THE P RTAL
February 2017 Page 13
“ I became Assistant Director of Music at Peterborough for four years , and then moved to Durham . I ’ ve been here for six years as Sub Organist . I do enjoy it , but eventually I would like to be a Director of Music , having the responsibility of directing a choir .”
We wondered how she felt about the Cathedral choir , ecclesiastical music in the broader sense , and church music in parishes up and down the country .
“ It ’ s quite polarised . “ You have the cathedrals and some very active parish churches maintaining a good choral tradition but unfortunately in a number of churches choral services are disappearing and it ’ s hard to recruit people to sing in the choir .”
Jackie said , “ You have people coming into the cathedral , not necessarily for religion , but just to listen to the music .” Francesca tackled the subject head on . “ That ’ s a very important message . Music can bring people into the church who wouldn ’ t normally come in . We shouldn ’ t patronise those people or say that they are not welcome . The church is there for everybody ; for all faiths and none . Many people come in during times of need in their own lives and just need some solace or a place to be and sit and think . Music can really transport somebody to a different place even if they ’ re not a believer .”
We asked if recruitment is a problem .
Francesca was honest with her answer . “ I think recruiting choristers , even in the greatest Cathedrals , is more of a problem than it has been . If families aren ’ t regular church goers and it isn ’ t something they ’ ve been brought up with , they have many other pursuits and distractions . Choristers need to be very dedicated , and for many people it ’ s not for them ; they want to be doing many different things . There ’ s a lot on offer for children these days and so it is an issue even at Cathedral level .”
We asked the obvious question about boys and girls in choirs . case – girls shouldn ’ t have to pretend to sound like boys ! What I find best is a mix of boys and girls singing together . Boys bring an attack and almost an edge to a note , girls traditionally bring a roundness ; together that combination is a wonderful thing . I think we will see more mixed Durham Cathedral - Photo : Oliver Bonjoch choirs in the future .”
What , we wondered , is the future of English ecclesiastical music particularly in regards to Cathedrals . Under pressure recruitment wise , under pressure financially , under pressure from clergy who don ’ t appreciate what they have . Where do you see it going ? Where would you like to see it going ?
Francesca agreed it is a challenge . “ Financially a lot of Cathedrals are in a really tough place at the moment . They rely on their visitors . Should they charge for entry ? At Durham , we ’ ve been adamant that we will not charge for entry to the Cathedral . People should feel free to come and go in their cathedral as they please . That of course doesn ’ t help the finances and it ’ s a double edge sword .
Jackie said , “ The choir can generate a certain amount of money for itself but is the tradition is worth preserving ?”
Francesca agreed , “ Absolutely : we should try to champion the cause as much as possible because once we ’ ve lost it , it will be really hard to get back . Not only do we have the historical element of it being a tradition for 1000 years or so , you have the benefits that chorister-ship brings personally to the choristers . Not only to their musical development but socially they get to experience being in a team and working at a professional level and that what they are doing matters . A lot of people who have been choristers go into other walks of life and , looking back , say , ‘ This is where I learnt it all .’”
Francesca has a CD out at the moment . “ Bravura !” is on the Priory label . Her second CD , playing on the organ of Kings Lynn Minster , will be out later this year .
Francesca said , “ A lot of the time I don ’ t think you can tell the difference but it shouldn ’ t matter in any
We thank Francesca for her time and wish her well in her chosen career .