Abbreviation | RSCM |
---|---|
Predecessor | School of English Church Music |
Formation | 1927 |
Founder | Sir Sydney Nicholson |
Founded at | St Sepulchre-without-Newgate, London, UK |
Legal status | Charity |
Purpose | Music education; promotion of Anglican church music |
Headquarters | Salisbury, Wiltshire, UK |
Coordinates | 51°03′59″N1°47′49″W / 51.0662697°N 1.7970334°W |
Region | Worldwide |
Products | Sheet music; RSCM Press educational books |
Services | Training programmes, music printing press |
Director | Hugh Morris (2018-) |
Website | www |
The Royal School of Church Music (RSCM) is a Christian music education organisation dedicated to the promotion of music in Christian worship, in particular the repertoire and traditions of Anglican church music, largely through publications, training courses and an award scheme. The organisation was founded in England in 1927 by Sir Sydney Nicholson and today it operates internationally, with 8,500 members in over 40 countries worldwide, and is the largest church music organisation in Britain. [1] Its Patron as of May 2024 is King Charles III, following the previous monarch Queen Elizabeth II (who had held the position since 1947). [2]
The RSCM was originally named the School of English Church Music and was only open to members of the Anglican Communion; today it is an interdenominational organisation, although it is still overseen by the Church of England. [3]
Choirs affiliated with the Royal School of Church Music often wear the RSCM medallion, which features a picture of Saint Nicolas, its patron saint.
The School of English Church Music (SECM) was founded in 1927 by Sir Sydney Nicholson, and opened at Buller’s Wood in Chislehurst in 1929. In 1945, it became the Royal School of Church Music (RSCM), and moved to Canterbury Cathedral. In 1954, it moved to Addington Palace and then in 1996 to Cleveland Lodge, Dorking. Since 2006, it has been based at Sarum College in Salisbury. [4]
The RSCM seeks to engage and encourage church music through awards, exams, publishing, residential courses and professional advice. [5]
Education programmes include the Voice for Life and Church Music Skills schemes, as well as the long-running residential courses. [6]
The RSCM publishes church music and other materials for choirs and organists, and produces a magazine, Church Music Quarterly (CMQ) which alongside Sunday by Sunday provides useful information for church musicians.
The Millennium Youth Choir is the charity's national youth choir which has sung for BBC Radio 3 Choral Evensong and the Proms. [7] [8] The RSCM Voices and RSCM Cathedral Singers are other choirs run by the RSCM.
1927–1947 Sydney Nicholson (formerly Organist of Carlisle and Manchester Cathedrals, and Westminster Abbey)
1954–1972 Gerald H. Knight [9] (formerly Assistant Organist of Truro Cathedral)
1972–1989 Lionel Dakers [10] (formerly Organist of Exeter and Ripon Cathedrals)
1989–1998 Harry Bramma [11] (formerly Assistant Organist of Worcester Cathedral and Organist of Southwark Cathedral)
1998–2007 John Harper [12]
2007–2012 Lindsay Gray [13] [14]
2012–2018 Andrew Reid [15] [16] (formerly Master of the Music at Peterborough Cathedral; subsequently Director of Harrison and Harrison)
2018–present Hugh Morris [17] (formerly Organist of Derby Cathedral)
1996–2005 Sir David Harrison [18]
2005–2010 Mark Stephen Williams [19]
2010–2018 Brian Gill, Lord Gill [20]
2018– Reverend Dr John Hall, Dean of Westminster [21]
–2024 Dr Phil Taylor
2024–present Sue Hayman, Baroness Hayman of Ullock [22]
The RSCM provides a series of grades and awards to signify varying levels of musical achievement.
There are four basic merit awards – the light blue ribbon, the dark blue ribbon, the red ribbon and the yellow ribbon. These awards share the same medal and are widely used within individual choirs to encourage progression and development, being managed and awarded at a parish/choir level.
Beyond these are three awards achieved by examination:
* The Bronze award* The Silver award* The Gold award
There are no prerequisites for taking the awards exams and full details of the current syllabus can by found on the RSCM website. In broad terms, a Bronze award is equivalent to ABRSM grade 4 in terms of difficulty, though its requirements are broader. Similarly Silver roughly equates to grade 6 and Gold to grade 8.
The former medals are as follows:
For choristers up to the age of 16 | For choristers up to the age of 21 |
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Every year the RSCM Council confers Honorary Awards on those who have made outstanding contributions to church music. [23] They are divided in:
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Priory Records is a record company in the UK founded in 1980, and devoted mostly to church music and organ music. Important projects have included the complete Psalms sung by cathedral choirs to Anglican chant, all of the Magnificat and Nunc dimittis settings by Herbert Howells, the "British Church Composer Series", the "Choral and Music from English Cathedrals", the "Music for Evensong" and, more recently, all the hymns in the complete New English Hymnal Series. There are also three discs of the Communion Service settings of Stanford and four further discs featuring settings of the Te Deum and Jubilate.
Sir Sydney Hugo Nicholson was an English choir director, organist, composer, and founder of the Royal School of Church Music (RSCM) and the compiler of The Parish Psalter.
Sir William Henry Harris was an English organist, choral trainer and composer.
John Anthony Birch was a British organist and choral director.
The Choir of St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle exists to sing services in St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle.
Simon Lole is well known as a choral director, organist, composer, arranger and broadcaster. He was organist of Barking Parish Church (1978–80), Croydon Parish Church (1980–85), Director of Music at St Mary's Church, Warwick (1985–94) before becoming Organist and Director of Music at Sheffield Cathedral (1994–1997) and then at Salisbury Cathedral (1997–2005), He spent two periods as Acting Director of Chapel Music at Jesus College, Cambridge. He has composed over 60 published works. Best known are "The Father's Love" (RSCM), "The Journey" (RSCM), "I am the bread of life" (RSCM),"Shall we not Love Thee, Mother dear?" (RSCM), "The St David's Service" (Encore), Angels (Banks) and "Jesu, the very thought of Thee" (OUP). Much of his music has been recorded and broadcast on radio and TV. He is now Director of Music at St Mary's Church, Swanage.
Leeds Minster, also known as the Minster and Parish Church of Saint Peter-at-Leeds is the minster church of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It stands on the site of the oldest church in the city and is of architectural and liturgical significance. A church is recorded on the site as early as the 7th century, although the present structure is a Gothic Revival one, designed by Robert Dennis Chantrell and completed in 1841. It is dedicated to Saint Peter and was the Parish Church of Leeds before receiving the honorific title of "Minster" in 2012. It has been designated a Grade I listed building by Historic England.
Alan John Thurlow is an English organist. He is best known as having been Organist and Master of the Choristers of Chichester Cathedral between 1980 and 2008.
The Choir of Leeds Minster is the choir of Leeds Minster, Leeds, England, which became a Minster in September 2012. The choir was founded by vicar, Richard Fawcett probably as early as 1815, and was certainly in existence by 1818. The church's choir - boys and men - was, from its origins, a charge on the church rate; and, in what was then a largely non-conformist town, a none-too-popular one. By the 1830s, the choir's resourcing had been taken over by a list of voluntary subscribers. On arrival as Vicar of Leeds in 1837, Walter Farquhar Hook said he found "the surplices in rags and the books in tatters". Additional to its extensive commitment in the provision of choral services, the choir is known to a wide public through many recitals, recordings and broadcasts and by its regular choir tours - the first tour was held in July 1968 and the 40th anniversary tour, from 22 to 27 July 2008, included singing in Ely Cathedral, King's College, Cambridge, the National Musicians' Church St Sepulchre-without-Newgate in the City of London, All Saints Pastoral Centre London Colney and the Chapel of the Royal Hospital Chelsea.
All Saints' Church, Ryde is a parish church in the Church of England located in Ryde, Isle of Wight. The building is a landmark of the island, the spire being visible from many places around the Isle of Wight and from the mainland, projecting beyond the skyline. All Saints' is sometimes referred to as the "Cathedral of the Island" It is a Grade II* ecclesiastical listed building.
St Mary's Church is the civic church of Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk, England and is one of the largest parish churches in England. It claims to have the second longest nave, and the largest West Window of any parish church in the country. It was part of the abbey complex and originally was one of three large churches in the town.
James Bennett Lancelot was master of the Choristers, and cathedral organist at Durham Cathedral from 1985. He retired in 2017 and was appointed canon organist emeritus by the bishop of Durham.
Richard Hey Lloyd was a British organist and composer.
Lionel Frederick Dakers was an English cathedral organist who served in Ripon Cathedral and Exeter Cathedral.
Christopher Hugh Dearnley was an English cathedral organist, who served in Salisbury Cathedral and St Paul's Cathedral.
Richard James Shephard MBE, DL, FRSCM was a British composer, educator, and Director of Development and Chamberlain of York Minster. He was acclaimed as one of the most significant composers of church music of his time.
Sarah Elizabeth Arwen MacDonald is a Canadian-born organist, conductor, and composer, living in the United Kingdom, and currently holds the positions of Fellow and Director of Music at Selwyn College, Cambridge, and Director of the girl choristers at Ely Cathedral. She has been at Selwyn since 1999, and is the first woman to hold such a post in an Oxbridge Chapel. In 2018 MacDonald was given the honorary award of Associate of the Royal School of Church Music (ARSCM).
David Patrick Gedge MBE FRAM FRSCM HonFGCM GRSM FRCO LRAM was an organist based in England and Wales.
John Robinson is an English organist and choral conductor. Currently, he is the Director of Music at Blackburn Cathedral. Robinson is active as an Organ Recitalist, having performed in venues across the US and Europe, and recorded on the organ for Priory, Herald, Hyperion, Regent and Ambisonic. He has led choral festivals for various organisations including the RSCM and Pueri Cantores. His choral recordings include releases on Decca Records and Sony Classical
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