s you have no doubt noticed if you are a regular viewer of this web site, there had been a claim posted for nearly three years that the Compline Choir was in its 50th year of service to the community. The truth was that, a couple years ago, nobody positively remembered exactly when the choir started, not even our founder Peter Hallock. At the time of the mid-1950’s, Peter was active teaching plainchant methods to students and interested singers in Seattle and elsewhere. When these male singers in Seattle got together, the focus was on learning plainchant and church music of the Medieval and Renaissance periods, along with how to exploit the acoustics of St. Mark’s Cathedral. The intent to do an actual service was decided later. After quite a bit of research by long-time member Ken Peterson, it can be stated with confidence that the year for the beginning of a choir whose purpose was singing the prayer service of Compline was 1956. (One of the reasons for this determination is that a work by Peter Hallock for the choir, Peace, was written in 1956. However, Ken, who has kept lots of old versions of hand-copied music from the beginnings of the choir, recently found an old version of "Round me falls the night" with a date of September, 1955 (!!!) noted as part of the copied material. Finally, archives of old church bulletins and newsletters had evidence that confirmed the year as 1956.) Certainly no one at that time had imagined that it would develop the way it has into what it is today.
So the Compline Choir celebrated its 50th anniversary one or two years early. It was just as well, for some former members who were able to attend that celebration have since passed away. Yet, no matter when the choir actually started, it has developed and continues a tradition of worship that invites spiritual contemplation and repose. That the local populace is embracing it the way it does, and that the tradition has spread across the nation and elsewhere, continues to amaze, humble, and gratify its members.