Henry Croswell et al. in St James' Church, Piccadilly, Westminster, London - 5 June, 1881, 07:00 PM
from Transcript of the diaries of Henry Croswell, page 258:
O[rgan]. – Poor, in the West Gallery. We couldn't see it or the Choir.
H[ymns]. – Church Hymns - very ordinary.
C[hoir]. – Poor - in the West Gallery. They are paid. Few responded except at the Thanksgiving.
[The congregation numbered] 300 – […]
S[ermon]. – We left before the Sermon.
[…]
M[iscellaneous]. – There is nothing to attract so it is nearly empty.
Henry Croswell, Transcript of the diaries of Henry Croswell. In British Library, number 000826807, C.194.c.113 , p. 258. https://led.kmi.open.ac.uk/entity/lexp/1551349580172 accessed: 7 February, 2025 (By permission of the British Library.)
Listeners
Listening to
hide composers| hymns selected from 'Church Hymns' | performed by the choir and organist of St James' Church Piccadilly |
| Anglican church music | performed by the choir and organist of St James' Church Piccadilly |
Experience Information
| Date/Time | 5 June, 1881, 07:00 PM |
| Duration | 40 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.