0:00:02 > 0:00:08# Pie Jesu Domine... #
0:00:09 > 0:00:12OK, so I have changed quite a bit, haven't I?
0:00:12 > 0:00:15But so have the famous faces we're meeting this week.
0:00:15 > 0:00:18We have one thing in common. We were lucky enough to be choristers.
0:00:22 > 0:00:26This week, I catch up with conductor Sir Mark Elder,
0:00:26 > 0:00:28David Lammy MP
0:00:28 > 0:00:31and wine expert Olly Smith to chat to them about their chorister days,
0:00:31 > 0:00:35with music from some of the very best choristers
0:00:35 > 0:00:37from across the British Isles.
0:00:42 > 0:00:45CHORAL HARMONY
0:00:51 > 0:00:55When I look back at my time as a chorister in Bangor Cathedral,
0:00:55 > 0:00:58I not only remember the wonderful music I was fortune to sing
0:00:58 > 0:01:01but also that glorious building I was in.
0:01:01 > 0:01:03Mind you, it wasn't as glorious as this one.
0:01:03 > 0:01:06That time as a chorister is very dear to my heart
0:01:06 > 0:01:08and I'm looking forward to meeting others
0:01:08 > 0:01:09who shared a similar experience
0:01:09 > 0:01:11and finding out how it shaped their lives.
0:01:15 > 0:01:19Still today, thousands of choristers don their choir robes
0:01:19 > 0:01:22to lead the worship in all sorts of buildings,
0:01:22 > 0:01:25from rural churches to grand cathedrals like this one.
0:01:25 > 0:01:27We'll feature some of them today.
0:01:27 > 0:01:29Our first hymn comes from Beverley Minster,
0:01:29 > 0:01:32where the choristers lead the congregation in a hymn
0:01:32 > 0:01:35that celebrates everyone's love of singing. It's Angel-Voices.
0:04:19 > 0:04:21Before we hear from our other guests,
0:04:21 > 0:04:24I caught up with my good friend Simon Lole,
0:04:24 > 0:04:27who was a chorister here at St Paul's Cathedral
0:04:27 > 0:04:32and later, director of music at Salisbury Cathedral, to chat about all things chorister.
0:04:33 > 0:04:37So this is it, the nerve centre of choral music in the cathedral.
0:04:37 > 0:04:42Yeah, this is where it all happens, all the hard work. Music round the walls, the piano.
0:04:42 > 0:04:45All the congregation see is the angelic bit and this is the graft.
0:04:45 > 0:04:49Yeah, this is where all the hard work happens, day after day, morning, evening.
0:04:49 > 0:04:52Why is it that when you speak to choristers these days, they say,
0:04:52 > 0:04:55"What I learnt as a chorister stayed with me all my life"?
0:04:55 > 0:05:00Well, it's an interesting thing. It is so special because, obviously,
0:05:00 > 0:05:02there's a remarkable musical discipline -
0:05:02 > 0:05:08you learn so much musically and you're doing it all the time, so you're infused with this technique,
0:05:08 > 0:05:09but there's so much more.
0:05:09 > 0:05:12You learn about things like punctuality.
0:05:12 > 0:05:15Heaven forbid if you're late for choir practice,
0:05:15 > 0:05:20- you must have been there when you were late and the choir master... - Dodging the hymn books!
0:05:20 > 0:05:23It's interesting how you grow in confidence
0:05:23 > 0:05:26and in ability day after day. You get to know the music.
0:05:26 > 0:05:30I remember when I first came here and these big boys singing this beautiful music,
0:05:30 > 0:05:33I felt completely out of my depth. It's weird, isn't it?
0:05:33 > 0:05:37It is that feeling of being totally lost at the beginning.
0:05:37 > 0:05:41I remember my first rehearsal in a choir room a bit smaller than this one in Bangor,
0:05:41 > 0:05:43but everything was a bit smaller in Bangor,
0:05:43 > 0:05:46and following the musical notes with my finger
0:05:46 > 0:05:50and not knowing what was happening and thinking, "What have I done?"
0:05:52 > 0:05:55Simon's chorister training stood him in good stead
0:05:55 > 0:05:58when he became director of music at Salisbury,
0:05:58 > 0:06:02inheriting the first cathedral girls' choir in the country.
0:06:02 > 0:06:04Make sure there's a nice, warm crescendo on that.
0:06:07 > 0:06:10It's something I've championed for many years and I believe
0:06:10 > 0:06:14so strongly in girls singing in cathedral choirs. Why not?
0:06:14 > 0:06:18I don't think I would have concentrated so much on the singing
0:06:18 > 0:06:20if there had been a gorgeous girl standing next to me, even at 11.
0:06:20 > 0:06:22LAUGHTER
0:06:22 > 0:06:26I went back to the cathedral last year to celebrate 20 years
0:06:26 > 0:06:28and it's amazing.
0:06:28 > 0:06:32They're now breaking through into the university world, the professional singing world,
0:06:32 > 0:06:34and it's fantastic to see.
0:06:34 > 0:06:37There's a saying, "Once a chorister, always a chorister."
0:06:37 > 0:06:40- Do you think it's true? - I think it's absolutely true.
0:06:40 > 0:06:43All the people I meet in all walks of life who've been choristers
0:06:43 > 0:06:47always look back very fondly on the experience.
0:06:47 > 0:06:51Often, it doesn't matter... I chose to make music my profession,
0:06:51 > 0:06:55but there have been so many people who have been successful in other walks of life
0:06:55 > 0:06:59and who've used a lot of the experiences from being a chorister
0:06:59 > 0:07:02and translated that into their professional lives.
0:07:02 > 0:07:04It's helped them enormously, really.
0:07:08 > 0:07:15# I know that my Redeemer liveth
0:07:21 > 0:07:26# And that He shall stand
0:07:26 > 0:07:34# At the latter day
0:07:34 > 0:07:37# Upon the Earth
0:07:44 > 0:07:52# I know that my Redeemer liveth
0:07:53 > 0:07:58# And though worms destroy this body
0:07:58 > 0:08:06# Yet in my flesh shall I see God
0:08:07 > 0:08:15# Yet in my flesh shall I see God
0:08:15 > 0:08:19# Shall I see God
0:08:19 > 0:08:27# I know that my Redeemer liveth
0:08:33 > 0:08:40# For now is Christ risen from the dead
0:08:43 > 0:08:47# The first fruits
0:08:47 > 0:08:53# Of them that sleep
0:08:53 > 0:08:57# Of them that sleep
0:08:57 > 0:09:03# The first fruits
0:09:03 > 0:09:07# Of them that sleep
0:09:14 > 0:09:18# For now is Christ risen
0:09:18 > 0:09:22# For now is Christ risen
0:09:22 > 0:09:26# From the dead
0:09:29 > 0:09:37# The first fruits
0:09:38 > 0:09:45# Of them that sleep. #
0:10:11 > 0:10:15World renowned conductor Sir Mark Elder was a chorister
0:10:15 > 0:10:18as Canterbury Cathedral in the 1950s,
0:10:18 > 0:10:21which meant heading off to choir school at a very early age.
0:10:22 > 0:10:27I was eight when I went and I remember begging not to be sent,
0:10:27 > 0:10:31I remember crying for the first few nights for the first few terms.
0:10:31 > 0:10:35It was a very difficult thing to do,
0:10:35 > 0:10:39to pull a family apart.
0:10:39 > 0:10:43But I think I soon realised that there was going to be
0:10:43 > 0:10:45great excitement.
0:10:46 > 0:10:50The job of being a chorister is not just fun.
0:10:50 > 0:10:53There is fun attached to it but, actually, it's work.
0:10:53 > 0:10:56It's learning how to be responsible,
0:10:56 > 0:10:59how to appear in public day after day and perform,
0:10:59 > 0:11:03to walk with the right grace and the right speed.
0:11:03 > 0:11:06We used to have secret processing lessons in the cathedral at night,
0:11:06 > 0:11:08when nobody else was there.
0:11:10 > 0:11:14The musical list came out once every two weeks, I seem to remember.
0:11:14 > 0:11:17We used to rush after service and try and see what was written up,
0:11:17 > 0:11:18and what we were going to do.
0:11:18 > 0:11:21Of course, we were all drama queens in the making at that age.
0:11:21 > 0:11:24We all wanted to see how many solos there would be,
0:11:24 > 0:11:25and who was going to get the solo.
0:11:25 > 0:11:27"He did it last time, perhaps I'll get it this time."
0:11:27 > 0:11:29Oh, we were little divas.
0:11:29 > 0:11:31Terrible!
0:11:31 > 0:11:34# Glory to Him
0:11:34 > 0:11:37# Glory to Him
0:11:37 > 0:11:41# Glory to Him... #
0:11:41 > 0:11:45When I find myself conducting, specifically sacred music,
0:11:45 > 0:11:47as opposed to religious music -
0:11:47 > 0:11:48deeply spiritual music,
0:11:48 > 0:11:51and The Dream of Gerontius is a very good example of that -
0:11:51 > 0:11:53the experience I had as a chorister
0:11:53 > 0:11:56undoubtedly informs how I feel
0:11:56 > 0:11:58conducting it.
0:11:58 > 0:12:00But there's something else -
0:12:00 > 0:12:02there's a sense of being in touch with something
0:12:02 > 0:12:04on another level.
0:12:09 > 0:12:11I very often think
0:12:11 > 0:12:14that I owe my career in music
0:12:14 > 0:12:16to the fact that my parents
0:12:16 > 0:12:20organised that I should be a chorister.
0:12:20 > 0:12:22As the years go by,
0:12:22 > 0:12:24I'm more and more convinced
0:12:24 > 0:12:27that there is some
0:12:27 > 0:12:30energy or higher power
0:12:30 > 0:12:33connecting the events of our life together.
0:12:33 > 0:12:38And I think it was a wonderful present,
0:12:38 > 0:12:39actually,
0:12:39 > 0:12:42that I should have been given this chance
0:12:42 > 0:12:44to open my ears,
0:12:44 > 0:12:46open my heart...
0:12:47 > 0:12:50And get me in some state
0:12:50 > 0:12:53where I could start to face the rest of my life.
0:12:53 > 0:13:01# Amen. #
0:15:28 > 0:15:30Not all choristers
0:15:30 > 0:15:32end up as professional musicians.
0:15:32 > 0:15:34Member of Parliament, David Lammy,
0:15:34 > 0:15:37was a chorister at Peterborough Cathedral.
0:15:37 > 0:15:39I sometimes say to people,
0:15:39 > 0:15:40when I became a minister
0:15:40 > 0:15:43in the Government,
0:15:43 > 0:15:45and you're going through your papers,
0:15:45 > 0:15:48you've got to have the discipline to do that
0:15:48 > 0:15:50last thing at night or first thing in the morning.
0:15:50 > 0:15:52Actually,
0:15:52 > 0:15:55I think back to those days as a chorister
0:15:55 > 0:15:58and the rigour of practice
0:15:58 > 0:16:01and application, day after day after day.
0:16:01 > 0:16:03And also a sense of duty
0:16:03 > 0:16:06that you're following in the footsteps of
0:16:06 > 0:16:10many thousands of other young choristers,
0:16:10 > 0:16:12over many years.
0:16:12 > 0:16:15And you're providing a service to the local community.
0:16:20 > 0:16:23I remember walking into the cathedral for the first time,
0:16:23 > 0:16:27and there is this big sort of smell
0:16:27 > 0:16:29of limestone
0:16:29 > 0:16:32that I must have got addicted to,
0:16:32 > 0:16:34cos you get it in the House of Commons as well.
0:16:43 > 0:16:46I think the highlight for me
0:16:46 > 0:16:48was Songs Of Praise
0:16:48 > 0:16:50in 1983,
0:16:50 > 0:16:52because, you know,
0:16:52 > 0:16:54I was on telly!
0:16:54 > 0:16:57And my mum and dad were here in attendance.
0:16:57 > 0:16:59Very proud,
0:16:59 > 0:17:01telling their friends.
0:17:01 > 0:17:04And it was a very, very special moment.
0:17:06 > 0:17:07I don't think
0:17:07 > 0:17:10the choirmaster would say
0:17:10 > 0:17:13that David Lammy was a model chorister, put it that way.
0:17:13 > 0:17:16I'm embarrassed to say
0:17:16 > 0:17:19that on the stalls,
0:17:19 > 0:17:21my name's scratched in!
0:17:21 > 0:17:23HE LAUGHS
0:17:23 > 0:17:28I'm afraid I was a very mischievous, naughty chorister.
0:17:30 > 0:17:31Actually,
0:17:31 > 0:17:35there have been moments in my life when things have not gone well,
0:17:35 > 0:17:37when very quietly, I've gone on a train,
0:17:37 > 0:17:41come up to Peterborough - it's only 45 minutes from London -
0:17:41 > 0:17:43sat here,
0:17:43 > 0:17:45and that strong sense of faith
0:17:45 > 0:17:47that I still have,
0:17:47 > 0:17:49I draw very much from being a chorister.
0:17:52 > 0:17:55I find now that I'm 40,
0:17:55 > 0:17:57that it's music
0:17:57 > 0:17:59that helps me understand
0:17:59 > 0:18:01and get into my faith.
0:18:01 > 0:18:04Whether that is
0:18:04 > 0:18:06soaring anthems,
0:18:06 > 0:18:08like I Was Glad.
0:18:08 > 0:18:11Whether that is gospel music
0:18:11 > 0:18:14that makes your eyes water.
0:18:14 > 0:18:16Erm, jazz - whatever it is,
0:18:16 > 0:18:21it's music that lifts me to that other plane.
0:18:21 > 0:18:22Erm...
0:18:22 > 0:18:25And I'm very grateful, in a sense,
0:18:25 > 0:18:27that the discipline of being a chorister
0:18:27 > 0:18:30has helped me tap into that.
0:18:34 > 0:18:41# Lord now lettest thou Thy servant
0:18:41 > 0:18:47# Depart in peace
0:18:47 > 0:18:54# According to Thy word
0:18:54 > 0:19:01# For mine eyes have seen Thy salvation
0:19:01 > 0:19:07# Which Thou hast prepared before the face
0:19:07 > 0:19:12# Of Thy people
0:19:12 > 0:19:24# To be a light to lighten the Gentiles
0:19:25 > 0:19:30# And to be the glory
0:19:30 > 0:19:40# Of Thy people Israel
0:19:47 > 0:19:54# Glory be to the Father
0:19:54 > 0:20:00# And to the Son
0:20:00 > 0:20:12# And to the Holy Ghost
0:20:12 > 0:20:19# As it was in the beginning
0:20:19 > 0:20:25# Is now and ever shall be
0:20:25 > 0:20:32# Is now and ever shall be
0:20:32 > 0:20:38# World without end
0:20:38 > 0:20:44# World without end
0:20:44 > 0:20:53# World without end
0:20:57 > 0:21:02# Amen. #
0:21:02 > 0:21:05# Amen. #
0:21:05 > 0:21:11# Amen. #
0:21:20 > 0:21:23I'm all at sea off the East Sussex coast,
0:21:23 > 0:21:26for Saturday Kitchen, but it's time to put the anchor down, head ashore,
0:21:26 > 0:21:30and find some tip-top wines for today's show. Land ho!
0:21:30 > 0:21:32'Saturday Kitchen's wine expert,
0:21:32 > 0:21:34'Olly Smith,
0:21:34 > 0:21:36'became a chorister at King's College Cambridge,
0:21:36 > 0:21:38'28 years ago.'
0:21:38 > 0:21:41I wonder if choristers get a taste for wine, because they...
0:21:41 > 0:21:43- Do you think? - HE LAUGHS
0:21:43 > 0:21:44I don't know.
0:21:44 > 0:21:46I loved it. I loved all the finery
0:21:46 > 0:21:48and the incense, the wines, the smells and the stimulation.
0:21:48 > 0:21:51I certainly enjoyed the flavour of the communion wine.
0:21:51 > 0:21:52So, yeah, maybe!
0:21:52 > 0:21:55I was in and out of this building every day of my life.
0:21:55 > 0:21:58It's such a privilege to have been here,
0:21:58 > 0:22:01been part of the history of this amazing building.
0:22:01 > 0:22:04Probably the ultimate place to be a chorister, isn't it?
0:22:04 > 0:22:06I certainly had the most incredible time,
0:22:06 > 0:22:08and it changed my whole life -
0:22:08 > 0:22:09there's no question about it.
0:22:09 > 0:22:11The incredible self discipline,
0:22:11 > 0:22:14and the incredible exposure you get to music...
0:22:14 > 0:22:17When you think of the range of all the different things we would sing,
0:22:17 > 0:22:19right from Britten's Rejoice In The Lamb
0:22:19 > 0:22:20to the old psalm chants.
0:22:20 > 0:22:23An extraordinary education.
0:22:23 > 0:22:31# Gloria... #
0:22:31 > 0:22:34The first thing that comes to mind, of course,
0:22:34 > 0:22:37is the carol service at Christmas.
0:22:37 > 0:22:40- Yes...- Once In Royal David's City, and all that business.
0:22:40 > 0:22:41I think I was lined up to do it
0:22:41 > 0:22:43the year my vice broke.
0:22:43 > 0:22:44- Oh!- I know.
0:22:44 > 0:22:46Gutting! Absolutely gutting.
0:22:46 > 0:22:49But it was terrifying. We'd stand over by the screen,
0:22:49 > 0:22:51the red light would go on, and you'd know you were on air -
0:22:51 > 0:22:53to the entire world.
0:22:53 > 0:22:55It's an international, huge event.
0:22:55 > 0:22:56And my mum always says,
0:22:56 > 0:23:00"Christmas doesn't start until it's Carols from King's College."
0:23:00 > 0:23:01But the red light goes on,
0:23:01 > 0:23:02and the finger come out.
0:23:02 > 0:23:04Dean Cleobury wanders up and down the row
0:23:04 > 0:23:06and then very calmly points to a boy
0:23:06 > 0:23:08who has to step forward.
0:23:08 > 0:23:09Whilst you're on air?
0:23:09 > 0:23:11Yeah, the red light goes on, and he chooses...
0:23:11 > 0:23:13No-one knows who it will be.
0:23:13 > 0:23:14The boy has to stand forward
0:23:14 > 0:23:17and fill this incredible space with a single solo voice.
0:23:17 > 0:23:18I feel sick!
0:23:18 > 0:23:20Can you imagine the nerves?
0:23:20 > 0:23:23In a way, I'm quite relieved my voice gave way before that,
0:23:23 > 0:23:24but what an incredible thing.
0:23:24 > 0:23:26It is magic when you hear it,
0:23:26 > 0:23:28just across the airwaves.
0:23:28 > 0:23:29HE SINGS
0:23:32 > 0:23:36We all took pride, without question, in trying to deliver
0:23:36 > 0:23:37the very best quality of music,
0:23:37 > 0:23:39and you're here in a place of worship.
0:23:39 > 0:23:41Ultimately, when all these things come together -
0:23:41 > 0:23:43the sculpture, the stained glass,
0:23:43 > 0:23:46the music, the worship, the reverence for the place,
0:23:46 > 0:23:48that's quite a powerful thing, especially if you're ten.
0:23:48 > 0:23:51THEY SING
0:23:53 > 0:23:54I come from a family of quite strong faith.
0:23:54 > 0:23:56Both my grandparents were vicars.
0:23:56 > 0:23:59My grandmother still is. She's probably watching, saying,
0:23:59 > 0:24:01"What do you mean 'were'? I'm still working!"
0:24:01 > 0:24:03Sorry, Grandma!
0:24:03 > 0:24:05Sorry, Grandma, yes.
0:24:05 > 0:24:08But it's an incredible experience and a real privilege
0:24:08 > 0:24:11to see and to be part of...
0:24:11 > 0:24:14I guess to "contribute" is the word I'm looking for.
0:24:14 > 0:24:16To contribute to other people's faith.
0:24:16 > 0:24:18Would you recommend being a choirboy...?
0:24:18 > 0:24:19Yeah, hands down, I would.
0:24:19 > 0:24:22It changes your whole life.
0:24:22 > 0:24:24And it's a huge, enormous change,
0:24:24 > 0:24:27but I have absolutely no regrets. I loved every minute.
0:24:31 > 0:24:36# Mater, ora Filium
0:24:36 > 0:24:41# Ut post hoc exilium
0:24:41 > 0:24:47# Nobis donet gaudium
0:24:47 > 0:24:51# Beatorum omnium
0:24:51 > 0:24:56# Fair maid, who is this bairn
0:24:56 > 0:25:01# That thou barest in thine arm?
0:25:01 > 0:25:06# Sire, it is a kinges son
0:25:06 > 0:25:11# That in heaven above doth wone
0:25:11 > 0:25:16# Man to father, he hath none
0:25:16 > 0:25:21# But himself, God alone!
0:25:21 > 0:25:26# Of a maid he would be born
0:25:26 > 0:25:32# To save mankind that was forlorn
0:25:32 > 0:25:37# Mater, ora Filium
0:25:37 > 0:25:42# Ut post hoc exilium
0:25:42 > 0:25:47# Nobis donet gaudium
0:25:47 > 0:25:52# Beatorum omnium
0:25:52 > 0:25:58# Mater, ora Filium
0:25:58 > 0:26:02# Ut post hoc exilium
0:26:02 > 0:26:08# Nobis donet gaudium
0:26:08 > 0:26:16# Beatorum omnium
0:26:16 > 0:26:23# Oh, oh, oh
0:26:23 > 0:26:29# Oh. #
0:26:37 > 0:26:40Bless, O Lord, us Thy servants
0:26:40 > 0:26:42Who minister in Thy temple
0:26:42 > 0:26:46Grant that what we sing with our lips
0:26:46 > 0:26:49We may believe in our hearts
0:26:49 > 0:26:55And what we believe in our hearts, we may show forth in our lives
0:26:55 > 0:26:58Through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
0:27:07 > 0:27:10# One voice
0:27:10 > 0:27:16# Singing in the darkness
0:27:16 > 0:27:23# All it takes is one voice
0:27:23 > 0:27:27# Singing so they hear what's on your mind
0:27:27 > 0:27:30# And when you look around
0:27:30 > 0:27:32# You'll find there's more than
0:27:32 > 0:27:36# One voice
0:27:36 > 0:27:42# Singing in the darkness
0:27:42 > 0:27:49# Joining with your one voice
0:27:49 > 0:27:53# Each and every note another octave
0:27:53 > 0:27:56# Hands are joined and fears unlocked
0:27:56 > 0:27:58# If only one voice
0:27:58 > 0:28:01# Would start it on its own
0:28:01 > 0:28:04# We need just one voice
0:28:04 > 0:28:06# Facing the unknown
0:28:06 > 0:28:09# And then that one voice
0:28:09 > 0:28:11# Would never be alone
0:28:11 > 0:28:17# It takes just one voice... #
0:28:23 > 0:28:26WORDLESS VERSION OF MAIN MELODY
0:28:34 > 0:28:39# One voice
0:28:39 > 0:28:47# One voice singing in the darkness
0:28:47 > 0:28:51# All it takes is one voice
0:28:51 > 0:28:57# Shout it out and let it ring
0:28:57 > 0:29:00# Just one voice
0:29:00 > 0:29:07# It takes that one voice
0:29:07 > 0:29:18# Then everyone will sing
0:29:32 > 0:29:36# One voice
0:29:36 > 0:29:40# Singing in the darkness
0:29:40 > 0:29:45# All it takes is one voice
0:29:45 > 0:29:51# Shout it out and let it ring
0:29:51 > 0:29:55# Just one voice
0:29:55 > 0:30:01# It takes that one voice
0:30:01 > 0:30:05# And every one
0:30:05 > 0:30:10# Will sing
0:30:10 > 0:30:19# We will sing! #
0:30:24 > 0:30:26Only Men Aloud there,
0:30:26 > 0:30:29performing a song that celebrates the joy of singing.
0:30:34 > 0:30:37Our final piece is a hymn I sang heartily as a choir boy
0:30:37 > 0:30:41in Bangor Cathedral, and you know, I still love singing it to this day.
0:33:23 > 0:33:28Next week, I will be asking why do we pray,
0:33:28 > 0:33:30hear about a national day of prayer at Wembley,
0:33:30 > 0:33:34and meet someone who has dedicated their whole life to prayer.
0:33:34 > 0:33:37Plus plenty of hymns and songs, old and new.
0:33:55 > 0:33:58Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd