Advent Calendar 2009: December 8th

Advent Calendar 2009

December 8th

Dag Trygve Henriksen, 08.12.2009

We continue with a selection from Händel’s oratorio Messiah.

The tradition of Boy’s Choirs in the large cathedrals is a long and strong tradition, and even in the largest cities in Norway, there is a boy’s choir. Some boys distinguish themselves as soloists at an early age, as on the record we present here.

Master Ernest Lough (1911-2000) was a boy soprano in the Choir of Temple Church in London and in the 1920’s he participated in some famous recordings with the choir.

On this solo record, he performs I Know that my Redeemer Liveth, accompanied on the organ by Sir George Thalben-Ball (1896-1987), organist and director of the choirs in Temple Church.

Ernest Lough continued to sing as a baritone in the choir after his voice broke, but his records are documents of his soprano voice. Thalben-Ball was organist and director of the choirs in Temple Church from 1923 to his retirement in 1981.

The recording was made in London on December 22nd, 1927 by His Master’s Voice. The cataloge number is B2656 og matrix numbers 2-4800 BR1162V(triangle) and 2-4801 BR1136V(triangle).