Alan the MD has taken a second holiday within a month – lucky him – he didn\’t have any holiday last year. Anyway, a double dose of Elizabeth which we all enjoy.
Our new pieces from the Scarborough workshop weekend (in no particular order):
- Hallelujah – 1984 Leonard Cohen song. The draft contained 80 verses. Covered by lots of singers, including Alexandra Burke and Jeff Buckley who topped the UK singles chart in December 2008 – first time ever to have the same song at 1 and 2. Leonard was number 34.
- Always on My Mind – top 20 hit for Elvis 1972, John Wesley Riles 1979, Willie Nelson 1982, Pet Shop Boys 1987. 300 recordings by dozens of artists. Elvis released it within weeks of separating from Priscilla.
- \”Anthem\” from Chess – we first sang this back in Llandudno days which is pre 2008. The song describes the feelings of Soviet Russian chess challenger, Anatoly Sergievsky, when he defects. A concept album and later musical. First sung by Tommy Koberg in 1984.
- Love Changes Everything – released as a single in 1989 from musical Aspects of Love composed by Andrew Lloyd-Webber. A love song.
- All for Me Grog – traditional folk song originally popular with sailors, later adopted by folk music performers and pub singers. A tale of sacrificing everything for drink and tobacco.
The New Mill MVC music committee is going to function throughout the year. Get your ideas in quick. I\’ve already suggested we bring back Softly and Londonderry Air.
Sadly three recent funerals and many thanks to those who donated generously.
Lots of positive feedback from the Mrs Sunderland workshop day featuring the Messiah at the Town Hall.
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Clic on these links for more on Silent Night. Soul music is a radio 4 podcast that explores pieces of music that stir the emotions.
From a great musical. I think it was Len who had this as part of our repertoire. I can\’t remember it being one of our better pieces. I recall back in 1994, rehearsing at one of the schools in New Mill. It was a difficult time for the family and I just used to fill up.
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Over 20 years ago I joined a singing evening class at Holmfirth High. The tutor was a Welsh tenor called Len Williams. It wasn\’t a step too far to move across to New Mill Male Voice Choir.
Len was a legend with his stories and his irritability, but he got a choir going from the dubious resource of The Duke of Leeds taproom. We performed concerts and went on tour and became attractive to new and seasoned singers alike. We improved.
The Skye Boat Song was a practice piece in the evening class. He obviously imagined and expected too much when he and Catherine visited the West of Scotland. Over the sea to Skye was not an uncertain distant destination, fraught with danger. His face fell as he described the road bridge from the Kyle.
Len was the founder of the choir and jealous of others who wished to influence its running and direction, for example the committee. Eventually he left, but a great legacy.
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This piece was arranged for the choir by our long-standing pianist Anne Levitt. She was the other half, along with conductor Elizabeth Hambleton, of a great musical team. They are still around, filling in when our current team are away.
Queen Anne – CD recording QEGS, Wakefield
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| Elsecar winners |
For someone with little or no religion, can I have permission to say that this is my favourite hymn? We sang it at the Town Hall with Aled Jones on the solo and emotional it was. Elvis does it wonderfully. I did have thoughts about asking our MD if I could train up for the solo, but he then went and did his own arrangement.
soul music radio 4 music that stirs the emotions
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This was my mum\’s favourite hymn. It was and still is the Rugby League hymn. Me and my brother took her to the 1980 Hull derby cup final (Hull KR 10 – Hull FC 5) where the royal guest was Queen Mother. Goodness knows what she thought of the game. Same weekend as the Iranian embassy siege, brought to an end by the SAS. Mum left school at 14, shorthand typist, shop assistant (confectioner, photographer), secretary to catering dept. HRI. She died in 1995, aged 75.
Our current version was arranged by MD Alan Brierley. We sang it in Flanders, at the Menin Gate. I think his mum likes it too.
soul music radio 4 music that stirs the emotions
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The choir doesn\’t sing this as often as we used to. It was in every concert at one time. I remember an excellent performance in Wrexham, where we shared the stage with Cantorion Colin Jones. A massive round of applause which was no mean feat in N. Wales with an elite Welsh Choir.
Clic on the link to hear more
Soul Music Radio 4, music that stirs the emotions
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| Recorded 1970. Their final album and biggest hit single. |
Both born 1941. New York Jews. Started singing together aged 11/13 years. Each married several times with children. Strongest early influence – The Everley Brothers.
Scarborough Fair is part of a Yorkshire medley that we sing. Wiki says \’\”Scarborough Fair\” is a traditional English Ballad about the Yorkshire town of Scarborough. The song relates the tale of a young man who instructs the listener to tell his former love to perform for him a series of impossible tasks, such as making him a shirt without a seam and then washing it in a dry well, adding that if she completes these tasks he will take her back. Often the song is sung as a duet, with the woman then giving her lover a series of equally impossible tasks, promising to give him his seamless shirt once he has finished.
Paul Simon learned the song in London in 1965 from Martin Carthy who had picked up the tune from the songbook by Ewan MacColl and Peggy Seeger.
Martin Carthy – Scarborough Fair – click for utube
BBC\’s Soul Music – click for podcast
