Westminster Abbey is a renowned landmark in the City of Westminster, London, and its musicians and instruments have been resounding music within its walls for over a thousand years. Since music has always been a crucial part of Christianity, the abbey has been blessed with a choir that has been singing daily for years. Read on to learn everything about this world-famous choir, recordings, organs, and more!

Westminster Abbey choir & musicians

The choir

The Westminster Abbey choir has a reputation for being one of the finest choirs in the world. Ever since its foundation in the late 14th century, it has been known to sing for the daily services in the Abbey. Comprising twelve singers, called Lay Vicars, along with thirty students from the Abbey’s Choir School, the choir performs concerts, recordings, various broadcasts, and for royal events in the abbey, like Queen Elizabeth II’s State Funeral, and King Charles III and Queen Camilla’s coronation.

Choir School

The Westminster Abbey Choir School has provided specialist musical training and instrument lessons for boys between the ages of 8 and 13 since 1560. The choir is trained and directed by Andrew Nethsingha, Organist and Master of the Choristers, successor to Orlando Gibbons, John Blow, and Henry Purcell. During term time, the boys sing Evensong on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, on alternate Mondays, and Matins and Eucharist on Sunday mornings.

Westminster Abbey choir recordings

The Westminster Abbey choir has had a partnership with the Hyperion label for years, which has a popular catalog consisting of great recordings from 20th-century classics to a range of repertoire Renaissance music. It also consists of unique recordings of music that were used during the great feasts of the church year. Amongst these are a couple of extremely popular pieces that can leave you awestruck, including:

A Christmas Carol: A delightful and unusual season offering with a great selection of Christmas music. It showcases an excellent selection of contemporary carols across various themes of the great festive celebration.
Mary and Elizabeth: This recording from the Abbey’s Choir sheds light on a variety of sacred music that came into being during the reigns of Mary I and Elizabeth I. A few of England’s greatest music directors like Tallis, Sheppard, Mundy, and Byrd, were involved in composing music for the Roman rite as well as the reformed Church of England.
Rejoice! The Lord is King: In this recording, the tunes from the 16th century are kept alive alongside fervent Methodist outpourings, the Victorian sentiment, the insights of Vaughan Williams, and inputs by the abbey’s musicians of today.
The Feast of the Ascension: This recording emphasizes the celebration during Easter with tunes filled with pure joyful writing by the 16th-century composer, Peter Philips, and other contemporary composers.

Recordings at the Westminster Abbey library

Westminster Abbey organs

The organs at Westminster Abbey play a crucial role in life at the abbey and its services. If the choir creates a delightful environment for its audiences, then the organs are the soul of the choir that helps create an aura of reverence.

The Harrison & Harrison Organ

The Harrison & Harrison Organ is a five-manual instrument played at the daily choral services, weekly Sunday organ recitals, and the annual Summer Organ Festivities. In 1982, new stops were added and a second, open division was added in the north case. When refurbishment was completed in 1986, the organ had a more robust chorus, allowing it to create a greater presence on major occasions. In 2006, it saw another overhaul with changes like new reversible thumb pistons and a fully adjustable music desk.

The Queen's Organ

Westminster Abbey is also home to the two-manual Queen’s Organ, a collaborative effort by the Lord Mayor of London, the Dean and Chapter of Westminster, and the City of London Corporation. Located in the Lady Chapel, it is used during small-scale services like weddings and memorials. It was a gift to Queen Elizabeth II, commissioned by Alderman Roger Gifford, to honor the 60th anniversary of her coronation. On her demand, the organ was housed at Westminster Abbey in November 2013.

Inside Westminster Abbey

Westminster Abbey choral services

Westminster Abbey has been offering choral services nearly every day for thousands of years. These services are sung during term time by the well-known Westminster Abbey choir as well as by visiting choirs when the abbey choir is on a break. The choral services performed by the abbey have a richness and variety in the kind of music they play, ranging from Gregorian chant dating from the first millennium to contemporary music.

A lot of tourists from across the world visit Westminster Abbey and join its services free of charge, every day. Although, on a few Sundays, the services may require a prior booking of the free tickets.

Attend a Westminster Abbey service

Westminster Abbey concerts & events

Westminster Abbey has events scheduled throughout the year, from special services and lectures to concerts and events for families. The concerts and events conducted at the abbey are often free and open to anybody who wishes to have a one-of-a-kind experience.

The Westminster Abbey choir participates in these concerts and performs a wide range of unique pieces from century-old musicals to contemporary music. If you are interested in attending and indulging in a world of music, you can attend one of its free Sunday organ recitals which are held every week.

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