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Letter from the Editor

This edition of the Record has turned into a musical onesince Roy discovered that the 150th anniversary of the official inauguration of the Mill Hill Chapel Choir falls this summer, it became a little inevitable, especially as 2014 is also the 20th year of the Organ Recital season. So I hope you will forgive the indulgence!

On June 29th we will be holding a celebration service for the anniversary of the choir, and will be welcoming a few extra singers for the occasion to allow some more ambitious repertoire than usual. As many churches find they cannot sustain a choir, to have one which has lasted so long is an achievement which we at Mill Hill should be proud of.

As I am writing this whilst listening to recordings of Im Sorry I Havent A Clue, and laughing particularly at the round One Song to the Tune of Another, I trust the choirs efforts will be a success!

Eleanor

Dickenson

The Record Mailing Lists

If anybody would like to receive their copy of The Record by email or by post, please pass your details on to the Editor, either in person at the Chapel, or by email to millhillrecord@gmail.com

Saint Cecilia

Saint Cecilia is the patron saint of music, especially church music, as well as that of musicians, composers, instrument makers and poets.

It is believed that St. Cecilia was born in the 2nd or 3d century A.D., although the dates of her birth and martyr-dom are unknown. A religious romance telling the love story of Saint Cecilia and Valerian appeared in Greece during the 4th century A.D., and there is a biography of St Cecilia dating from the 5th century A.D. She is purported to have been the daughter of a wealthy Roman family, a Christian from birth, who was promised in

marriage to a pagan named Valerian. Cecilia, however, had vowed her virginity to God, and wore sackcloth, fasted and prayed in hopes of keeping this promise. Saint Cecilia disclosed her wishes to her husband on their wedding night. She told Valerian that an angel watched over her to guard her purity. He wanted to see the angel, so St. Cecilia sent him to Pope Urban (223-230). Accounts of how and when Valerian saw the angel vary, but one states that he was baptized by the Pope, and, upon his return to Saint Cecilia, they were both given heavenly crowns by an angel.

Finally, she was arrested and brought before the prefect. He ruled that she should die by suffocation in the baths. Saint Cecilia was locked into the bathhouse and the fires vigorously stoked. She remained there for a day and a night but was still alive when the soldiers opened the doors. She was then ordered beheaded, but the executioner, after striking three times without severing St Cecilia's head, ran away, leaving her badly wounded.

St. Cecilia hung onto life for three days after the mortal blows, preaching all the while. She made many more conversions and people came to soak up her flowing blood with sponges and cloths. There exists in Rome a church in St. Cecilia's honor that dates from about the fifth century. Her relics were believed to have been found by Pope Paschal I in 821 A.D., in the cemetery of St. Celestas. These remains were exhumed in 1599, when Cardinal Paul Emilius Sfondrati rebuilt the church of St. Cecilia, and said to be incorrupt.

St. Cecilia, said to have heard heavenly music at one moment of her life, became the patroness of all western music. Even the Andrews sisters, in 1941, recorded a song, "The Shrine of St. Cecilia." The Saint Cecilia medal, typically fea-tures her at the organ, sometimes with angelic hosts gathered around her.

20th Annual Organ Recital Season

This Summers Grand Series of Organ Concerts marks the 20th year of

these ever-popular lunchtime musical feasts. Over all these years we

have been delighted and most grateful to have our devoted friend, Dr.

Simon Lindley, to launch each series and in this particularly significant

year we will present him, at his recital, with a gift to mark the occasion

as a token of our sincere thanks.

Including that of Simon, there will be a weekly run of 12 such concerts

7 to be given by distinguished guest-performers and 5 by our own

Director of Music, Anthony Norcliffe. We are, indeed, fortunate here at

Mill Hill to have a fine, comprehensive, versatile organ among the

best in the county and our success in keeping it in tip-top order is

achieved by the skills and regular and caring maintenance of Mr.

Malcolm Spink & Company.

During May, following Dr. Lindleys inaugural concert, we shall be

very pleased to welcome ALEXANDER WOODROW, the Director of

Music of Bradford Cathedral and an outstanding organist, to play for us

on the 27th. In June, PROFESSOR DAVID BAKER, from Halifax and

an outstanding organist and authority in a number of fields, and

AARON SHILSON, the gifted Organ Student of Leeds Cathedral, will

present exciting programmes for us. In addition, we will be delighted

to welcome, once again, JEFFREY MAKINSON, the distinguished

and famed Sub-Organist of Manchester Cathedral, on May 27th.

As usual, admission to these outstanding events, is free, a retiring

collection being taken at each, the proceeds from which go towards our

organ fund and, where necessary, the defrayment of expenses. We do

hope youll be able to make a regular date with us!

Anthony Norcliffe

Mill Hill Chapel City Square, Leeds

2014 Grand Series of Organ Concerts Tuesdays Weekly at 1.00pm

Join us for a superb bonanza of music on a splendid Norman &Beard instrument performed by distinguished organists

in a beautiful venue

May 13th: SIMON LINDLEY Leeds City Organist & Leeds Minster

May 20th: ANTHONY NORCLIFFE Mill Hill Chapel

May 27th: ALEXANDER WOODROW Bradford Cathedral

June 3rd: ANTHONY NORCLIFFE

June 10th: DAVID BAKER St. Michaels, Mytholmroyd, Halifax

June 17th: AARON SHILSON Leeds College of Music

June 24th: JEFFREY MAKINSON Manchester Cathedral

July 1st: ANTHONY NORCLIFFE

July 8th: DAVID Pipe York Minster

July 15th: ANTHONY NORCLIFFE

July 22nd: ELIN REES Bury Parish Church

July 29th: ANTHONY NORCLIFFE

Admission free * Retiring Collection

THE CHAPEL CHOIR

A History

The Chapel Choir may be introduced with the

following extract from the Mill Hill Chapel Record,

referring to the service on Christmas Day 1863: -

We direct attention to the extremely beautiful

musical service which we enjoyed on Christmas Day,

as an illustration of the incidental good which has

resulted from the formation of our Vesper Choir. And

we are confident that we only express the feelings of the congregation when

we tender to its members very cordial thanks for their valuable help, and for

the fidelity with which they have discharged their duties. We are also under

great obligations to our organist, Mr. Lancaster, for his unremitting and vey

successful efforts to improve that portion of the service which is under his

control. So long as care is taken that the music shall be strictly subordinate to

the devotional aims of the service, too much pains cannot be bestowed upon

it; and we hope that with the admirable choral materials which we now

possess, and the efficient direction of such materials, we shall realize still

higher degrees of excellence. In the following brief memoir of Mr. Lancaster,

the changes in the musical part of the chapel services are more fully

explained.

Joseph Lancaster was born in Hunslet

on 22nd February 1833. He received his

musical training under Mr. Frederic

William Hird of Leeds and after having

served as organist at one or two

churches in the town, he

commenced his duties as organist

at Mill Hill on 2nd January 1861. At

that period the singing was led by a

quartet; Martineaus Hymns for the Christian Church and Home were in

use. Mr. Lancaster compiled the Leeds Tune Book and composed some

of the tunes himself. About the same time, Rev. Thomas Hincks introduced

the Vesper Services and he asked certain members of the congregation to

sit with the quartet in order to give a greater body of tone to the singing.

Afterwards, Mr. Lancaster, Mr. Charles Wurtzburg and others applied

themselves to the task of improving the singing of the Sunday School

children for the Whitsuntide festivals; the plan was then adopted of

selecting some of the scholars to take part in the chapel singing, thus

forming, with the older singers, a full choir. Mr. Lancaster subsequently

prepared a supplement to his Tune Book, and in 1875 an edition of the

work was published that is still in use at the chapel. Joseph Lancaster died

on 28th March 1880 and he was buried at Woodhouse Hill Cemetery,

Hunslet. A small brass memorial tablet is fixed to the case of the organ.

Time has worked changes in the choir as elsewhere and although recruits

are still obtained from the Sunday School, yet the number of actual

scholars in the choir is now very small, and the boy singers have been

dispensed with.

On looking further back into the history of the chapel music, it appears that

in February 1774 a singing master

was appointed to instruct the

congregation, and that in 1780,

Sylvanus Sykes held the office of

Master of the Singers at an annual

salary of 4 guineas. In 1794 an

organ was erected in the chapel. John Hopkinson

appears to have been the first organist; he died in 1824

and was succeeded by Miss Farrar. In 1820 an annual

grant of 10 was voted to the singers and in 1830 a new

organ was erected. In February 1832, another Mr.

Hopkinson was appointed organist who seems to have

been succeeded by Mr. Wilson. Miss Brown was

appointed in November 1840 at a salary of 20 and Mr.

Cooke was engaged as clerk for 10 per year with a sum of 20 being

allotted to him for conducting the choir and providing three adult singers to be

approved by the Musical Committee. The duties of the clerk and precentor

were defined as follows: - To attend every Sunday at the chapel attired in a

respectable suit of black; to have the chapel open and ready for service; to

attend upon the Minister; to attend all extraordinary services and perform the

like duties; to attend all funerals, marriages and christenings which take place

at the chapel; and to practise with the singers and organist at least one hour

every week. Appropriate fees were fixed for these various services.

The Hymn and Psalm Books now in use replaced Martineaus Hymns for the

Christian Church and Home and a supplemental book of Psalms, Hymns and

Canticles that was compiled by Rev. Charles Hargrove in 1878. The present

books were prepared by a special committee appointed by the congregation

in 1890, Rev. Hargrove taking a leading part in the work. The Hymnbook is

called a third edition of the Berwick Hymnal, compiled by Rev. Arnold

Whitaker Oxford, Vicar of St. Lukes, Berwick Street, London; but a large

number of hymns in the original Berwick Hymnal do not appear in the Mill Hill

edition, others appear in somewhat altered form and a considerable number

in the Mill Hill edition are drawn from other sources. The Psalm-book contains

a selection from the Great Bible, or Prayer Book version of the Book of

Psalms, several Canticles from Martineaus Ten Services and Professor

Newmans Theism,

and the words of

various Anthems

chosen from a work

compiled by Rev. Evan

Ceredig Jones, a

former minister at

Bradford. The two new

books were brought

into use and the

hymnbook was

afterwards adopted at

Sheffield and

elsewhere.

Advance Notices

The Mill Hill Chapel A.G.M. will take place on Sunday 20th July

There will be no service on Sunday July 20th owing to the transport difficulties caused by the Jane Tomlinson Run For All event

The Tour de France events take place on the weekend of July 5th, but we do not anticipate any problems with our service on July 6th going ahead as normal. The Leeds-Harrogate stage takes place on the Saturday and York-Sheffield is on the Sunday, so there should be no traffic issues in Leeds on the Sunday.

Mill Hill Chapel will be open for this years Heritage Open Day event on Saturday 13th September, 10am-4pm. If anybody would like to volunteer to help on the day, please let Eleanor know.

Chapel Management Committee Susan Coggan

Chapel Management Committee meetings will be on: Wednesday 21st May and Wednesday 18th June

Wednesday 16th Julyno meeting in August

ANTHEMS DURING MAY 2014

May 4th: Now the green blade riseth - French carol, arr. Anthony Norcliffe May 11th: Pleasure it is - Cecil Cope May 18th: From God shall naught divide me - Heinrich Schutz May 25th: Day by day - Martin How

ANTHEMS DURING JUNE 2014

June 3rd: Above all praise and majesty - Felix Mendelssohn June 8th: If ye love me keep my commandments - Thomas Tallis June 15th: Blessed angel spirits - Pyotr I. Tchaikovsky June 22nd: Vox ultima crucis - William H. Harris June 29th: (Choir 150th Anniversary Service): Blessed be the God and Father - S. S. Wesley

Flowers & Flowers & WelcomersWelcomers for May & June 2014for May & June 2014

May 4th: Flower Fund Roy Coggan

May 11th: In memory of Violet & Sydney Travis Roy Perry Hunslet Memorial Flowers in memory of Selina & Walter Mann

May 18th: Flower Fund Susan Coggan

May 25th: In memory of Esm & John Lucas Roy Perry

June 1st: Flower Fund Roy Coggan

June 8th: Flower Fund Roy Perry

June 15th: In memory of Alice & James Saville Susan Coggan Hunslet Memorial Flowers in memory of Alice & James Saville June 22nd: Flower Fund Roy Perry

June 29th: Flower Fund Roy Coggan

If anyone would like to make a donation to provide flowers in memory of a loved one, to celebrate anniversaries or remember a birthday, then please contact Joan Perry or Susan Coggan (Flower Secretary). A few dates in the calendar are still available . . . . .

Dates for your diary Leeds is a vibrant city with a great variety of events going on. Some of those listed below may be of interest, all of which are free. (The Editor receives no recompense for mentioning events here, honest!).

Organ Recital 1pm Tues May 13th Mill Hill Chapel Recital by Dr Simon Lindley, Leeds City Organist & Leeds Minster

Organ Recital 1pm Tues May 20th Mill Hill Chapel Recital by Anthony Norcliffe of Mill Hill Chapel

French Scarecrow Hunt May 24-30th Kirkstall Abbey See how many French art-related scarecrows you can find around the Abbey

Organ Recital 1pm Tues May 27th Mill Hill Chapel Recital by Alexander Woodrow of Bradford Cathedral

Organ Recital 1pm Tues June 3rd Mill Hill Chapel Recital by Anthony Norcliffe of Mill Hill Chapel

Mollusc Showcase 11am Wed June 4th Leeds City Museum Conchology showcase with curator Clare Brown. Free but booking required

Organ Recital 1pm Tues June 10th Mill Hill Chapel Recital by David Baker of St. Michaels, Mytholmroyd, Halifax

Organ Recital 1pm Tues June 17th Mill Hill Chapel Recital by Aaron Shilson of Leeds College of Music

Knickers To It 10am Sat June 21st Leeds Museum Discovery Centre The science of historical undergarments. Free but booking required

Organ Recital 1pm Tues June 24th Mill Hill Chapel Recital by Jeffrey Makinson of Manchester Cathedral

Armed Forces Day 11am Sat June 28th Leeds City Centre Parade and events including Spitfire flyover to support Armed Forces in Leeds

Chapel Chat . . . Sunday services during

May and June 2014

Always at 10.45am

May 4th: Jonathan Coggan June 3rd: Jo James May 11th: Rev George Callander June 8th: Rev George Callander May 18th: Anthony Dawson June 15th: Anthony Dawson May 25th: Jo James June 22nd: Kate Taylor June 29th: Rev George Callander

Facilities Manager / Lettings Malcolm Clarke Chapel (0113) 243 3845

Chairman of the Congregation

Director of Music Anthony Norcliffe Home (01274) 637 535

The Record Editor Eleanor Dickenson Mobile (0773) 631 7215 Email millhillrecord@gmail.com @millhillchapel

CONFLICT or UNITY? There is no greater cause of conflict in our world today than the diversity of race, religion, culture and creed. Israel, Kosovo, Northern Ireland, Russia, Spain, Africa, India, Indonesia and elsewhere : this is fundamentally the case. Yet whether we are Jew, Muslim, Christian, Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Bahai or a member of any other religious faith, we share the same universe; the same planet Earth; the same environment; the same human biology and the same evolutionary process of nature. Clearly then, without a move-ment toward greater unity as one world and one people, there will be no peace.

Leeds is a modern city, which incorporates people from a variety of cultur-al and religious backgrounds. Their children sit alongside each other in schools, and lie alongside each other in hospitals. Yet the traditions of pre-vious generations present obstacles and barriers to the natural and neces-sary integration of modern-day communities. It is now imperative that hu-man beings everywhere embrace a vision of the oneness of God and of Humankind. Peace and harmony for future generations depends directly upon the success of this challenge. Of course, such unity will not come easily or overnight, and there will be many objections along the way. Nev-ertheless an attempt must be made, and where better to begin by way of example to the world, than in our fine city of Leeds?

This matter will not go away, and it is of little use hiding in our Syna-gogues, Temples, Gurdwaras, Mosques and Churches, and thinking that we can continue safe in our exclusive, cultural and religious, traditions. As intelligent and responsible adults, we have a duty to our children and to our world to address the problem now. If you share our vision, or are in sympathy and agreement with our views, then perhaps you would like to make contact with us, and together - whatever our differences - we might begin to find and establish that vital path to greater unity.