William Rowland is one of the youngest music scholars at Lancing College. Before he came to Lancing, he was a chorister at Westminster Abbey, and wrote his anthem Give me, Lord, a full faith, to words written by Sir Thomas More on the eve of his execution in 1535. William entered his piece for the Choir Schools’ Composition Prize, open to Cathedral choristers from all over the country, and was declared the overall winner. His prize was a performance of his piece by the world-famous Choir of Westminster Abbey, in July last year.
The Choir of Lancing College Chapel sang William’s work as the anthem at Choral Evensong in the College Chapel on Friday 28 January. Evensong is open to all, and it was attended by members of the public as well as the School.
Give me, Lord, a Full Faith is an impressive composition for someone so young. William, who is a very active member of the Lancing College Choir, was one of the singers. He comments about the performance of his work by Westminster Abbey Choir, and performing his own work at Lancing College Chapel:
“I really enjoy life at Lancing, and the music department is particularly good here, especially the choir. There is a wide range of opportunities at Lancing and I would recommend it as a school to anyone. My ambitions are to carry on music, and possibly become a professional singer or pianist. Lancing has encouraged me to excel.”
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There is a long tradition of excellence in choral singing at Lancing College. Major composers have written music for the choir: Benjamin Britten composed his cantata Saint Nicolas for Lancing's centenary in 1948, and the College celebrated its 150th anniversary by commissioning Arvo Pärt to write a piece marking the event. The Choir gave the first performance of this new work, Triodion, in Westminster Abbey in April 1998.
Lancing College Choir, which consists of around fifty boys and girls, includes former cathedral choristers in its ranks. A number of young singers have been trained in the choirs of St Paul’s Cathedral, Westminster Abbey, Westminster Cathedral, St George’s Chapel, Salisbury Cathedral and Chichester Cathedral. The Choir has sung in concerts and services in major churches and cathedrals in the UK, including Westminster Abbey, St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle; Winchester Cathedral; Tewkesbury Abbey, Hereford and St David’s Cathedral, and in Europe, for example, St. Mark’s Basilica, Venice and the Frari Church and St Anthony’s Basilica, Padua.
CDs by the Choir
The Choir has recorded several CDs. The most recent is SURREXIT 500 Years of Choral Music for the Church’s Year. Tracks on this CD represent the music that is sung in the College Chapel through the Church’s year. It features works by Tallis, Pratorius, Guerrero, Morales, Victoria and Michael Haller, and 20th century composers Vaughan Williams, Durufle, Elizabeth Poston, John Joubert, Richard Lloyd and Neil Cox, Director of the Choir. Unaccompanied music, from the 16th century up to the present day, is interspersed with chorale preludes based on seasonal hymns, played on the Chapel’s Frobenius organ by Neil Cox and music scholars.
Many young musicians from Lancing take up choral and organ scholarships at the universities of Cambridge, Oxford and London, as well as Gloucester Cathedral and Truro Cathedral.
Lancing College Chapel – home to the Choir
The famous Chapel at Lancing, the largest and one of the finest school chapels in the world, is home to the Choir. It stands high on the South Downs and is a magnificent Gothic Revival Grade I listed building, recognised as one of the most impressive landmarks in Sussex. Thirty metres in height, this airy, lofty structure is delicate and intricate in detail. The history of the building is told through its stained glass. This includes the spectacular Rose Window – the largest in England – containing 30,000 pieces of blown glass, and the Trevor Huddleston Memorial Window, dedicated by Archbishop Desmond Tutu in May 2007.
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The stonework and metalwork of the Chapel have recently been restored by the acclaimed Chichester Cathedral Works Organisation, who won the Ecclesiastical Building Award from Sussex Heritage Trust for this work.
The Chapel houses three fine organs, the Elliott chamber organ, the two manual Frobenius organ and the four manual Walker organ. Neil Cox, Director of the Choir, oversaw the design and installation of the Walker and Frobenius organs in the Chapel in 1986.
The Lancing Tapestries, designed in the 1930s, were woven on William Morris’s great loom at Merton Abbey. New spotlights have been installed to show off the details of the tapestries and high altar to best advantage, and a number of rare and valuable artefacts have been conserved, including the 15th century processional cross. Other treasures include the High Altar Crucifix and a 17th century Flemish carved, wood figure of St Nicolas.
Music and Organ Scholarships
Scholarships are available for new entrants to the Third and Sixth Forms, with special proficiency in music. In addition, Lancing College is keen to encourage talented young organists and there is one organ scholarship for the Sixth Form.
For further information on these scholarships, please contact Beverley Allen:
baa@lancing.org.uk 01273 465968
What the pupils say:
“Working towards your GCSEs all day can be tiring, so to sing in the best school choir in the country can be a breath of fresh air, as well as fun and a privilege.”
“For an hour a week the Chapel’s congregation is graced by the sounds of Palestrina, Byrd, Gibbons, Handel. All that amongst lectures, matches and plays has got to count for something.”