The Anglican Communion

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Evensong is one of the official services of the Anglican church - found in the British Isles in the worship of the Church of England, the Scottish Episcopal Church, the Church in Wales and the Church of Ireland. It was first published in 1549, in an order drawn up by Thomas Cranmer, and was later revised in the 1662 Book of Common Prayer. Choral Evensong is the name given to the service when the majority of the service is sung by the cathedral choir to musical settings. Britain boasts a rich choral tradition, and the standard of singing in British cathedrals is very high.

Choral Evensong is the longest running BBC programme from any outside venue. Following its first broadcast from Westminster Abbey, the programme was subsequently broadcast weekly from the Abbey and, later, weekly from St Paul’s Cathedral, London.

A number of great names in British musical life have been broadcast on, or associated with, Choral Evensong, and it has had a huge influence on choral music in Britain.

Many well-known names also sang in broadcasts of Choral Evensong as cathedral boy choristers, including actor Clive Mantle (St John’s College Cambridge), wine expert Oz Clarke (Canterbury Cathedral), newsreader Jon Snow (Winchester Cathedral), Radio 2’s blues expert and ex-Manfred Mann member Paul Jones (Portsmouth Cathedral), the Archbishop of York, David Hope (Wakefield Cathedral) and former Controller Radio 4 Michael Green (New College, Oxford). The late Freddie Mercury is also believed to have sung as a choirboy on Choral Evensong at St Paul’s Cathedral. Recent history has seen the advent of choir girls, such as those at Salisbury Cathedral, who made their first broadcast in March 1993.

The programme, Choral Evensong, has proved so enduring because the experience of the radio listener is very similar to that of those in the cathedral itself. The service of Choral Evensong is a time for great stillness when people are uplifted by the sheer beauty of choral music and singing in this country. The heritage of the English choral tradition is unique and it is greatly valued. Through out weekly broadcasts hundreds of thousands can share this unparalleled experience.

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