Henry Croswell et al. in St Helen's Church, Bishopsgate, City of London - 13 July, 1879, 11:00 AM
from Transcript of the diaries of Henry Croswell, page 159:
Morning Prayer, Litany, etc.
[…]
O[rgan]. – Well played by a lady.
H[ymns]. – Mercer and a fine Anthem "Turn not …"
C[hoir]. – Eight men and four lads, very professional but beautiful singers.
[The congregation numbered] 200 Many old and young men - a cpaital [sic] congregation for the City
Henry Croswell, Transcript of the diaries of Henry Croswell. In British Library, number 000826807, C.194.c.113 , p. 159. https://led.kmi.open.ac.uk/entity/lexp/1548331277526 accessed: 23 April, 2024 (By permission of the British Library.)
Listeners
Listening to
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| Date/Time | 13 July, 1879, 11:00 AM |
| Duration | 1 hours 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. Although dated 13/7/70 in the transcript, the position of the record within the whole suggests that the year should be 1879. William Mercer’s ‘The Church Psalter and Hymn Book’ (1854, enlarged, 1856; new edition, 1864; reprinted with Appendix, 1872) was one of the principal Church of England hymnals before the publication of ‘Hymns Ancient and Modern’. The music editor was John Goss.