a bad night. Perhaps there were not so many. […]
S[ermon]. – Didn't stop.
Henry Croswell, Transcript of the diaries of Henry Croswell. In British Library, number 000826807, C.194.c.113 , p. 239. https://led.kmi.open.ac.uk/entity/lexp/1551268399240 accessed: 10 November, 2024 (By permission of the British Library.)
Listeners
Listening to
hide composershymns selected from 'Church Hymns' | performed by the choir and organist of St Mark's Church Albert Road |
Anglican church music | performed by the choir and organist of St Mark's Church Albert Road |
Experience Information
Date/Time | 30 January, 1881, 07:00 PM |
Duration | 45 minutes |
Medium | live |
Listening Environment | in the company of others, indoors, in public |
Notes
Henry Croswell (1840–93) kept a record of his visits to churches in London over a period of more than twelve years (1872–85). He made methodical notes about the number of clergy, the churchmanship, the congregation, the sermon and the church architecture, as well as commenting on the music that he heard (the organ, the hymns and the choir). The above listening experience has been extracted from one of these records. ‘Church Hymns’ (1871) and ‘Church Hymns with Tunes’ (1874) were publications of the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge (S.P.C.K.), under the musical editorship of Arthur Sullivan (1842–1900). This collection was the most successful of the competitors to ‘Hymns Ancient and Modern’ in the late nineteenth century, containing a larger number of hymns overall, and more hymns specifically intended for children and young people. Charles Mackeson’s ‘A Guide to the Churches of London and its Suburbs’ was published annually during the late nineteenth century. It listed details about the clergy, organist and choir, services, style of churchmanship and music, architecture, etc. Croswell mentions the Guide in his records from 1881 onwards.