Singing praises: choral music from Truro Cathedral

Based on my recent research for a book chapter about music in Cornwall, this paper looks at how music-making has been shaped by a building, Truro Cathedral, and prominent people involved with choral music in the cathedral. Until Bishop Benson arrived in 1877 in Truro the Bishop of Exeter was the Bishop of Devon and Cornwall. Given Truro is relatively new compared to such ecclesiastical establishments in the United Kingdom, it is possible to consider how the music-making tradition in Cornwall is developed by distinguished musicians who have created and maintain choral music at Truro, something impossible to assess for most other equivalent foundations. Drawing together information shared with me about lived experiences from people involved in this music-making process, my work offers an original perspective to a tradition simultaneously new and, paradoxically, old. Traditions, so often taken for granted, are in fact potentially fragile, yet their fragility is often overlooked. In this paper I highlight the formation of a music-making tradition and the influences which have enabled Truro to become recognised as one of the places of excellence as part of a long-standing global network which values choral traditions. Based on information from one-to-one interviews I discuss the almost hidden features that are crucial to unpinning singing praises and choral music within cathedrals