Repost (because it happened again today; one of the cultists wrote gushing praise about Choral Evensong as if he were a “music critic”).

My choral friend asked me about my commenting under the videos for the liturgies of some of the established Church of England/Anglican Collegiate Chapel choral ensembles, such as at Oxbridge.

He asked, “How often do you comment?” I said: Rarely, to not at all. He asked, “Why so rarely?” I said: Well, they already know how good they are, I presume, so they don’t need to be told that. I said: Some viewers comment under every single video with gushing, cult-like praise as if the Chapel Choir has a cult-like following. That turns me off. As I see it, occasional praise — when merited — is fine, but it’s all become a bit much, so I rarely say anything there. If I have anything to say, I say it here. If what I write here comes off as “gushing” about a choral ensemble’s choral excellence, it’s not meant as “gushing” but rather my telling the reader what I honestly think about the choral ensemble I’m promoting and that one is not wasting their time listening to them or watching them. My choral friend said: “Well when you only listen to the best per your training and Orchestra Chorus experience, it’s hard to listen to those who are not the best.” Yes, that’s true. If I hear noticeable vibrato from any section of an Orchestra Chorus, I click off. I don’t want to hear obnoxious wobbling and fluttering where one can’t even tell what pitches they’re singing.

Under the liturgy video, this one commenter who comes to mind has to write these extensive reviews of the liturgy starting with the organ prelude and ending with the organ voluntary at the end and gushing over how he loved the double descants and all.

My choral friend said: How do you feel about the double descants they do? I said: Well, the way they’re done by this one Choir’s soprano section — or is it just one soprano? — I’m not hot on the double descants, and I politely told them that awhile back — which was the last time I commented there — without being offensive but nothing changed. What I told them was: I’ve always heard descants that sound full and lush and sung by the entire soprano section so that the descant soars throughout the Nave or the Concert Hall. But the way this one Chapel Choir does them, it sounds like one soprano sings a descant, which comes off as if she’s singing a solo and it really doesn’t do anything for me. And usually the double descants are done this way, by two sopranos. It can sound like something is wrong especially if there’s a dissonance in the writing of the descant and it’s just one soprano singing it. When this is the case, the descants do not sound full and lush, but rather very thin and like a soloist whose voice is getting overpowered by the Full Choir. Fortunately, she’s using her chorister voice and not a wobbling-vibrato “soloist voice.” Perhaps the composer of these double descants specified that only one soprano should sing each descant and that’s what they’re doing, but they don’t really do anything for me, and I’m a descant person.

Not all of the Collegiate Chapel Choirs have a cult-like following, but the Choir of Trinity College Cambridge does have one, and I’m turned off by it, which explains why I rarely comment under their videos. I feature them here if they performed one of the Howells’s canticle settings or an anthem I especially liked, but anything I have to say about them I write here on occasion. Whereas the cultists, comment on every single video with gushing praise which makes it seem like a cult following.

And like I said, do they need that, it that necessary when the choristers and Director of Music and Organ Scholars already know how good they are — but they remain humble and modest — and then the moderator for their channel feels the need to put a red heart by all of these comments which, too, is a bit much.

My choral friend said: I get you, and I agree with you. I would take the same approach as you do, and I know what you mean by a cult following. Many people these days seem to need that.

I’ve also noticed an increasing number of “jesus-freak” commenters who feel the need to quote parts of the liturgy or something, such as this bunk:

“I enjoy this program every time I get a chance in London. It is remarkable how this music and the messages from the scriptures lift our eyes toward heaven and in doing so make each of our lives easier to endure knowing that a loving Heavenly Father and his Son are there for us. In this day and age of division, may a common belief in God bring us together to recognize our commonalities. Thank you.”

I doubt that these people who write this drivel like the above paragraph are Anglican because from my experience with Anglicans, they don’t proselytise but rather keep their religious beliefs to themselves, unless they are especially extreme Low Church. And Choral Evensong is not a “programme.” It’s an Anglican Liturgy. “Lift our eyes toward heaven?” I don’t see anyone’s eyes in the Chapel with lifted eyes “toward heaven.” “A loving Heavenly Father?” What drugs are you on? Well that “loving Heavenly Father” wasn’t so “loving” and didn’t save the lives of the two innocent people who were killed by ICE in Minneapolis recently, as just one example.