Volume 8 begins in festal mood with Once in royal David’s city‚ ends in splendour with St Patrick’s Breastplate‚ and in between raises the banners with Hail thee‚ festival day. For the rest‚ rather like life (if we’re lucky)‚ it settles down to a steady moderato. An unhurried pace and an unassertive style characterise the performance of hymns that do faithful duty throughout the Church year‚ their words and tunes having‚ in perhaps most instances until comparatively recent times‚ woven themselves into the common fabric of life over many generations. Some of the pairings of words and music may be unexpected: God that madest earth and heaven‚ for instance‚ goes not to WH Monk’s ‘Nutfield’ but ‘Ar hyd y nos’ (or All through the night)‚ and The Church’s one foundation is rent asunder from Wesley’s ‘Aurelia’ and newly wedded to the pleasant but relatively unmemorable ‘Somerstown’ of AT Batts. Breathe on me‚ breath of God is redeemed from mawkishness by Herbert Oakley’s ‘Dominica’‚ while the Rev Augustus Toplady’s Rock of ages is still‚ I’m happy to say‚ indivisible from Richard Redhead’s ‘Petra’. The Keble College Choir have some good voices among them‚ and a few (among the men) whose tone needs a little mild sandpapering. Phrasing and punctuation are cared for without being fussed over. Mark Laflin accompanies imaginatively‚ and his arrangement of the All through the night tune keeps us guessing right to the end‚ and almost beyond. Sound production is fine‚ the Chapel acoustics seemingly helpful in being neither too dry nor too reverberant.