27 December 1997
Organist:
Director of Music: Carl Jackson (1996)
Assistant:
Jason Edge (1995)
Organ:
Christopher Schrider (1712), most recently rebuilt by Hill, Norman and Beard in 1993.
3 manuals, sited in the south organ chamber.
Choir:
14 boys (no choir school), 3A, 3T, 4B
Services:
7:30pm on Ash Wednesday, Maundy Thursday, Ascension Day.
Sundays: Matins at 11:00 (except 1st Sunday in month) or Choral Eucharist (1st Sunday), Evensong at 3:30.
Telephone: 0181 781 9598
Recordings:
Cantoris: Close of Day (1994)
Other
Information:
The Chapel Royal
The Chapel Royal is a body of priests and singers who serve the spiritual needs of the Sovereign. It has been called "the cradle of English church music", for its great musicians of the past set an example in style of composition and performance that was copied by cathedrals, churches and chapels throughout the land. The Chapel Royal used to travel with the court as it resided at various royal palaces including Hampton Court, though now, it is permanently based at St James's Palace, and attends the Sovereign at the Royal Maundy service, on Remembrance Sunday in Whitehall, and on other occasions as commanded by Her Majesty.
The Choir of Hampton Court Palace
For two centuries from the Baptism of Edward V1 at Hampton Court in 1537, many of the finest musicians of the itinerant Chapel Royal would have served there. They include Tallis, Byrd (who lived a few miles away in Harlington), Morley (sworn and admitted a Gentlemen in the Vestry), Purcell, and also Pelham Humphrey and Blow, both of whom lived nearby in Hampton.Hampton Court Palace ceased to be a royal residence in 1737, though a permanent choir was established there in
1868. (There is also a choir at the other surviving Chapel Royal of St Peter ad Vincula, HM Tower of London). Today,
the Hampton Court choir comprises fourteen choristers drawn from local schools, and ten gentlemen. From
September to July, it sings two services on Sundays, and on major feasts, these being attended by Palace
residents and members of the public. The choir is subject to the jurisdiction of the Lord Chamberlain's Office and of
the Dean of the Chapels Royal (the Bishop of London), and it reaffirms its link annually with the historic Chapel
Royal when it combines with the choir of the Chapels Royal, St James's Palace to sing evensong.
Previous
Organists:
W H Fitzgerald (1831-1845)
William Sellé (1845-1885)
Basil Philpott (1886-1930)
William Phillips (1930-1956)
Norman Askew (1956-1966)
Gordon Reynolds (1967-1995)
Richard Hill (1995-1996)
