The Renaissance (and Renaissance Polyphony) of Westminster Cathedral Choir
Here beginneth a pithy, potted history of the recent fortunes of the great Westminster Cathedral Choir. Seven years ago, in the Spring of 2019, the Choir of Westminster Cathedral faced it's latest, and arguably most serious, existential threat. As previously (during the tumultuous, iconoclastic post-Vatican II period), the threat largely came from within (in this instance, the Choir School and the Cardinal Archbishop of Westminster). Previous posts from 2019 give the details, from which you will largely be spared in this post. The short version is that the School and Cardinal (the latter perhaps somewhat unwittingly) embarked upon a scheme that would end full-time boarding for the choristers, but more importantly, drastically reduce their singing (both at services and in song school). The manner in which the changes were conceived, announced and implemented was abrupt, inflexible and in many respects underhand, to put it mildly. It created what was to become an irretrievable break...
