Choir of King's College Cambridge
The world-famous Choir of King's College, Cambridge is one of today's most accomplished and renowned representatives of the great British choral tradition. It was created by King Henry VI, who founded the College in 1441, to provide daily singing in his glorious Chapel, which remains the main task of the choir to this day.
Today the choir is directed by Stephen Cleobury and derives much of its fame from the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols, broadcast worldwide to millions on Christmas Eve every year, and the TV service Carols from King's which accompanies it.
The statutes of the College provide for sixteen choristers, and from the beginning of the 20th Century fourteen Undergraduates have sung in the choir as Choral Scholars.
The fourteen Choral Scholars are male students (usually Undergraduates) at the College. Choral Scholars must succeed at both the general entry requirements of the College as well as the Choral Trials in order to join the Choir.
Two of the Choral Scholars are assigned the role of Beater, as Senior and Junior Beater (traditionally the Senior Choral Scholar and his pre-chosen successor); these two are also usually responsible for the direction of Collegium Regale. These two Choral Scholars usually 'beat' (conduct while in the stalls) the psalms, and often the introit, during the service, even when the Director of Music is present.
Very occasionally, a Lay Clerk may be appointed in place of a Choral Scholar, usually if a vacancy arises unexpectedly: for example, when a student, having gained a conditional place at the college (subject to A-level grades being achieved) fails to meet the conditions. Such Lay Clerks have, to all intents and purposes, the same status as a Choral Scholar. The few Lay Clerks that have existed (since the establishment of Choral Scholars) have often been Choral Scholars agreeing to remain for an additional year.
The Choral Scholars form collectively, in their spare time, a separate group, Collegium Regale (Latin for 'King's College'), which sings a wide range of music written for men's voices, from early music through to Barbershop arrangements (many of the latter having been written exclusively for the group by present/former Choral Scholars).
The organ is played by two Organ Scholars, who, like the Choral Scholars, are also students at the College. If the Director of Music is not present for any reason, an Organ Scholar takes responsibility for conducting the Choir. Female applicants have very occasionally been known to apply as an Organ Scholar, but never have any succeeded competitively in the Organ Scholar competition. Applicants for Cambridge organ scholarships are in the anomalous position of being able to apply to both Cambridge and Oxford Universities - normally only one is possible as part of the UCAS application system. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.
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