Anglican choral evensong and the church of Norway. Aspects of integration and worship practice

Abstract

Abstract - Anglican choral Evensong was introduced into the Church of Norway in the late 1960s by Norwegian church musicians. The inspiration for this came from high quality performances in English cathedrals and university colleges; these were the primary encountered sources. Evensong is also widely practised by parish church choirs across the UK and the Anglican Communion and has several recognised and established variations. Only a limited range was introduced to Norway so that current practice does not reflect the full breadth of Evensong from the Church of England. The purpose of this study is four-fold. It is undertaken in order to understand the context into which Evensong is now placed, how the process of introducing Evensong has taken place, through an examination of the changes to the liturgy and performance practice which have occurred, and finally, it is an exploration of possibilities leading to further integration, so that it might be incorporated into the liturgical tradition of the Church of Norway. The material in this investigation is gathered from secondary and empirical sources, including interviews and personal experiences, and information from relevant literature regarding liturgical history. A practical project was set up to explore ideas about choral repertoire and musical identity which could assist in the progression of integration. A key finding of this research is that the parish church choir can be a valuable resource for the integration of this liturgy into the Norwegian context, linking together the cultural and spiritual life of the local Norwegian parish church.