h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Spent today Christmas shopping in Exeter. As usual, I failed to purchase all the items I needed.

When I'd finished I wandered down to the cathedral, and found that Evensong had just begun in the Lady Chapel. Rather than interupt the service by sneaking in past the celebrants, I sat outside the screen in the passage that runs around the cathedral (the Ambulatory, perhaps? - my church architecture terminology is a tad rusty). As regular readers know, I don't consider myself religious in any conventional sense, and I was brought up a Roman Catholic anyway, so it seemed somehow appropriate to remain an outsider.

The odd thing is that the service was so beautiful it nearly moved this cynical old sinner to tears. It wasn't so much the text, but the way the sung words somehow magnified and resonated in the soaring gothic vaults - how did our ancestors manage to create such wonderful accoustics? Indeed the vast, organic splendour of the building is totally beyond anything I've seen even attempted in modern architecture, and every hand-crafted stone of it seems soaked with centuries of faith. The feeling is simply, and literally, awesome.

So has old PF had a Damascine revelation? Is he suddenly turning to a long-neglected God? Well, probably not, but it has reminded me of one thing that we all forget for most of the time - mankind is sometimes capable of doing amazing, wonderful things. Maybe there's still a little hope for us all.

Merry Christmas to you all.

Merry Christmas to you too.



At the risk of sounding like I'm pushing the idea that perhaps you have had an epiphany of sorts...

Is there a possibility that God actually directed the hands of those who designed and built it in such a way that the acoustics would reflect His Glory?


For all our "knowlege" about acoustics these days, getting it right is very much a hit or miss thing. And yet, in that old church, built by a people who didn't know as much about it as we do now, somehow they managed to create something that still resounds with - as you said - centuries of faith.

Just something to think about...

Blimey Parrfers

I too have heard Evensong in Exeter cathedral, and it's quite beautiful. If you're going to hear that kind of music, you really do need to hear it in a 1,000 year old cathedral since that's just the setting most of it was written for.

I'm particularly religious myself either, but I've always tried to catch the festival of nine lessons and carols each Christmas eve from Kings College. The NPR station in San Antonio will be broadcasting it live (as they have done for the past 24 years according to the trailer), and we may be in SA on Christmas eve next week instead of the usual Thursday and Friday. If not then I'll try to remember to listen to the BBC wecast of whichever radio station it's on.

That should read 'I'm *not* particularly religious...'

I always used to like to listen to the Kings College broadcast, too, but I always seem to miss it these days. It's traditionally broadcast on Radio 4, which is rather odd.

I'm afraid it's no good trying to talk me around, Lady Scott. As a lapsed RC I've been exposed to every form of persuasion from gentle cajoling to threats of eternal damnation (the former from our then parish priest, the latter mostly from sweet little old ladies) and I've failed to be 'saved'.

It's not that I have a problem with the existence God, I'm just not sure about the way She runs things...

As far as I remember, it was always broadcast live on Radio 4, then repeated in the evening on Radio 3. They also showed it on tv - live on BBC 2 possibly, and then a recording later on BBC 1. It strikes me as being the sort of thing they might archive for a week at BBCi.

...possibly on the Radio 4 'Listen Again' page? If it isn't, it should be. Most programmes are listed on it now, with only a couple of exceptions such as Desert Island Discs where the repeat rights aren't owned by the BBC (in that case I think they're retained by Roy Plomley's estate).

*sigh*

I shoulda known you'd take my response like that. That was the whole point of saying I risking sounding like I was pushing for some kind of epiphany or something.

Not trying to "turn" you PF, really - I just figured the amazing acoustics and architecture were worth some thought, that's all.

~Remains cynical~

Merely cynical? I reckon that's a bit of a reversal for someone who has hitherto been evil...

Ooooh!!! Now *there's* one who might be having an epiphany!

I adore the acoustics and the actual beauty of churches and cathedrals, from the simple to the complex they are a beauty all of their own. Even as a person who has little ability to believe, I find that the serenity and peace of sung services can move me, and give me a feeling of calm sometimes.

I think they look nice and have a good feel to them but I don't think god is overly involved in that