District of Columbia: That's the official name of the US nation's capital and the Federal District. Locals and local media call it the District or DC. What about the name "Washington?" Well, Washington and District of Columbia are two names for the US capital city. There is no Washington in the District of Columbia. They mean the same thing. That's why it's repetitive to say, "Washington DC." So why do the corporate media and others say, "Washington DC?" To cater to stupid people in the US who don't know what the District of Columbia is or where it is. So rather than educate people and consistently use the official name of the US nation's capital — which is the District of Columbia — they use "Washington DC" which is not the official name. It's okay to say DC, the District, or Washington, but not "Washington DC" because that's like saying San Francisco, San Francisco. That's how it was explained to me when I moved there. It's redundant since, again, they are two names for the same place, the same city. District residents care very deeply about this topic. It's a pet peeve of many District residents, including myself as a former District resident. I've heard political talking heads in DC on YT cater to stupid people — rather than educate them — by changing the name of the judicial courts in DC. For example: United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit gets changed to the Appeals Court for Washington DC. There is no such court with that name in the District. The same for the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. No court in the District ends with the language "Washington DC" because, again, that is not the official name of the nation's capital. Also, they use the acronym DMV which stands for District, Maryland and Virginia. It is this site's goal to educate, and not cater to stupid. Not surprisingly, the 34-count convicted felon and now US dictator from the Epstein Class always says, "Washington DC". This nut has lived there how long and he is still saying that? One can't fix stupid so don't bother wasting your time trying. Yet I've heard his staffers say to guests "Welcome to DC."
Charles Wood – O Thou the Central Orb – St Paul’s Anglican Cathedral (London)
I thought I’d post another Anglican anthem by Charles Wood. It’s his “O Thou the Central Orb” and it was sung for The National Service of Thanksgiving to Celebrate The Diamond Jubilee Of Her Majesty The Queen in 2012. It’s performed here by the combined Choirs of St Paul’s Cathedral and Her Majesty’s Chapel Royal (those boys are in the red in the centre on each side). They are directed by Andrew Carwood, Director of Music, St Paul’s Cathedral. Both the Cathedral and the Chapel Royal are part of the established Church of England.
This is not an ideal performance, but the best I’ve found. The boys are of course superb singing with perfect intonation. It’s the Men of the Cathedral Choir with their heavy wobbling vibrato — especially near the end of the piece — that I have a problem with. I’m not sure why the Director of Music didn’t correct this and tell the men, “Guys, this is not opera, and we’re not an Opera Chorus, so we won’t be needing that very noticeable vibrato.” Or, there is another possibility since I’ve heard this from the men before. I’m not saying this is the case but it is possible: The Men of the Choir think they have to “over sing” to account for such a large space as the Cathedral. I’ve noticed that with some choristers, when they “over sing” or push their voice it can turn on uncontrollable noticeable vibrato. I have heard that with some choristers in other settings where they normally did not sing with any noticeable vibrato. Nevertheless, I found the men’s vibrato/wobbling annoying but tried to ignore it and listen to the superb trebles/boys instead.
St Paul’s Anglican Cathedral has one of the very few residential Choir Schools anywhere. The organ console is located up above the Quire stalls which you’ll see if you look for it.