Whatever it is that subtly (or perhaps not so subtly) makes a difference between nations has been at work here, for though the Denver choir sing, as the introductory note says, ''in the English Cathedral tradition'', and though a large part of the programme itself is English, one may doubt whether singing quite like this is ever to be heard from the choirstalls of Salisbury or Winchester, King's College, Cambridge or New College, Oxford. And the difference is not accounted for by the use of women's or girls' voices: the sopranos sing with pure, firm, 'treble' tone, and, while it is true that the altos can hardly be mistaken for male altos, they form a perfectly natural part of the finely blended choral sound, which in turn has no alien, or markedly national, characteristic. The distinction lies in the feeling for rhythm, and in the sense, communicated throughout the recital, of frank, unequivocal enjoyment in taking part.
This is plain in the very first item, from which the record takes its title. Sidney Campbell's Sing we merrily is of the school which proclaims its modernity in colourful discords and jittery-clattery accompaniments but is otherwise traditional enough. The piece still has to be performed with conviction and vigour, and that is exactly what happens here. When this choir recommends the making of ''a cheerful noise'' they sound as though they mean it. Next comes a more soft-centred bit of modernity in John Rutter's For the beauty of the earth, with syncopations, glockenspiel and a well-made tune: the voices are fresh and young, the sincerity is unabashed.
When they turn to music which is more exclusively the preserve of the English Cathedral choirs, as in Bairstow's Let all mortal flesh, they again have something of their own to bring to it—in this instance, clarity and strength, bone-structure rather than a sort of dimly-lit ectoplasm. Excellent, and for my liking best of all, is John Gardner's Tomorrow shall be my dancing day, the prospect enhanced by the use of snare-drum for accompaniment. And no doubt if Bernstein's ''Warm-up'' is actually used by the choir for the purpose of warming-up, it is not surprising that they should sing with such a finely-developed rhythmic sense and with such spirit.
The recital is well-recorded and well-presented. The organist, Eric Plutz, plays admirably throughout, and the versatile Tom Blomster (master of the glockenspiel, snare drum, triangle, tamtam and jingling Johnnie) makes a valuable contribution also. Donald Pearson's Advent Procession probably needs to be heard in liturgical context; but he is clearly doing great work with his choir.'