Henry Croswell et al. in St Matthias' Church, Bethnal Green, East End of London - 17 August, 1879, 06:30 PM
from Transcript of the diaries of Henry Croswell, page 168:
O[rgan]. – Large, capitally played.
H[ymns]. – S.P.C.K.; popular hymns selected and sung with energy and expression.
C[hoir]. – Any number of boys and lads. They sat in front, the benches arranged as choir-stalls - unsurpliced and considered only as of the congregation.
[The congregation numbered] 250 It was a wet night and so a grand sight to see even these assembled from such a neighbourhood.
Henry Croswell, Transcript of the diaries of Henry Croswell. In British Library, number 000826807, C.194.c.113 , p. 168. https://led.kmi.open.ac.uk/entity/lexp/1548344295843 accessed: 29 November, 2024 (By permission of the British Library.)
Listeners
Listening to
hide composers| hymns selected from 'Church Hymns' | performed by the choir and organist of St Matthias' Church Bethnal Green |
| performed by the choir and organist of St Matthias' Church Bethnal Green |
Experience Information
| Date/Time | 17 August, 1879, 06:30 PM |
| Duration | 1 hours 15 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. Croswell’s mention of the S.P.C.K. (Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge) hymnbook refers to ‘Church Hymns’ (1871) and ‘Church Hymns with Tunes (1874, under the musical editorship of Arthur Sullivan). 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.