Guest soloists at Last Night of the Proms were our very own St George’s Church Choir, who performed a piece with words specially written by Rod Starr:
We are the choir of St George the Martyr
we sit in the organ loft to keep the organist company.
The hymns come in two kinds, long and short
They are bound together in volumes which are sensitive to the pull of gravity at solemn moments.
The church has a welcome new priest with a dog.
The dog barks in tune and will soon audition for the choir.
It sits by the door to keep the congregation in order,
And accompanies the sermons also.
As a choir we sing with gusto.
Chants come in many varieties, Anglican, Plainsong and confusion.
Unfortunately words are then added
At which point the organist acts as a referee between the singers;
Usually favouring the trend of the majority.
Our choir training is a bit like planting roses.
First there is the digging weeding and sowing.
The muck spreading is invariably done by the congregation.
In any event the organist always ends up in the dog-house.
Glory be to the aniseed balls
They outlast the longest sermons
Their scent cannot even be masked by the incense
They can be ejected from the cassock pocket and roll into public view.
