I’ve had to cancel the last two shows of my UK tour. Apologies to everyone who was going, and everyone who helped make them happen. I’m so sorry. But it couldn’t be helped. I can’t sing. I can barely speak. My voice is shot. As those of you who read this Substack know, I’ve been struggling with a bug since back in February. In fact it started before that. In each case I recovered only to have it come crawling back. No, it’s not Covid. I’ve been taking tests regularly. All have been negative.
This NYC priest loves this piece, RS -- except for the bug part. I'll say a quiet little prayer for you to bounce soon. And thanks for sharing about today.
Oh Richard, this is beautiful. I know Canterbury Cathedral and as an Anglican priest I was celebrating Palm Sunday in Cardiff whilst you were in Canterbury. I do hope you feel better soon and that you can get home in good time and have space to rest and to recover. Thank you for the beautiful music and your beautiful writing. The journey is a blessing 🙏
"Prepare ye the way of the Lord". We may not be believers in the traditional sense of the word. We just believe something different. There is beauty in the old familiar liturgy sung evermore.
Sorry to hear about your voice. It seems there is a 100 day bug about, we had it from New Year till a couple of weeks ago. Comes and goes.I hope you recover soon. You were fab in Birmingham.
This is beautiful Richard. I love when the universe aligns despite everything that’s done to prevent it. Illumination. You are a remarkable human being. I’m hoping that you feel better soon. I listened to Curame today and thought of spring and healing. Thanks for all you do and share.
This is just beautiful. I sang with a choir for Palm Sunday this morning and you captured perfectly what it felt like to be in the midst of the music and the prayer. I hope you recover your voice in Canterbury. I loved my visit there and especially remember stumbling upon a chapel where the head of St. Thomas More is buried, and being so moved to find that place. Thank you for bringing me back to the Cathedral in my imagination today.
Lovely essay. BTW, I had a persistent bronchial bug from November through January....was very tough to shake and depressing after awhile. A course of antibiotics followed by a steroid inhaler finally did the trick. Feel better soon!
Thank, you, Richard, for this posting. And I'm not surprised.
I, too, am not a believer, but I was raised in high Catholic style, and that sort of thing stays with one in a basic and fundamental way. I've also felt that it stayed with you; I've always been powerfully affected by the religious symbolism and references that so many of your earlier songs used and even were built around (Mary Magdalen, of course, and even Transit, and more). You don't have to explicitly believe in something in order to touch what's much bigger than yourself, whether it's a religious belief, a sense of one with the Universe, or the potential brother- and sisterhood of mankind. And this posting of yours makes me think that you still have that understanding deep down inside you, where it means something, if not necessarily exactly what the seminary taught. If this little awakening leads you to work with that tool from your artistic palette once again I, for one, would very much look forward to what it helps to birth.
I was really sorry to hear that you had to cancel your last two shows. I know how disappointed, I would have been if I had been planning to go to one and I count myself fortunate that you were able to complete the two I did attend (Saltaire and Sheffield). I am sure you will be disappointed, too. You did seem a bit subdued at Saltaire and we wondered if that was jetlag but perhaps it was this bug? And you seemed much more upbeat at Greystones.
Anyway, it is as well that you have posted this as it will give me an opportunity to quash a rumour that has started in our house this morning and which (by blaming the Best Western in Newark) you may have helped to push along.
You see, I told Kathryn, this morning, that you were ill and had to cancel your last two gigs. "Why, what's the matter with him?"
"Bronchitis, I think," I replied.
"Knightley will have given it to him."
And, when we saw Show of Hands last Thursday week Steve did have quite a nasty cough. And then on Tuesday he posted a selfie of you, him and Phil outside the Best Western. Well, it didn't need Poirot to make the connections!
Fortunately, you have now provided the full context and an innocent man has been absolved.
Hope you are feeling better soon. It is a long way to come to be unwell.
I also hope we see you back over here again, before too long.
Safe travels.
And, I am sorry to add this as a footnote, this is a lovely piece of writing.
I was wondering about your photo of the draped figure and that watchful little dog. I found this:
“There, I came upon the tomb of William Courtenay, the Archbishop of Canterbury in the 14th century. The tomb, like so many of them, had a marble carving of Archbishop Courtenay lying on the top of the tomb. And, what should be carved in the marble at his feet but his dog! It was a small dog that looked like a little terrier with a happy sweet look on his or her face and a bell collar. All I could think was how much this great and powerful man must have loved his dog to have made sure that his four legged companion was represented on his tomb for all eternity.”
Feel better RS. Pleasure to hear (and see) you in London. Don’t be a stranger.
This NYC priest loves this piece, RS -- except for the bug part. I'll say a quiet little prayer for you to bounce soon. And thanks for sharing about today.
Oh Richard, this is beautiful. I know Canterbury Cathedral and as an Anglican priest I was celebrating Palm Sunday in Cardiff whilst you were in Canterbury. I do hope you feel better soon and that you can get home in good time and have space to rest and to recover. Thank you for the beautiful music and your beautiful writing. The journey is a blessing 🙏
"Prepare ye the way of the Lord". We may not be believers in the traditional sense of the word. We just believe something different. There is beauty in the old familiar liturgy sung evermore.
Beautiful, moving, resonant. Hope your physical healing comes deeply, soon.
Thanks for sharing this beautiful reflection with us. Sending you strength.
Sorry to hear about your voice. It seems there is a 100 day bug about, we had it from New Year till a couple of weeks ago. Comes and goes.I hope you recover soon. You were fab in Birmingham.
This is beautiful Richard. I love when the universe aligns despite everything that’s done to prevent it. Illumination. You are a remarkable human being. I’m hoping that you feel better soon. I listened to Curame today and thought of spring and healing. Thanks for all you do and share.
This is just beautiful. I sang with a choir for Palm Sunday this morning and you captured perfectly what it felt like to be in the midst of the music and the prayer. I hope you recover your voice in Canterbury. I loved my visit there and especially remember stumbling upon a chapel where the head of St. Thomas More is buried, and being so moved to find that place. Thank you for bringing me back to the Cathedral in my imagination today.
Lovely essay. BTW, I had a persistent bronchial bug from November through January....was very tough to shake and depressing after awhile. A course of antibiotics followed by a steroid inhaler finally did the trick. Feel better soon!
Thank, you, Richard, for this posting. And I'm not surprised.
I, too, am not a believer, but I was raised in high Catholic style, and that sort of thing stays with one in a basic and fundamental way. I've also felt that it stayed with you; I've always been powerfully affected by the religious symbolism and references that so many of your earlier songs used and even were built around (Mary Magdalen, of course, and even Transit, and more). You don't have to explicitly believe in something in order to touch what's much bigger than yourself, whether it's a religious belief, a sense of one with the Universe, or the potential brother- and sisterhood of mankind. And this posting of yours makes me think that you still have that understanding deep down inside you, where it means something, if not necessarily exactly what the seminary taught. If this little awakening leads you to work with that tool from your artistic palette once again I, for one, would very much look forward to what it helps to birth.
I was really sorry to hear that you had to cancel your last two shows. I know how disappointed, I would have been if I had been planning to go to one and I count myself fortunate that you were able to complete the two I did attend (Saltaire and Sheffield). I am sure you will be disappointed, too. You did seem a bit subdued at Saltaire and we wondered if that was jetlag but perhaps it was this bug? And you seemed much more upbeat at Greystones.
Anyway, it is as well that you have posted this as it will give me an opportunity to quash a rumour that has started in our house this morning and which (by blaming the Best Western in Newark) you may have helped to push along.
You see, I told Kathryn, this morning, that you were ill and had to cancel your last two gigs. "Why, what's the matter with him?"
"Bronchitis, I think," I replied.
"Knightley will have given it to him."
And, when we saw Show of Hands last Thursday week Steve did have quite a nasty cough. And then on Tuesday he posted a selfie of you, him and Phil outside the Best Western. Well, it didn't need Poirot to make the connections!
Fortunately, you have now provided the full context and an innocent man has been absolved.
Hope you are feeling better soon. It is a long way to come to be unwell.
I also hope we see you back over here again, before too long.
Safe travels.
And, I am sorry to add this as a footnote, this is a lovely piece of writing.
This was lovely, and very moving. Thank you, Richard, and hope you feel better soon!
I was wondering about your photo of the draped figure and that watchful little dog. I found this:
“There, I came upon the tomb of William Courtenay, the Archbishop of Canterbury in the 14th century. The tomb, like so many of them, had a marble carving of Archbishop Courtenay lying on the top of the tomb. And, what should be carved in the marble at his feet but his dog! It was a small dog that looked like a little terrier with a happy sweet look on his or her face and a bell collar. All I could think was how much this great and powerful man must have loved his dog to have made sure that his four legged companion was represented on his tomb for all eternity.”
As real as the angels, I wonder if it has a name.
Not so much a tremble in the hand but the voice then☹️
The last time I attended a ‘foreign’ church was in Stroud on Christmas Eve where I set fire to the service booklet with my candle. Not a good omen.🫤
This is just beautiful. I really enjoyed reading it. Thanks for being so open and honest. I’m not at all surprised. I hope you recover soon.