Te Deum in B Flat - Stanford

[@robertmacaulay3051]

Wonderful. I haven’t heard this since I sang in chapel at school over 55 years ago. I loved it then and it’s wonderful to hear it again.

[@stevewaters449]

Took Grandchildren to St Alban's Abbey on Sunday, they were fascinated. I was thrilled when this struck up, having sung it many times in my school chapel,, Bishop Wordsworth's School, 1950s-60s, and a few times in Salisbury Cathedral. I have always found it Spine Chilling!

[@frankyforte475]

I've sung this 10 times in a month in choir! It's an amazing experience, the music is so sweet and beautiful! I love singing it, I especially love when I have to sing "The holy church throughout all the world doth acknowledge thee" and "thou art the king of glory o Christ!" I LOVE IT! Thanks for uploading it! i took me forever to find the best Stanford version!

[@1Bree]

Yea I fucking hate it

[@jonb6417]

@@1Bree I'm very sorry for you.

[@jonb6417]

About as good as you can get in terms of English church music - top choir, top orchestra and of course one of the great Stanford's most glorious works.

[@michaeldixon4433]

As someone whose wife forbids my singing in the shower I still remember this wondrous music from school. Fabulous. Thank you SO much for posting it.

[@alanbirt661]

Change your wife !

[@richdawes66]

@TheSauce Group Now now, she must have some saving grace! I would just sound-proof the shower. :)

[@stevewaters449]

Get her to wait till you've finished!

[@hudsonbailey674]

Thank you, morphthing, the Te Deum is richly inspiring.

[@jonb6417]

So brilliantly written you only have to sing through it once to never forget it!

[@teletubetodd]

This was a standard in the repertoire of my boys' choir at St. Paul's Cathedral in Boston many years ago, and it uplifted me joyfully whenever we sung it, particularly for the way Stanford ingeniously diversified his musical passages at various speeds while keeping the same tempo throughout the piece. The solo quartet at "We therefore praise thee..." was particularly inspiring. Thanks for posting this classic.

[@stevewaters449]

....similarly in my school, Bishop Wordsworth's School, Salisbury, Wiltshire, back in 1950s-60s. Absolutely Thrilling!

[@matthewmcneff8686]

Hello Todd also a former treble in the choir at St Pauls. What wonderful memories and I certainly remember singing this...so good to "see" you here!

[@teletubetodd]

@@matthewmcneff8686 Same here! I'm so glad you remember it! I have fond memories of singing this under the batons of Dick Bond, Jim ("Mr. J.") Johnston, and finally Tom Murray, who went on to be one of the world's most renowned organists. Recently retired as Yale's university organist, he gave an interview here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/o4C8dZVse91qfcU

[@altudy]

Sang this so many times in chapel at Bedford School in the 1960's, first as a treble, then as an alto and finally, from 1971 - 3, as a tenor. This brings back so many memories.

[@FrancisP331]

This song reminds me of the finest time I had in boarding school, every Wednesday in Christ College Brecon, UK.

[@chargoingfar6671]

That is astonishingly beautiful

[@TrevsMum]

Great version of my favourite Te Deum- you can really welly this one!

[@BenEmberley]

Love this piece. Love this piece. Just LOVE it

[@littlemarmoset]

It's odd that others feel that the orchestra overpowered the Tenors/Basses. What has struck me--from the very first hearing--was the excellent balance between singers and orchestra. THIS, in my opinion, is THE way to do this piece. The Brits have the right idea: perform a piece with plenty of power, but put some restraint in it too. We Americans aren't that good at restraint. I thank you for showing us the way.

[@mrwhat1660]

i`m in a choir and i love this song so much its beautiful

[@JohnSmith-ei2pm]

One thing it definitely is NOT, is a 'song'.

[@Giselledianaherbert]

Very useful to see the score as the piece was being performed

[@braces2]

A wonderful choral work which I have had the pleasure of singing at Choral Eucharist in Liverpool's magnificent Anglican Cathedral. Thanks for posting.

[@DarrylJordanOLW]

So pleased it's my local symphony orchestra and the best Anglophone Catholic choir in the world.

[@jonb4020]

??

[@Michka84]

Will be singing this piece in October and I'm looking forward to it immensely.

[@IanMcLellan-on7le]

This is terrific. Remember singing this at school a long time ago. It’s funny - a lot of independent higher/lower register parts but when they come together it’s incredible. Thank you Ireland

[@itwithlyam9334]

Sung this at the remembrance sunday service this morning. An excellent piece!

[@welldontdothat]

Word to the wise: if searching for sheet music for this piece on IMSLP or similar sites, be sure to specify Opus 10, not Opus 66. Opus 10 is a complete set of music for "The Morning and Evening Service together with the Office of Holy Communion in B flat." If you search "Stanford Te Deum," it will probably take you to Opus 66, which is a Te Deum Laudamus in B-flat, but it's a standalone piece with Latin text.

[@christopherrobinson3502]

welldontdothat h(

[@richdawes66]

That's a very good tip. There seems to be a bit of confusion about this on the Internet, so it needed to be said. Unfortunately, KZbin compounds the confusion in a couple ways: They've erroneously tagged onto morphthing1's description an attribution of the Chandos (Naxos) / Hickox recording, which this isn't, then again by saying it's Op. 66 -- which the Hickox recording does not claim. Ironic, given the last line of the Te Deum.

[@nicholaswheeler8038]

This is a wonderful orchestral arrangement.

[@richdawes66]

Not an arrangement---I believe Stanford orchestrated his service settings himself. And quite well I would add. If you are familair with this music as typically performed with organ, you might agree with me that the published reduction could have afforded just a few more of the little details that got dropped, given a reasonably capable organist. But then, the organ accompaniments were presumable also penned by Stanford, so I'm not judging harshly.

[@richdawes66]

Sorry, that was me going off on a tangent. I agree whole-heartedly with the operative word in your comment --- it is WONDERFUL. :)

[@mitzypinks1338]

Wow that was some ral at the end! Love it!

[@richdawes66]

... As set up at "as our trust is in Thee." So cheesy, so good! :)

[@gregfolland6569]

Awesome! … So much more exciting in the orchestral arrangement!

[@benjamin-hughmackay2094]

Weeping uncontrollably as I remember this from my chorister days. Now having to deal with Mish-Mash praise and the 6 volumes of Songs of Fellow-shitiness..................................

[@AdamLloyd98]

Benjamin-Hugh Mackay Nah, come to a church with proper music. Your nearest city probably has either a cathedral or a decent parish church (or both!)

[@benjamin-hughmackay2094]

Yes, but that is easier said than done. I play the organ at a crematorium during the week and am subjected to crap. I then play in the RC Church on a Sunday, and try not to have crap, but the parish priest likes crap.........................

[@AdamLloyd98]

Benjamin-Hugh Mackay My local parish church fired its Director of Music so it could have crap, so now I commute an hour several times a week for St. Mary Redcliffe. It's fantastic, I love singing there, so definitely worth the time.

[@audreyglatz6314]

I feel you. Could have written the same comment

[@bella-bee]

I remember my choir master weeping as the decision was made to have happy clappy choruses and guitars. That was in the 1970s. Not been the same since, but at least then it wasn’t amplified. Too loud man, now, too loud. The only good thing to come out of it, when we ever get to sing a proper hymn, is that the words are cast onto a screen, and we can sing with good posture (without it being an effort), because you have to hold your head up to read the words!

[@kevinhartley5636]

I liked this very much.

[@AureliaDShizuka]

This is beautiful. I hope our choir will manage to learn it till Christmas :D

[@roslynwilliams950]

I just love this!

[@LuckyLootCrate]

I sang it today and it was tremendous :)

[@catherinecheek7990]

We, the Diocesan choir, sang this at Bishop White's consecration.

[@mrwhat1660]

i wish my choir sounded like this. :)

[@mrwhat1660]

i sing it alot

[@greendiamond7495]

love this

[@hidenorican6379]

こんな曲作れる人いるんですね〜。すげーな。

[@ulaca]

Bravi and brave!

[@michaelc9810]

Timpani rolls toward the end!!!

[@georgev9170]

This should be sung at every coronation. Don't know why they dropped it after Edward VII's.

[@jtoddmusic7090]

They don't happen every day.

[@iwasglad122]

Simple answer: The Te Deum is traditionally a different or even new-composed setting for each service. Boyce 1837, Stanford 1902, Parry 1911, Vaughan-Williams 1937 and Walton 1953......I wonder who'll be entrusted for the next time??

[@georgev9170]

@@iwasglad122 I've read that John Rutter is in the process of composing a piece for the next coronation. However, I think its for the Homage Anthem, not the Te Deum.

[@iwasglad122]

@@georgev9170 Well, here I am 9 months later and whoever could have guessed that the 'next time' is set for May 6th 2023. Can't get my head around the fact that Her Majesty is no longer with us and that we will indeed be witness to a Coronation. Extraordinary!

[@jorybennett5932]

We're having God knows what sung at the next one. 🙄

[@JustOccurred2Me]

It seems churlish to criticise, but to my ears the orchestra could have done with its volume turning down from 11. A skilled organist will select a suitable "full organ" for choral accompaniment so that even at ff it'll still let all parts shine through. Here, the trebles were clear but the underparts disappeared beneath the orchestra - except in the solos which were well restrained. As I say, maybe a personal view - and the choir was very good indeed. Thanks for a great post.

[@simonmurdoch1243]

Turned down to 11

[@chrisburns9603]

my choir has been slipping lately and I hate it when it happens because pieces like this are ruined, except when the solo is sung by me, I hate to showboat, but since our head chorister left I've had to do all the solos. Its still a great piece to sing on your own or in a professional choir!

[@matthewnash851]

6 dislikes ... - sigh -

[@edoardofanfani809]

They will go to hell.

[@HappyHauptwerk]

+Edoardo Fanfani Worse than that. They will end up playing in a worship band in hell...

[@LewisMarriott95]

I sang this to Jools holland!!

[@gregfolland8452]

Lewis Marriott - Good grief! Whatever did he say ...???

[@chrisfistonich9497]

Choir needs to be double the size, with exception to trebles.

[@xbe1971]

'bless thine hetitage'?

[@richdawes66]

That resembles direction given to American choristers: "Flip" a consonanal 'r' in a word like "heritage"... and if you can't, make a 'd' or a 't'.

[@michaelmattson9396]

4:03 Versicles

[@ashleythorpe7933]

Why isn't it in Latin?

[@jonb4020]

Because in English cathedrals we don't sing Stanford in Bb in Latin!

[@simongleaden2864]

I'd much prefer it with just the organ and without the orchestra.

[@simonmurdoch1243]

Subtle it is not

[@jonb4020]

Nor should it be nor need it be.

[@joshjones6674]

I won't give it a "thumbs-down", but this is pretty boring music. If not for the orchestra and big organ it would be pretty plain - just look at the score. I don't find much interesting in it. It's a big, noisy paean to God (yes, I know that's what it's supposed to be)

[@gordonjohnston758]

But if it's supposed to be a bit, noisy paean to God, and that's what it's supposed to be, then what's the problem? I don't think this is the height of western music, but for a "pièce d'occasion", it is perfectly suited to its purpose.

[@alansutton7046]

Well, you know what to do then: write a more interesting Te Deum yourself. Just remember though that it should be a noisy paean to God, so don't write anything quiet or gloomy

[@jonb4020]

You clearly haven't sung it as a treble in a cathedral choir then. It's a great sing, not in the least boring and we really enjoyed it, as with most of Stanford's music.