The experience of lay singers in Anglican cathedrals, and its spiritual reality: theological, institutional and historical influences in understanding the Anglican Choral Tradition

Abstract

The choral foundations of the Church of England sustain a well-established tradition of choral music. This has been subject to musicological study (repertory/performance practice), sociological investigation (education/gender) and reflection by the Church (congregational growth). Despite the centrality of their role, the experiences of adult lay singers have only received superficial treatment.

This study addresses this gap through qualitative study. With no previous studies to draw on, the initial research question focused on identifying the spiritual experiences of lay singers. Data was gathered in two stages: group conversations with 30 participants identifying significant themes, followed by seven detailed one-to-one interviews providing the central data for analysis. Both stages of data gathering included a cross-section of institutional settings (historic cathedrals of both ‘old’ and ‘new’ foundation, ‘parish church cathedrals’ and academic choral foundations). This data is analysed utilising three lenses – systematic theology, ecclesiology, and ecclesiastical history.

Articulating disparate personal patterns of experience and understanding, the study identifies how those patterns express a strong corporate account of meaning attributed to musical performance in the liturgy. This corporate narrative correlates closely to definably Anglican patterns of understanding in all three areas of analysis; demonstrating the way experiences can best be understood through a triangulation of theological, institutional and historical factors.

Located at the intersection of Music Theology and Practical Theology, this study identifies diverse individual accounts from participants that are unified by a strong corporate sense of meaning; highlighting the importance of corporate meaning-making. Musicologically, it identifies spiritual meaning within the performance setting of Anglican choral foundations. These corporate understandings of liturgical activity are also important for a Church seeking to identify key features of a context that provides an atypical example of congregational growth.