Figure 1.--The choristers at the St. Mary-of-the Angels song school wore a blue smock for every day school activities. The smocks had the school badge. This photograph is from the 1960s. Note that the boys wear their ties outside their smocks.

Desmond Morse-Boycott's wonderful book, A Pilgrimage of Song describes his experiences as a choir director. He was an Anglo-Catholic priest in Somers Town, a slum area of London, before the war and set up the St Mary-of-the Angels song school to train local boys as choristers. I am not sure when the school was founded. The boys were outfitted in Eton suits on Sundays and wore a practical blue smock at other times. The back buttoning smocks had a front button for the waistband and the school badge worn on the left chest. There were also buttons on the shoulders of the smocks. The smocks had a cut away square collar so the shirt collar and ties showed. The smocks looked more like a French than an English school uniform. Under their smocks they wore grey shirts and short trousers with plain grey turn-over-top kneesocks and school sandals. They wore a solid light-colored yellow tie. The boys also wore a choristers robes with a ruff for formal events. Later the school acquired residential premises out of London. Note the smock from this period (picture from the 1960s) with the tie worn hanging outside. The school closed in 1972.

Recruitment

The christers were recruited by advertisements. One chorister tells us how he joined the Choir, "With me I was told by my priest at the church I was singing at that he thought I had a good voice and it was him who wrote off to the school. Also he wrote to St Martins in the Fields and Westminster Abbey, but I was to old at 11 for those schools. The owner of the school Desmond Morse Boycott who was related to Geoff Boycott the cricketer came down on a sunday and heard me sing and by Tuesday I was on a train to Buckinghamshire. My parents left the decision up to me." [Harding] One source suggests that many of the boys were recruited from some od the poorer sectiins of London.

St. Mary-of-the Angels Song School

Desmond Morse-Boycott's wonderful book, A Pilgrimage of Song: The Times and Chimes of St. Mary-of-the-Angels Song School 1919 - 1972 describes his experiences as a choir director. He was an Anglo-Catholic priest in Somers Town, a slum area of London, before the war and set up the St Mary-of-the Angels Song School to train local boys as choristers. Later the school acquired residential premises out of London. Song school is a term used in the Medieval era to describe a choir school. The school was Founded in 1919 originally as a parochial Choir School. A Fund was established in 1932. The Choir from 1935 to 1970 served the Church at large. The School was funded by singing at weddings and selling records sung by the choir or by the soloist at the time. The Song School closed in 1972 when Morse-Boycott retired to Hastings. The Morse-Boycott Bursary Fund (formerly St Mary-of-the-Angels Song School Trust) now takes the form of bursaries for boys at cathedral choir schools.

Music

We have no information at this time on the type of music the boys sang. The school was, however, run by individuals associated with the Anglicn Church. So persumably liturgical music was a major part of their repotoire. We note the boys making tours and singing as part of the services in the great English cathedrals. So liturgical music seems to have been the music dor which they were trained.

Uniform

The boys were outfitted in Eton suits on Sundays and wore a practical blue smock at other times. The back buttoning smocks had a front button for the waistband and the school badge worn on the left chest. There were also buttons on the shoulders of the smocks. The smocks had a cut away square collar so the shirt collar and ties showed. The smocks looked more like a French than an English school uniform. There do not appear any indication of seniority in this everyday uniform. All the boys from the toungest to tholdest dressed identically. Under their smocks they wore grey shirts and short trousers with plain grey turn-over-top kneesocks and school sandals. All of the boyswear school sandals although we note that they wear both the "T" strap style and the double bar style. Either were acceptable. They wore a solid light-colored yellow tie. The boys also wore a choristers robes with a ruff for formal events. Note the smock from this period (picture from the 1960s) with the tie worn hanging outside.

Boarding

The Song School was operated rather like a boarding house. One chorister reports, "I was there for 6 years and left in 1968 when my voice broke. I was proud to be the soloist and head boy. When I was at the School, we lived in a house in Seer Green near Beaconsfield, and went to a Church of England School in the daytime at Beaconsfield. Obviously at first we were a bit homesick, but we got used to it. I can only think of one boy that went home and left the choir school." [Harding]

Activities

The Song School was very demanding. Some wonder if these as well as boys at other choirs don't not miss all the activities that boys with more free time are able to enjoy. A chorister tells us, "I never felt I was missing out on things. We practiced 3 nights a week with a choirmaster who came in from Windsor. (He was also a tenor in the choir at Windsor Abbey and I was lucky to sing with the choir at the abbey on one occasion.) Then weekends we sang at weddings or in different churches on special occasions, but if we had the weekend off we could go into town or have tea at school with friends." [Harding]

Head Boy

As in many British schools, a headboy was selected by the headmaster. Sometimes it was the soloist, but not always. An oldboy tells us, "The headboy was not always the soloist. It depended on your voice." [Harding]

Boy Bishops

We note a popular tradition at the school during the Christmas reason was the selection and ceremonies associated with a Boy Bishop. This had been a very common traditioin in Midieval Europe, including England. The Church and Government authorities attempted to suppress the custom. We note, however, that is was a popular traditioin at the St. Mary of the Angles Song School. We are not sure to what extent it was practiced at other English schools.

Music Careers

I'm not sure to what extent choristers from the Song School persued careers in music. One chorister tells us, "I didn't, but get me on that kareoke .... As with the others I have not seen them since I left the school." [Harding]

Reader Comments

A French reader working with French choirs, "Very interresting information about this school. I was interested, was there was any distinctive sign concerning the uniform for the solist or the confirmed chorister? It's true that it is a bit fun to see English school boys wearing such a smock. This sort of smock look quite like a french school smock. There are some differences. The French smocks had a real or more commonly a false colar. French mothers considered it nicer if the short pants did not show or at least just showed a little bit. About the tie, this ws considered an accesory more for adults. French boys did not wear ties with their smocks. French boys did commonly wear T-strap sandals ( sandalettes ) with their school smocks to about age 12, especialy during 1930-1960s. English boychoirs are some of the the best in the world. I hope that HBC can add some additional information about the music performed by the choir. I am interested in which classical chants taught at this choir."

Sources

Harding, Eddy. E-mail message, June 29, 2003.

Morse-Boycott, Desmond. A Pilgrimage of Song: The Times and Chimes of St. Mary-of-the-Angels Song School 1919 - 1972 (The Faith Press, 1972).