Stainer's Crucifixion to be performed at St Andrews Hagbourne Church at 6.00pm on 22/3/26

All singers are invited to join us at East Hagbourne Church

Rehersals will be starting on Thursday evenings at 7.30pm in church. (Ample parking is at OX11 9LR)

These will be weekly starting on 12/2/26 for people who need note training.

For people who know the work, the rehearsals on 12/3/26 and 19/3/26 are important.

On the day, 22/3/26, the dress rehearsal will be at 3.00pm, with refreshments at 5.00pm.

We have identified the Narrator and Jesus roles, but Stainer provides many opportunities for solos. We will override the score in allowing many numbers to be sung by ladies. Hands up volunteers!

If you have the score, please bring it. The out-of-copyright music score is freely available to download.
Open access score of the Crucifixion

There are some fine performances on YouTube.
Holy Trinity Cathedral, Auckland, New Zealand and
Clare College, Cambridge ,

Also readily available are links which play each part of each number, emphasising the chosen part on a background of the choir and organ.
These are as follows: Web addresses for individual parts
soprano, alto, 1st tenor, 2nd tenor, 1st bass , 2nd bass

To indicate the singing style we would like produce is a 1.5min "podcast"

Inspired by Jonathan Miller's St Matthew Passion we have been dreaming of doing a bit a staging to help make the words come to life. The thoughts started with #14: a conversation between the Narrator, Jesus and the two Malefactors. Normally the malefactors are just voices in the choir. We thought: "Why not place them in front of three simple crosses set up in the church so we could all see the conversation taking place?" Nothing is decided, but here are our staging thoughts

We have decided to use the "Hagbourne Church Choir" (hcc) WhatsApp group for communications of news, photos and recordings within the Crucifixion choir. It does need a smart phone or tablet. Please text to 07780361700 saying "invite hcc". Don't worry if you have neither. We can manage a landline phone. The poster

Stainer and the Crucifixion
Stainer was born in London in 1840 and was a Chorister at St Pauls at age 10.
Aged 14 he sung in the first English performance of Bach's St Matthew Passion.
Aged 20 he became organist at my Magdalen College, Oxford. He rejuvenated the choir with exciting new music,including many new compositions, among them our family favourite "I Saw the Lord".
He was an outstanding organ player and was soon appointed as University Organist, playing for the University Church.
Aged 32, and married with 5 children he returned to St Pauls as organist. Soon W Sparrow Simpson, who was to write the libretto, was the Precentor

Stainer's Crucifixion was first performed on 24 February 1887 at St Marylebone Parish Church. Easier to sing than Bach's passions, it was designed to be sung by parish church choirs. The text by W Sparrow Simpson, the son of the Precentor, is based on the King James bible with some additions.

Colin first sang the Crucifixion on 28/3/1983 at Goring Church with the Goring Chamber Choir under Andrew Mackay. Colin conducted a Good Friday service including the Crucifixion at Goring Church on 9/4/1993. Mo conducted the Crucifixion at Streatley Church on 15/3/2002 and on 5/4/2009. Peter Mitchell has conducted the Crucifixion at East Hagbourne three times from 1986.

Contacts:
Mo Windsor 01235 812093
Colin Windsor 07780361700 or colin.windsor1938@gmail.com