And the greatest frisson moment in the whole of Anglican choral music: the Nunc Dimittis from Herbert Howells' Gloucester Service. Start listening at the begin

And the greatest frisson moment in the whole of Anglican choral music: the Nunc Dimittis from Herbert Howells' Gloucester Service. Start listening at the beginning of the Gloria (well, listen to the whole thing if you can, but if you're pushed for time start here): https://youtu.be/4jmxJa4kMGM?t=131 https://youtu.be/4jmxJa4kMGM?t=131 The famous frisson moment in this recording is at 2m57: "as it was". Three reasons. One is the shifting chords in the organ part and the tenor/bass parts that lead up to it (the "expectancy violations"). The second is just the pure thrill of trebles soaring to a top A like that. And the third you only get if you listened to the Magnificat beforehand, which in its natural environment - a service of choral Evensong - you would: the "as it was" in the Gloria of the Nunc is _almost_ exactly the same as it was in the Mag... just a beat later. Pure "expectancy violation" again. Howells is full of these moments. The big, crunchy, discordant Amen in the Gloria of the Magdalen Service is my favourite - where the harmonies are offset by a crescendo/diminuendo/crescendo sequence in the choir, all on the same note.