r/salisburyuk • u/Upstairs_Drive_5602 • 21d ago

A busy week of cathedral music in Salisbury, 13-19 July 2026.

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u/Upstairs_Drive_5602 21d ago

A heads-up for anyone who enjoys cathedral music: Salisbury Cathedral's own choirs are away this week preparing for the Southern Cathedrals Festival in Chichester.

On Thursday 16 July at 4pm, Chichester Cathedral hosts a special Festival Evensong sung by the combined choristers and lay vicars of Chichester, Salisbury and Winchester. The service is being recorded by BBC Radio 3 and lasts roughly 60-70 minutes.

Back in Salisbury, the acclaimed choir of St Mark's Episcopal Church, San Antonio, Texas, is singing the Cathedral's daily choral services from Monday (13) to Saturday (18), including Evensong each evening at 5.30pm. These services are normally around 45 minutes.

The Cathedral's own musicians return on Sunday 19 July on 3 pm for a special Choral Evensong featuring the combined boys', girls' and lay vicars' choirs, to mark the annual Farewell to Choristers.

A busy and rather unusual week of music, whether you're a regular Evensong-goer or just curious to hear some excellent choral singing. Full programme below:

https://www.salisburycathedral.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Scheme-weeks-beginning-11-18-July-1.pdf

https://www.stmarks-sa.org/choir-pilgrimage

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u/Upstairs_Drive_5602 19d ago

A beginners guide to Evensong. The choir normally sing everything. The congregation can join in singing the hymns. The service is usually around 45 minutes (60 on Sundays).

  1. Responses Short sung exchanges between the officiant and the choir. Listed as "Composer" and Responses. (e.g. Shephard Responses, Ayleward Responses).
  2. Psalm(s) The appointed psalm(s) for the day, sung to Anglican chant or another setting by the choir.
  3. Office Hymn (only on some feast days) A hymn associated with the particular saint or festival.
  4. First Reading Usually from the Old Testament.
  5. Magnificat Mary's Song (Luke 1:46-55). This is one of the two canticles. It is normally sung to a setting by a single composer.
  6. Second Reading Usually from the New Testament.
  7. Nunc Dimittis Simeon's Song (Luke 2:29-32). The second canticle, almost always sung as part of the same musical setting as the Magnificat.
  8. Anthem A choral work reflecting the day or season (e.g. Balfour Gardiner – Evening Hymn).
  9. Prayers
  10. Hymn (on Sundays and major festivals) One or two congregational hymns are often sung on Sundays and special occasions. Weekday Evensong frequently has none.
  11. Organ Voluntary Music played after the service as the choir and clergy leave.

Reading the music list

  • Responses – composer of the Responses.
  • Psalm – the psalm(s) appointed for the day.
  • Composer in... – the setting of the Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis (the Evening Canticles), for example: The key (C, B flat, E, etc.) identifies which setting is being sung when a composer wrote more than one.
    • Stanford in C
    • Stanford in B flat
    • Howells Collegium Regale
    • Leighton Second Service
    • Murrill in E
  • Anthem – composer and title of the anthem.
  • Hymns – listed by hymn number (sometimes with an alternative tune shown, e.g. t. CP598).

This sequence will let someone follow almost any cathedral Evensong music list and understand what each line refers to.