I have been listening to a wonderful recording of an Advent carol service from King’s College, Cambridge. It begins with the hymn Come, Thou Redeemer of the Earth. With the regular “feet” of its iambic meter it makes a good processional. The choir starts singing at the west end of the chapel. Thus the music begins as a rather subdued and ethereal thing. But as the choir nears the static microphone the sound comes more into range. By the final verse, “All praise Eternal Son to thee, whose Advent sets thy people free”, it is loud and triumphant, rich in tone, and the consonants ricochet in the particular mannered style choirmasters of yore cultivated for that vast acoustic.