Music
Music at St Peter's
Contact(s):
St Peter's Bellringers
St Peter's Church has eight bells, the tenor weighing about 18 cwt. They are rung for morning service on Sundays usually from 9:45 to 10:25, and for various festivals. New ringers, with or without previous experience, and visitors are always very welcome to join us.
If you would like to learn to ring, please come along to one of our practices on Mondays from 7:30 to 9:00 p.m. when we would be only too pleased to introduce you (in easy stages) to the art of bellringing, from handling a bell to ringing Stedman Triples, and beyond. No musical ability, or complicated maths are required, just a willingness to learn, and you will become fascinated by the diverse aspects of this very traditional skill.
Contact(s):
St Martin's Bellringers
St Martin's Bellringers practice on alternate Wednesdays from 7.30pm to 9.00pm.
Contact(s):
St George's Bellringers
Ringing times
From 30 minutes to 5 minutes before services start.
Practice night: Tuesday, 19:00 - 20:30.
Visiting ringers and learners are always welcome to come along. If you are aged 11 years or older and would like to find out more about ringing the bells at St George's Church then please contact the Vicar.
About the Bells
Originally there were just six bells in the tower at St George's Church. The whole bell-ringing chamber and the bell tower were refitted in 1906, and two spaces were left to accommodate the additional two bells required to ring a peal. In the year 2000, the bells were rehung with modern fittings and retuned, in remembrance of Diane Tocock.
In May 2005, after 99 years of waiting, the six bells were augmented to eight. The two new bells were cast in Whitechapel on 4th March 2005, at a cost of £16,000, and were installed by Bridport-based specialists Nicholson Engineers. The bells were dedicated at a special service on 19th June 2005, when members of the Guild of Ringers in the region were present.
Weight: Tenor - 13 - 1 - 19 Note G
Treble - 3 - 3 - 20
Bells 5 and 7 date back to the 15th Century.
Taizé
For over twenty years St Mary’s has hosted regular Taizé worship at 6:00 pm on the 1st Sunday of each month, attracting an ecumenical congregation drawn from Dorchester and the surrounding area. The service, held in the intimacy of the chancel, is a mixture of prayer and chant together with a reading and reflection. Each month the service reflects the church's seasons and themes. Everyone from anywhere is welcome to join us for this special, deeply spiritual and atmospheric worship experience. Let the prayers speak to you; feel you can join in the chants or just remain silent, letting the music penetrate your being. And you can give yourself time and space to be in the presence of God during the short period of silence
St Mary's Choir
St Mary's has a long and valued standard of music, both choral and instrumental. A small choir maintains performance levels throughout the Choral Eucharist at 9-45 each Sunday, with a suitable anthem sung during Communion. Various Mass settings are used. The Congregation is encouraged to join with them for the Kyrie, Gloria, Psalm, Sanctus and Agnus Dei, together with hymns. Organ voluntaries are played before & after each service, as appropriate.