Choir Dress: The Vestment That Is Never Wrong
For at least a century, many Anglicans, especially those in the Anglo-Catholic stream, have generally insisted on wearing “Eucharistic Vestments” at Holy Communion. That is, in conformity with pre-Reformation practice, many would insist that the celebrant at Holy Communion ought to wear an alb, stole, and chasuble. Choir dress, they would argue, is only appropriate for non-sacramental services. However, from the Reformation through the first half of the Twentieth Century, most Anglicans used choir dress in all services.
Though you may be accustomed to seeing your priest in an alb and stole, choir dress has always been an appropriate vestment in the Anglican tradition. Indeed, I would argue that there are many reasons it may be the preferred choice! Choir dress is the vestment that is never wrong.
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So, what is choir dress? Why did it dominate post-Reformation Anglican history? Why did things change a few decades ago? And does this matter anyway?
What is Choir Dress?
Photo courtesy of Issac Rehberg.
Choir dress is the clerical vesture that is traditionally worn when sitting “in choir.” While many singing choirs do indeed wear choir dress, the term “choir” (or “quire”) in this context refers to the section of the church reserved for the clergy and monks who are not officiating at the service. That is, choir dress would traditionally be worn by clergy, monastics, and lay servers who are only attending liturgical services or who are officiating at services outside of the Eucharist.
In Western Christianity, choir dress for priests, deacons, and lay servers consists of a surplice worn over a cassock (bishops have a related but different form of choir dress). To this, Anglican clergy have traditionally added a hood and a tippet/scarf. Below is a more detailed description of each element of Anglican choir dress:
Cassock
The cassock is technically an element of clerical dress rather than a vestment. It is a tight-fitting, floor-length robe designed for wear under the vestments. For priests, deacons, and lay servers, it is traditionally black. We can think of a cassock as a long-sleeved, floor-length version of a clerical shirt. Or, rather, the clerical shirt is a shortened form of the cassock!
Surplice
The surplice is a loose-fitting white garment worn over the cassock. While its exact origins remain unclear, a common theory is that it evolved from the alb and was intended for use over thicker garments, which are often necessary in drafty Northern European churches. The Anglican tradition has retained the older design for the surplice, falling below the knees, with a fuller cut, wide sleeves, and a round yoke. In Rome, the surplice evolved into a shorter, trimmer garment with tighter sleeves and a square yoke, and is sometimes called a “cotta.” In the attached pictures, my surplice is a full, pointed-sleeve surplice by J. Wippell and Co. We often refer to this as the “Old English” style.
Hood
In medieval fashion, a detachable hood with a shoulder cape was a purely practical garment worn by all ranks of society to provide warmth and protection from the elements. By the Reformation, the hood had evolved into a ceremonial garment used as part of academic and (by extension) clerical dress.
In the British tradition, the shapes and colors of academic hoods vary widely. Generally, doctoral degrees are indicated by a scarlet shell, while other degrees use a black shell. The hood’s shape, the lining’s colors, and the materials used indicate the specific school and degree awarded. In the American tradition, the degree level determines the size and shape of the hood, the field of study determines the color of the velvet trim, and the school awarding the degree determines the color of the lining.
In the attached photographs, my hood indicates that I hold a Master of Christian Ministry from Wayland Baptist University in Plainview, Texas. Note the scarlet velvet for Theology/Divinity, and the school colors of blue and gold on the lining. I also occasionally wear my bachelor’s hood. The American tradition entitles a holder of a bachelor’s degree to their appropriate hood, even if the school doesn’t issue bachelor’s hoods for graduation.
Tippet/Scarf
Tippet/Scarf: While worn like a priest’s stole, the black scarf (commonly called a “tippet”) should not be confused with a stole, as it serves a different purpose. Stoles are only used for sacramental services, match the liturgical color of the day, and are worn in such a way as to indicate whether a clergyman is a bishop, a priest, or a deacon. Unlike the stole, all clergy wear the tippet the same way: hanging down in front. Clerical tippets are always black. The tippet may have pleats sewn at the neck, or it may naturally form folds or gatherings. A relatively recent custom, which began in the cathedrals of the Church of England, is for licensed lay readers to wear blue tippets.
Many clergy sew badges or seals of their diocese, seminary, or province onto the tippet. Some scholars suggest that the tippet may originally have been part of the hood. Others see it as an evolution from the almuce worn by Church dignitaries in the Middle Ages.
Choir Dress in the Reformation and Beyond
At the Reformation, the Church of England (like the continental Reformed churches) considered Eucharistic Vestments to be symbols of the Roman Catholic doctrine of Transubstantiation. The 1552 Book of Common Prayer outlawed Eucharistic Vestments, permitting only the surplice at Holy Communion. Canon 17 of the 1604 Canons clarified that “All Masters and Fellows of Colleges or Halls, and all the Scholars and Students in either of the Universities” were also to wear their surplices at Holy Communion on Sundays and Holy Days. It also clarified that graduates “shall agreeably wear with their Surplices such Hoods as do severally appertain unto their Degree.” Canon 58 clarified that non-graduate clergy were to wear, instead of a hood, “some decent Tippet of Black, so it be not silk.”
Although officiating in choir dress was limited to non-Sacramental services before the Reformation, the 1604 canons specifically required choir dress for the celebration of Holy Communion; these canons remained in force in the Church of England until 1965. When England’s former colonies gained independence in the 18th and 19th centuries, the churches that would later form the Anglican Communion also used choir dress for Holy Communion.
The Oxford Movement
Towards the end of the 19th century, a generation or so after the Oxford Movement, some churchmen who would later be known as Anglo-Catholics challenged the legitimacy of the 1604 canons regarding vestments. Noting that the Ornaments Rubric in the 1662 Book of Common Prayer specified that the “Ornaments of the Church” were to be those which were in force during the Second Year of Edward VI, they argued that the Eucharistic Vestments were still technically mandated, even if they had not been used in four centuries.
Some proponents argued that Eucharistic Vestments could not have implied Transubstantiation because they predated the doctrine and Lutherans had never abandoned them. Others agreed that they were associated with Transubstantiation (or something very close to it) and wanted to promote such a belief! Naturally, this sparked significant controversy in the Church of England. Sadly, arguments between Anglo-Catholics and Evangelicals over vestments became so heated that both sides were willing to go to court over the issue.
The Liturgical Movement
By the early 20th century, the use of Eucharistic Vestments had become a shibboleth of Anglo-Catholic beliefs and practices. However, such use remained relatively rare across most of the Anglican world. Yet by the 1970s, the Liturgical Movement and ecumenism had brought Eucharistic Vestments back into the mainstream, and most clergy no longer attached any doctrinal significance to them. These days, most American Anglican clergy wear at least an alb and a stole for Holy Communion. Many add a chasuble. Others wear a surplice with a stole. Those who use traditional choir dress at Communion constitute a small minority.
Why I Prefer Choir Dress
For some who advocate the use of choir dress at all services, the theological reasons articulated at the Reformation remain primary. My own reasons for preferring choir dress, however, are aesthetic, practical, and historical:
- Anglican choir dress is the epitome of elegant simplicity. A full surplice, long tippet, and academic hood create flowing lines that flatter most body types. The black-and-white color palette is classic and effortless. The splash of color from the hood is a subtle departure from the monochrome without overwhelming the aesthetic. One of my favorite visual memories is participating in the procession of more than 100 clergy in choir dress at the most recent ACNA Assembly.
- Choir dress is also comfortable. With fewer layers than full Eucharistic Vestments, choir dress is always cooler. The flowing nature of Anglican choir dress makes it very breathable (assuming one avoids high polyester content). In my part of Texas, any relief from the heat is always welcome! Alternatively, in colder climates, it’s easy to add layers underneath a flowing surplice when needed.
- Choir dress is always appropriate for the Church Calendar. Since choir dress doesn’t change with the liturgical color, it’s never the wrong color choice. This is especially helpful when traveling.
- Choir dress reminds us of our Reformation and post-Reformation heritage. Despite my own congregation’s Anglo-Catholic roots, I’m very proud of the English Reformers. Cranmer, Jewel, and Hooker are among my theological heroes. Choir dress is a reminder of that Reformation heritage, as it is what those heroes (and later Anglican figures, including Newman, Keble, Pusey, and the other Tractarians) would have worn. Similarly, the tradition of including the academic hood in Anglican choir dress is a reminder of the Christian (and indeed, ecclesiastical) roots of American and English higher education and a reminder of a personal educational journey.
Conclusion
Ultimately, my preference for choir dress is just that: a preference. In fact, at the main service of Holy Communion on Sunday mornings, I usually wear full Eucharistic Vestments, following the custom established at my congregation long before my time. After all, I ultimately consider vestments and clerical dress to be adiaphora, “things indifferent.” But on most mid-week celebrations of Communion and whenever I travel, I gleefully employ choir dress.
Furthermore, choir dress is the only appropriate option for non-Eucharistic services such as Morning and Evening Prayer. If owning choir dress seems impractical, it may be a sign that your church has been neglecting the Daily Offices as public services!
As argued towards the end of Fr. Brandon LeTourneau’s detailed discussion of Anglican ritual and ceremonial, choir dress ought to be the first vestment purchase by any new seminarian or cleric. Choir dress is both the most elegant and most useful vesture an Anglican cleric can own. Indeed, choir dress is the vestment that is never wrong!
Cover Image: Photo by Peter Johnston. Digitally edited by Jacob Davis.
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