Music plays a central role in the life of St Mary’s both liturgically and in concerts. The Parish Mass draws on a variety of musical styles from the earliest chants of the church to good modern choral and congregational music.

The choir has a wide and impressive repertoire of Mass settings including those by Palestrina, Victoria, Byrd, Mozart, Haydn, Howells and contemporary composers. In addition, the choir sings a motet during the communion which is specially chosen to reflect the theme of the day. It is wonderful to think that some of the music which the choir sings was being sung when the walls of St Mary’s were new. These beautiful choral settings provide moments of reflection during the Mass, when the congregation can use the singing of the choir to focus on the central act of worship and to aid their prayers. The full choir sings at every Mass except for the first Sunday of the month, when the junior choir alone sings.

In addition to the choral settings of the ordinaries, we use a variety of modern Congregational settings, chosen particularly for their prayerful character and for ease of singing. We use the New English Hymnal as our main source of hymnody, expanded by the modern Laudate hymn book. We are fortunate that, at St Mary’s, we not only have a very good choir but also a congregation which sings joyfully.

The other sung services include 1662 Choral Evensong (sung at 18.00 on the first Sunday of the month) and special services as the seasons require, such as Carol Services, a Requiem Mass for All Souls and an annual liturgical performance of Bach’s St John Passion. With it’s lofty vault, the large open spaces of St Mary’s give it the best acoustics for music in the town. It is a major venue for the Maldon Festival and we are very happy to host concerts by any musical organisation from Maldon or elsewhere.

The organ scholarship was set up in early 2008 to support and encourage young musicians. Anyone who has reached a standard of at least grade VI on the keyboard (not necessarily organ, piano will suffice) may apply. The holder receives tuition, ample practice time and many opportunities to accompany the choir and congregation under the guidance of the Director of Music. The scholaships are supported by the Belinda Starling Trust, the Prayerbook Society and several members of St. Mary’s Congregation. 

It is an ideal opportunity for any young person interested in pursuing a career in music or who simply loves making music for its own sake. Experience of holding such a position can be an invaluable aid in university entrance. Previous organ scholars have gone on to study at Oxford, Cambridge, Durham, Birmingham Royal Conservatoire and the Guildhall School of Music and Drama.

Four of St Mary’s organ scholars with the new pipe organ (Advent 2020)

St Mary’s Choir is a mixed choir of adults and children which leads the worship Sunday by Sunday. The ethos of the choir is rooted in the rich tradition of Anglican Choral music but also draws heavily on continental experience. Each week, whilst there is much Congregational singing, the choir sings Masses by Palestrina, Lassus, Mozart, Haydn, Ireland, Howells and many more. For major festivals, the choir is often augmented by additional singers to perform  works such as for the Fauré Requiem on All Souls or Haydn’s St Nicholas Mass at Midnight Mass.

Choral Evensong is sung on the first Sunday of the month at 6pm. This beautiful service, one of the greatest gifts of Anglicanism to the Christian tradition, is a time for the congregation to forget the stresses and strains of the coming week and to allow the singing of the choir to transport it to another plane. The music sung stretches right across the centuries, from Tudor times to the present day. The choir’s repertoire includes all the famous Anglican composers of canticles, such as Tallis, Byrd, Stanford, Nobel, Walmisley and Howells. Occasional continental settings also feature, such as those by Palestrina and Buxtehude. Music at the Mass on the first and Third Sundays of the month is more Congregational in character.

Choir children benefit hugely from exposure to this great array of music. The sheer pace of the choir’s repertoire means that different music is practised and performed on a weekly basis, aiding the children’s ability to sight-sing and their aural and vocal development. Besides the sheer joy of singing such wonderful music, such a discipline is invaluable in developing a child’s self-confidence and social skills. 

Weddings and Funerals at St Mary’s are greatly enhanced by the presence of St Mary’s choir, which is available to lead the singing and to sing specially chosen choral music during the service. The choir is also available to sing at weddings and funerals throughout Essex and further afield.

Choir Practice is on Wednesday: Junior choir run from 6:00pm to 7:00pm including games and refreshments. The adult choir practice is at 7:15pm. There is also a short practice on Sunday mornings before the Mass at 9.15am and before Evensong at 4.45pm.

For more pictures and information, please visit the organ builders’ website: https://www.hey-orgelbau.com/projects/reorganisation/maldon_st_marys.html

St Mary’s is now the possessor of a fine new pipe organ. Originally constructed by Klais, one of the foremost organ builders in the world, it came out of a former RC church in the Rheinfalz in Germany, which closed in 2017. At that stage the organ wasn’t quite thirty years old and was in excellent condition. It has been adapted and rebuilt by Hey Orgelbau of Bavaria. A purpose built gallery for the organ was designed by Freeland Rees Roberts Architects of Cambridge, and built by Punch Construction of Tollesbury. What was a rather uninteresting large expanse of blank wall has now become one of the most interesting and beautiful features of the church.

The new organ features 26 stops and nearly 1,500 hand­crafted pipes. It sits on a specially constructed gallery at the west end of the church; returning the organ to the position it occupied until the 1886 restoration. It is only the sixth organ by Klais in the UK, joining the organs in Bath Abbey, St John’s Smith Square, Birmingham Symphony Hall, Haileybury College and a house organ in a remote part of the Scottish Highlands. Now the work is completed we are confident that the organ will become a major draw for visitors to St Mary’s and to Maldon.

Specification of the Klais/Hey Organ:

Hauptwerk (Great):

Principal 8’ (front display: 75% tin)
Gedacktflöte 8’
Preastant 4’
Querflöte 4’
Quint 2 2/3’
Octave 2’
Terz 1 3/5’
Larigot 1 1/3’ (moved from the Swell)
Mixture IV
Trompete 8’

Schwellwerk (Swell)

Rohrgedackt 8’
Suavial 8’
Voix Celeste 8’ (tenor C: new)
Principal 4’
Blockflöte 4’
Oktavin 2’
Scharff IV
Hautbois 8’
Tremulant
Zimbelstern (new)

Pedal

Subbass 16’
Oktavbass 8’
Flute 8’
Choralbass 4’
Hintersatz IV
Fagottbass 16’

Couplers
SW/GT
SW/P
GT/P
SW sub oct
SW super oct
SW sub oct/GT

New combination setter system and sequencer