A Dictionary of Music and Musicians/Savoy Chapel Royal

SAVOY CHAPEL ROYAL. At the present day commonly accepted as one of Her Majesty's Chapels Royal, the Savoy has a constitution differing widely from the chapels of St. James and Whitehall. While these are maintained out of the Civil List, the Savoy Chapel derives its sustenance from Her Majesty's Privy Purse, and thus in one respect has even greater claim to the appellation of Royal. The salient points in the history of the Savoy may be given in few words, which may tend to remove much prevailing misconception on the subject. In 1246 Henry III. made a grant of land on the banks of the Thames to his wife's uncle, Count Peter of Savoy, and a palatial residence was erected on the site. After Peter's death the estate came into the possession of Queen Eleanor, who bestowed it upon her son Edmund of Lancaster, and it remained in the possession of the Lancastrian branch of the royal family until 1381, when, owing to the unpopularity of John of Gaunt, the palace was wrecked by the insurgents under Wat Tyler. Under the provisions of the will of Henry VII., a hospital was founded there, but though richly endowed, it did not flourish, and the foulest abuses prevailed until 1702, when the institution was dissolved. The Chapel had been used from 1564 until 1717 by the parishioners of St. Mary's, but in 1773 George III. issued a patent constituting it a Chapel Royal, and its title is therefore beyond dispute. From time to time the reigning sovereigns contributed towards its maintenance, but the place attracted little general notice until 1864, when it was partially destroyed by fire. Restored from designs by Sir Sidney Smirke, at a cost to Her Majesty of about £7000, the Chapel was reopened for Divine Service on December 3, 1865. The peculiarity of the Services, as at present conducted, calls for some mention in this place. In the absence of any provision for the full choral rendering of the ritual, congregational singing is promoted to the fullest extent. The choir consists of boys only, and the psalms, canticles, hymns, etc., are sung strictly in unison. The chants and tunes are selected from every available source, the most worthy examples of the older school being utilised equally with modern compositions of sufficient melodic beauty to appeal to the vocal capabilities of a mixed congregation. The various Church Offices of Baptism, Confirmation, Matrimony, Burial of the Dead, etc., are never rendered at the Savoy without the musical additions suggested by the rubrics, and strangers to the Chapel who seek its ministrations are frequently surprised at the aid thus spontaneously given. The organ, at present incomplete, is by Willis.

[ H. F. F. ]