29 Apr 2024
St Nicholas’ Church has stood proudly in Harpenden for over 800 years and since 1862 the boys’ choir has been filling the building with music – but this historic assembly is at risk of folding unless they can recruit more members, writes Anna Shreeves.
There are currently 12 boys in the choir with the ideal number being up to 20 members.
St Nicholas’ boys choir is the only remaining separate (i.e not mixed with girls) boys’ choir in Herts and Beds. Upon arrival the boys were laughing and playing football in the courtyard after finishing their evensong on Sunday.
Marie Price, the director of music at St Nicholas’, has been at the church since 2018 and since Covid has seen the decline in the number of boys taking part.
When asked what she feels has caused this decline she said: “There is a lot of sport on Sunday mornings and quite often when I speak to potential singers’ parents their children are usually doing rugby or football on Sunday mornings.
“Which 20-30 years ago was not the case.”
St Nicholas’ church proudly runs a boys’, girls’ and an adults’ choir; with the choirs singing both together and separately throughout the year.
The girls’ choir was created in 2007, coming amongst a wave of girls’ choirs being created across the country in the last 40 years – a movement which Marie fiercely ampaigned for.
She said: “Twenty years ago it was much more unusual to see girls in the choir but of course we have much more equality now which is great.
“Our girls’ and boys’ choirs do equal amounts of services but it is nice for the two choirs to have that separate identity.
“We don’t want to lose the boys all together because most of the church music is written for four parts – sopranos, altos, tenors and bases – and if you are going to have the tenors and bases of the future you need to have the boys now.”
Currently in the men’s choir they have two teenage members who have come up through the boys’ choir.
Although Maire acknowledges the importance of girls’ choirs, she also recognises the importance of tradition and this is something which a boys’ choir represents.
Moreover it is not just important to keep the boys’ choir in action to keep tradition alive and set boys up for the men’s choir; but it is also important that it continues because of what the choir provides for its members.
Marie explained: “You make friends for life through singing, it creates a great community and that’s really how it should be.”
“Singing in a choir is also really good for your wellbeing,” she added.
Focusing on the boys’ choir Marie said: “The older boys are really caring with the little ones and the little ones really look up to the older ones – it is a nice thing.”
Marie recounts times where members of the choirs have been unwell and the rest of the members have all pitched in to help with providing food, walking their dog and so on.
Marie does not audition the boys and says: “Anyone who wants to sing, can.”
The choir also gives young children the opportunities to sing in some of the country’s top cathedrals; in the last two years the choirs have sung in Wells, St Pauls, Bury St Edmunds, Rochester and St Albans Cathedrals.
They also get to be a part of something special which the whole congregation can enjoy, Maire said: “It’s such a fantastic sound and it really adds to the worship.”
Boys in the choir get paid up to £1 per attendance, which may not sound like a lot, but when you get paid your yearly singing wage of around £100 at Christmas it must be immensely exciting for the boys!
To get involved contact music@parishofharpenden.org
