Change Beckons in the Cathedrals

The immediate effect of the outbreak of the First World War on the daily round of cathedral life appears to have been minimal. Some lay clerks would have enrolled in the forces, but given that most were beyond call-up years, serious disruption to choral services was unlikely. The university choral foundations would have lost most of such choral scholars as they were accustomed to have, but all still relied mainly on lay clerks. It would be the aftermath of the war, with its economic and social upheavals, which ushered significant changes in the world of cathedral music, minor as these were in comparison with what would occur in the latter part of the century. Among the most important developments of the inter-war years was the gradual abandonment in most cathedrals of weekday choral Matins. Its continuation was becoming a major impediment to both the engagement of lay clerks and the education of the choristers. What had still been manageable in late Victorian Britain became increasingly anachronistic after the First World War. With the employment uncertainties of the period, the opportunities for lay clerks to find suitable work outside singing duties were far fewer than earlier – not many employers would now be prepared to allow an hour's absence in the middle of the morning – for Matins was still usually at 10 a.m. – as well as early release for a 3 p.m. Evensong. Work round the cathedral might be provided for a few, but some form of self-employment, which could be precarious, is likely to have been the most common way to supplement an average singing man's salary of ￡100–150 per year.