When I was a treble (ah!) the words of the anthem would be announced to the congregation by a cleric with a mournful voice. Every chorister knew that the anthem was the best part of the service and that our words were unimpeachably clear. ''And anyway...'' I used to think, letting the irreverent objection trail away. After all, what did mere words matter compared with the notes?
In St Paul's it is rather different. There you are lucky if you catch one word in ten and in these circumstances 'the words' assume more importance. In this record printed texts are provided, but it doesn't do to take your eyes off them for too long. On occasions one even feels that the choir is underestimating its ancient foe the echo, and that more might be done to supply (for instance) the verb with its defining consonants in integra est. But then, the echo can also be an ally. The climax of Stainer's great crescendo on ''the house was filled with smoke'' gains wonderful dramatic and indeed pictorial effect, as does Ireland's ''into His marvellous light''. Sometimes composer and echo are in cahoots: E. W. Naylor, though writing for another echo (resident in King's College, Cambridge), very effectively incorporates that of St Paul's into his Vox dicentis. The organ parts, too, are sometimes expertly written so that the reverberance of a great cathedral shall contribute to the awesomeness not only of the fortissimo but also of the gentlest murmur as the swell-box shuts; and of this, Bairstow's Blessed City provides an impressive example.
But many things are impressive here, not least the choir's breadth of phrasing; the unnamed soloist in the Wesley anthem deserves congratulation; and a most lovely piece of solo singing over the choir occurs in the ''Sicut Pastor'' section at the end of the Naylor. The music itself will impress many listeners, I imagine, as being surprisingly substantial and well-sustained: these are mostly large-scale anthems, some getting on for ten minutes in length, several written for double-choir and grand cathedral resources. At the very least there is workmanship to admire, and at best a genuine mastery and a touch of inspiration. This collection is announced as Volume I: I hope that, like those musty volumes that survive in the libraries of most cathedral choirs, this series will go well into double figures.'