BACKGROUND TO St ANN’S & ITS MUSIC

April 2015

1) St Ann’s Church St Ann’s was consecrated in 1712 and is now the parish church for the city centre. It is currently open to the public from Tuesday to Saturday from 10.00 am to 5.00 pm.

The church building is a well-known Grade 1 listed building at the heart of one of the older areas of the city centre, St Ann’s Square. The Parochial Church Council (PCC) is undertaking a programme of repair and conservation to the structure which began in 2011 and will take some years to complete. The building is on English Heritage’s ‘Heritage at Risk register’ on account of stone-falls. The safety of the building is meanwhile controlled by regular checks and the removal of dangerous material. So far the tower has been completely renovated, the roof has been replaced and some internal improvements made. Still to be decided upon is the scale of external stonework repairs and internal redecoration and re-ordering.

For many years St Ann’s has been noted for combining a strong musical and choral tradition with the use of the Book of Common Prayer. This remains true, although the PCC has recently moved towards contemporary language liturgy in the main Sunday morning Sung Eucharist, except during Advent and Lent when the Prayer Book liturgy is still in use.

St Ann’s is noted for its exceptionally fine acoustic which is an aid to music in worship and to performance alike. It adds considerably to the possibility of projecting both musical grandeur and intimacy.

The PCC is developing its thinking about the church’s mission in which the following areas are highlighted:

Worship and Spirituality In Sunday and special services to offer worship which expresses an offering to God which is lively, reverent, liturgical and attractive.

Welcome, Invitation and Fellowship To be a welcoming community and a Christian presence in the city centre. To engage with the residential, business, retail, visitor, civic and cultural aspects of the life of the city with a view to presenting the Gospel and being a credible representative of the Christian Church within these sectors. Music is an essential element both in the worship and cultural offer of St Ann’s. The church’s musicians are part of the fellowship of the church.

Developing Ministry To enable church members to develop their potential through training and participation. Music is understood as a ministry.

Developing Stewardship To develop the role of volunteers. To ensure the financial health and sustainability of St Ann’s.

Developing our Church Building Moving towards the next stage of the renewal of the fabric of our Grade 1 listed building.

2) Music at St Ann’s Music in Worship The Director of Music directs, conducts and accompanies the choir and is supported by an Associate Director, Dr James Hume, and the Pilling Trust Organ Scholar, currently Simon Passmore. The church is affiliated to the Royal School of Church Music (RSCM).

The choir is an auditioned, mixed, robed, SATB choir, usually around 30-35 strong. The age-range of singers is wide, although at present there are no children. A good number of the choir are younger singers. A high standard of music-making is achieved which aims however not to exclude the congregation. To that end the church combines a rich tradition of hymnody alongside strictly choir-led worship through anthems or Communion / Evensong settings.

No stipends are given to singers but there are key expectations about attendance and commitment. Singers are currently required to choose between the morning and evening services or to sing at both. Rehearsals are held on Fridays at 7.00 pm for awards / teaching (junior department if present). The main rehearsal is at 7.30 pm and is backed up by short warm-up rehearsal before services – on Sunday morning from 10.15 – 10.30 pm and Sunday evening from 5.30 – 6.15 pm.

The Common Praise hymnbook is in use but alternative hymns and music may be taken from other sources. At the main Sunday morning service the hymns and readings, and often the full service, is presented in paper form which allows for this kind of flexibility.

The main services which employ music are currently as follows:

Sunday 10.45 am Sung Eucharist Sunday 6.30 pm Choral Evensong (except August) Sunday 6.30 pm Taizé Worship (about five or six times per year)

In addition there are a number of services where music is required, notably weddings, funerals, carol services, holy days and civic services. At weddings, funerals and special services where a facilities fee is payable the organist (and choir if needed) are paid an additional fee. The standard organist’s fee for 2015 is £135.00. St Ann’s holds around 12- 15 weddings per year and around six funerals.

Music is chosen jointly by the Rector and the Director of Music and published in a monthly list. Examples of the list, which will illustrate the choir’s repertoire, are available on the church website: www.stannsmanchester.com. A recording of the 2014 Nine Lessons & Carols is available which gives an indication of the standard of music-making achieved.

2

The PCC strongly supports the musical tradition established at St Ann’s and sees it as a developing tradition at the heart of our worshipping life and outreach.

Support from the Pilling Trust The PCC receives grant assistance from the Pilling Trust to support the choral work and to provide an organ scholarship. This has been managed through the RNCM and has seen a good number of church organists trained at St Ann’s.

Choir Library St Ann’s has built up an extensive choir library which has its own catalogue. Acquisitions are made as required to support the learning of new music.

The Organ An organ was first installed in 1730 and two ranks of pipes from the original instrument are still in use. Victorian remodelling of the church saw the organ moved from the west gallery to be adjacent to the newly-formed cantoris / decani choir stalls. It is now a fine well- maintained four-manual instrument last rebuilt by George Sixsmith & Sons in 1996. The full specification can be found on the National Pipe Organ Register at www.npor.org.uk.

Concerts and Recitals A weekly organ recital has been given as part of the church’s offering to the cultural life of Manchester since at least the early 1920s. This does not take place in August or December. Over the years the church has been served by some distinguished organists, including William Hardwick and Ronald Frost.

Alongside the organ recitals St Ann’s has developed other concert formats: The church has a long-standing relationship with the Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM) and students give regular lunchtime chamber music concerts (Wednesday) and afternoon piano recitals (Saturday) during term time. The church keeps a fine Steinway B piano which is owned and maintained by the College for this purpose. (The piano is also used by the church for various events, including choir rehearsals.)

In addition to the performances by RNCM students there is a monthly Tuesday evening chamber concert which is offered on a subscription basis or by ticket. This is the ‘Tuesday Series’ programme. This concert series is supported by a dedicated fund and bank account within the PCC’s wider accounts. Other concerts are offered on an occasional basis.

3