| Bristol
Cathedral Choir, England, UK
Bristol
Cathedral was founded in 1140 as an Augustinian abbey. The exact date
of the introduction of boy choristers is not known, but it was probably
in the 14th century, when records show there were 3 to 6 boys. The
abbey church was made a cathedral by Henry VIII in 1542, in which year
Thomas Denny was appointed Organist and Master of the Choristers, who
were to be 6 in number. At this time the nave was in ruins and for the
next 400 years the building could accommodate a congregation of only
300. After the chancel was altered in 1861, allowing a congregation of
a thousand, the number of choristers was increased from 6 to 12 and
from 1877 when the rebuilt nave was opened, the number was raised to 18
in line with other cathedrals. The present choir has 16 choristers (day
pupils at the adjacent Bristol Cathedral School) and 6 to 9 lay clerks.
(A voluntary girls' choir was formed in 1993 of about 26 girls ages 11
to 18 from local schools.)
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