The boys of the Choir of the Chapel Royal who are set to sing at the royal wedding revealed today how they have been preparing for their big performance.
As well as extra music practice, the 10 choristers have also been perfecting the art of standing still, avoiding chocolate and trying to keep their distinctive scarlet and gold State coats clean.
The boys, aged between nine and 13, remained tight lipped over the chosen wedding music and even refused to say whether they had met Prince William and Kate Middleton.
Tom Fleming, aged nine and the youngest member of the choir, said: "I'm not too nervous. I've been doing several warm-ups and a lot of performances in front of no one."
For the wedding, the choir will dress in their traditional red and gold uniforms which date from the reign of Charles II.
Tom added: "It's heavy, very hot. We don't have to be too careful - just not to spill anything on it as if it stains it's very hard to remove."
Some of the schoolboys will also avoid eating chocolate just before the ceremony.
Archie Buchanan, 13, from London, said: "Chocolate can stop your voice from working and cola too and you mustn't eat (cough sweets) too."
But the choristers will be making up for their willpower as soon as they can following the service.
Ted Fetherstonhaugh, 11, said: "We've got to have a backpack of chocolate for after."
Choirmaster Dr Andrew Gant has also been ensuring the boys can stand motionless during the service without fidgeting.
Edward Daly, 12, said: "We have to practise standing still for a long time - five to 10 minutes. It depends on what Dr Gant is doing to deliberately make us laugh."
Dr Gant said the boys were used to doing so at Remembrance Service performances.
"If you come to our classroom sometimes you'll find me getting them to just stand still. It's quite hard to do when you're nine," he added.
Describing the current choristers as "a characterful bunch who are willing and work very hard", he added: "There are a few jokers."
The boys have also been learning about the royal couple themselves.
Hal Arnold-Forster, 11, said: "I know who's getting married as well. I think it's William who I think is a Prince, and Kate Middleton.
The choir consists of six Gentlemen-in-Ordinary, who are professional singers, and the 10 choristers who hold choral scholarships at the City of London School.
Today they were practising their rendition of Handel's Zadok the Priest which they will sing at the Abbey's Maundy Service on Thursday.
Dr Gant described Prince William and Kate Middleton's approach to the wedding music as "wonderful".
He said he and the boys felt very lucky to be involved in such a historic occasion.
"The music is a blend of the old and the new.
"Prince William and Kate Middleton have taken a wonderful approach.
"They have the ceremonial and the traditional but they have also taken the opportunity to update it and introduce new musical elements."
The choir, which sings the weekly service on Sunday mornings in the Chapel Royal at St James's Palace or The Queen's Chapel, has four full days of rehearsal coming up.
Oscar O'Rahilly, 12, said: "We've been doing a lot of practising. It's been quite rigorous. It's really exciting.
"Sometimes (during) practice we have breaks when we go and play Bulldog outside."
The Chapel Royal Choir, which has existed since the time of the Norman conquest, sang at the funeral of the Queen Mother at Westminster Abbey and the Golden Jubilee Service at St Paul's Cathedral.
The Chapel Royal itself, with its pale wooden stalls lined with green lamps, was built by Henry VIII.
Mary I's heart is buried beneath its flagstone floor and Elizabeth I said her prayers in the chapel against the threat of the Spanish Armada.
Read more from: http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/royal-wedding/2011/04/18/royal-wedding-choristers-reveal-their-preparations-for-kate-middleton-and-prince-william-s-big-day-115875-23070453/#ixzz1JtA82e62
No comments:
Post a Comment