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After -Evensong on a Great Festi.val: A Procession in Ancient Traditional Vestments
,
.
At
tlit} head of the Processions, which are he14 after Evensong on great festivals,
is
the Cross-bearer.
He
is
the Head Verger normally.
He
is
dressed
in an (llb, with_a tunicle over it, and an apparelled amice round his neck. Behind him come the two light bearers, also in apparelled amices and albs.
They are followed by the Dean's Verger with his wand.
-
Last
come~
the Dean himself, accompanied by the two cope-bearers.
who are divided into three . sections:
choristers, singing boys and proba–
tioners. They include day boys from
Canterbury and'boarders from all over
England and even'the West ofIreland;
they -are graded according to their
ages, which range from 8 to
12.
Actu–
ally, for singing purposes, the Statutes
provide for
10
choristers and 6 singing
boys
in
the choir itself, in addition to
the men choristers who should number
12.
The cathedral . now aims ata
complement of 48 boys. The reason
--for increasing -the number is to avoid
voice
str~
by arranging the choir in
alternate shifts. This rests· their ·
voices and improves the quality of
the cathedral music- generally.
The boys, .apart-from their school
studies under the Headmaster (who
is a
MinOI:
Canon), have two choir
practices a day at 8.40
an~
2.10,
and also two
full
practices with
the men choristers every week. The
men have one
pr~ctice
weekly. The
organist takes the practices, although
the·Precentor is the ultimate authority·
. 'on all ·questions relating to. the choir.
The choristers wear a purple cassock
and white
ruff
for their practices, over
which they place surglices for the
services. Their dress is in the early
medieval tradition.
Mo~t
people are apt to assume that
the Cathedral and Metropolitical
Standing with his back to the fireplace the Dean tells of his experiences in China and Spain. On the right the
Precentor, the Rev.
].
W. Poole, chats with Mrs. Johnson.
The Dean has entertained many famous people in .
the Great Chamber of the Deanery. Among them have been Gandhi, Queen Marie of Roumania, and the
-'
Soviet Ambassador.
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