We Partied Like it Was 899

Last night, Seattlest wanted a quiet celebration. Unlike some of our brethren, we did not want to be amongst the madding crowd in Pioneer Square (we wanted to be far from it, in fact). So we joined a different crowd: the quiet, meditative Compline crowd at St. Mark’s Episcopal Cathedral.

Every Sunday night for 50 years, the Compline Choir has celebrated this final church service of the day with a 30-minute concert of Gregorian chant and hymns. It starts at 9:30 pm, and is broadcast locally on KING FM. It has also been featured on NPR’s All Things Considered.

We went for the first time last night with a friend. We thought it might be hard to find a seat (the website claims crowds of 500 people), so we aimed to get there early, but we got there at 8:45, a good 45 minutes before things started. When 9:30 finally rolled around, we found ourselves sitting among 250-300 very quiet people. The choir walked out and began singing. In that setting, even the monophonic stuff sounded great, but we found ourselves really loving the polyphonic pieces. The acoustics of the Cathedral really lent them a richness they wouldn’t otherwise have had.

What surprised us (and in retrospect, it shouldn’t have) was the fact that this was actually a church service. A very musical one, but a church service nonetheless. If that sort of thing is not your cup of tea, it’s easy to zone out during those parts.

This is a Seattle tradition that we’re glad to have finally taken part in. Let’s hope February 5th brings a similar tradition. (Knock on wood, etc.)