Sir Stephen Cleobury RIP

Sad news comes this morning of the death last night of Sir Stephen Cleobury, past Director of the Choir of King’s College Cambridge.  He died in his hometown of York after a long illness.

I will leave it to others to note his many musical accomplishments. In person, he was a gracious man as I’ve experienced more than once, particularly when meeting him in Beeville, Texas of all places where he gave a organ recital.

November 22^ndhas not only claimed John F. Kennedy and C. S. Lewis, but now Dr. Cleobury as well.  May he rest in peace and rise in glory.

100 Years of Nine Lessons and Carols at King’s College

A reminder that this Christmas Eve will be the 100^thanniversary of Nine Lessons and Carols at King’s College Cambridge.  It will also be the last one directed by Stephen Cleobury.

It is hard to imagine anything good coming out of World War I, but the Nine Lessons service was in large part a response to that bittersweet Christmas of 1918 being just six weeks after the Armistice.  The Dean of King’s, Eric Milner-White, was convinced the usual Christmas Eve service would not do, and his response was Nine Lessons and Carols.

Readers know what I normally think of liturgical innovations, but this was a godly innovation indeed, and one I listen to every year.

More information may be found here, including this year’s program, and a more detailed history of this service. An even more detailed history of the service may be found in a chapter of King’s College Chapel 1515-2015.  And the program of the 1918 Nine Lessons service may be viewed here.

Stephen Cleobury to Retire from King’s in 2019

I cannot let pass without note that Stephen Cleobury has let it be known that he will retire from his directorship of the King’s College Choir in 2019.

I do like the understated headline on the King’s site – “King's advertises for a new Director of Music”.  Anyone wish to apply?

Any salute I give to Dr. Cleobury will either fall short of what this great man merits or will veer too close to idolatry.  I will say that I have been impressed by his energy and accessibility.  Some of the youth of my church and I enjoyed a concert of his in Beeville, Texas of all places, and we all enjoyed chatting with him.  I have also enjoyed briefly chatting with him in King’s College Chapel on more than one occasion.

As for why he is retiring, I do not presume to know his mind.  But although his longevity is remarkable, he is not as young as he once was.  He began his service at King’s in 1982!  And after listening to the Nine Lessons and Carols this past Christmas, I thought that after the Lessons later this year might be the time he would choose to retire.  For this year will be the 100^th Anniversary of Nine Lessons and Carols at King’s, which started just after the end of World War I.  It would be very understandable if he desired to preside over that.

That now shall be all the more a special, if bittersweet, occasion indeed.