by Craig Simpson, Telegraph
Recognition would ensure church music continues to be celebrated for centuries to come, say campaigners
Campaigners are pushing for English Evensong to be given world heritage status.
The Anglican church music heard during sung services, Mattins and Evensong, has been put forward by charities with royal patronage for the UK Living Heritage Inventory.
Once listed on the inventory, which is Britain’s national Unesco culture list, the church music could then be proposed for other world heritage registers, including the Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists.
Campaigners, consisting of charities with royal patronage and led by the Cathedral Music Trust, say the listing would help to ensure England’s centuries-old Christian choral tradition is recognised as an art form of “global significance”.
Harry Christophers, the conductor and president of Cathedral Music Trust, said: “Our sacred choral tradition is second to none. It is the envy of the world and is a tradition that has been going for well over 500 years.
“The music from those days sounds as modern as anything written today, and to gain Unesco Living Heritage recognition would ensure that the music, both written in the past and the present, continues to be celebrated and sustained for centuries to come.”