Henry Croswell et al. in St George's Church, Hanover Square, Mayfair, London - 14 September, 1884, 07:00 PM
from Transcript of the diaries of Henry Croswell, page 404:
O[rgan]. – Large, fine, in West Gallery.
H[ymns]. – Church Hymns, most insipid.
C[hoir]. – 5 middle-aged ladies plus 5 middle-aged gents. arranged in West Gallery. Not my style of church at all.
[The congregation numbered] 700 of whom 500 were downstairs and 200 upstairs: dull hymn-books provided.
S[ermon]. – Didn't stop; doubtless "gentlemanly". Churchwardens, Lords and "Hons." all round church. Nearly … more >>
Henry Croswell, Transcript of the diaries of Henry Croswell. In British Library, number 000826807, C.194.c.113 , p. 404. https://led.kmi.open.ac.uk/entity/lexp/1553167603657 accessed: 19 November, 2024 (By permission of the British Library.)
Listeners
Listening to
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| Date/Time | 14 September, 1884, 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.