The Choir Invisible

Available for 30 days

The hymns from the Victorian age are distinctive, memorable and eminently hum-able. But they have something else in common - the vast majority of them were written by women. In an era when women were excluded from many parts of society, hymnody became a preserve of creative, devout and often very colourful women. Ian Hislop goes to church to decode the lives and works of these remarkable but historically invisible ladies of song. Featuring: * Reverend Michaela A Youngson * Professor Valentine Cunningham * Dr Peggy Reynolds * The Christ Church Cathedral Singers Producer: Philip Sellars First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in August 2003.