It was one of those rare occasions when tradition had to take a step back.

For hundreds of years, choirs had welcomed May morning by singing from the tower at Magdalen College in Oxford.

Huge crowds would gather, as they did this morning, around Magdalen Bridge to hear the choristers before setting off to enjoy the rest of the May Day celebrations.

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But Graham Rose, who sang bass in the choir, spotted there was something different in the picture of the choir we published in our Looking Back feature (Oxford Mail, April 17).

In 1976, the choir had to sing from the lower Founder’s Tower.

The main tower was full of scaffolding, under repair and out of bounds.

Mr Rose, son of former Organist and Master of the Choristers, Dr Bernard Rose, writes: “I shared the picture with those in the choir at that time and Harry Christophers, founder of the world-renowned choir, The Sixteen, was one of them.

“He was able to name all the ‘academical clerks’ (adult choir members) in the back row of the photograph.”

They are, left to right, Richard Hunt, Keith Parker, Peter Hayward, John Curtice (altos), Chris Monkton, Harry Christophers, Gervald Frykman, Grant McLachlan (tenors), Henry Wickens, Laurence Wallington, Michael Briggs and David Costly-White (bass).

John Curtice is now Sir John Curtice, professor of politics at Strathclyde University and senior research fellow at the National Centre for Social Research.

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Harry Christophers is well renowned in the choral world, while Michael Briggs is now Lord Briggs of Westbourne, a judge in the UK Supreme Court.

That morning in 1976, the college choir sang the traditional Latin psalm from the Founder’s Tower before the crowds streamed away, following Morris dancers along High Street, into Catte Street, past the Radcliffe Camera and into Broad Street.

While the dancers entertained outside the Sheldonian Theatre, the festivities continued under Magdalen Bridge, with students, some of whom had been up all night, enjoying themselves on punts on the River Cherwell.

When the city centre returned to normal, it was time for many schools to start their celebrations with maypole dancing and the crowning of their May Queens (and often Kings).

The Magdalen College choir was founded in 1480 with 16 singing boys, eight academical clerks and four chaplains.

The college was then one of the oldest and largest choral foundations in late-medieval England, and this historic legacy has been preserved and maintained over five centuries.

The choir is now regarded as one of the finest in the UK and exists primarily to sing the daily church services in Magdalen College Chapel.

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This story was written by Andy Ffrench, he joined the team more than 20 years ago and now covers community news across Oxfordshire.

Get in touch with him by emailing: Andy.ffrench@newsquest.co.uk

Follow him on Twitter @OxMailAndyF