There is much focus at the time of writing this on an International Singing Competition in Liverpool. Whatever your taste in music, singing is now acknowledged to be good for you. I have sung all my life and had the good fortune to have had a series of singing teachers who all taught me different techniques, and I have been a member of many choirs over a whole life time, and sung a wide variety of music, plus of course, singing in Sunday School and Chapel. Do you remember Singing Together with William Appleby? This was broadcast on the wireless on a BBC Schools Service from 1939 to 2001. This was an amazing resource for small village schools which did not have a piano or a teacher who could read music. I LOVED Singing Together, and owe the programme a huge debt, I gained a love for traditional folk songs from the repertoire. Each term had a booklet with brilliant drawings, words, and one stave of music. I would learn them off by heart and can still remember many of them now. We were allowed to take the booklets home, and when a niece was learning to play the recorder I passed all mine on to her, but I doubt they were kept, which I now much regret. Music making in the dales has a long history. Each generation has sung and played to amuse, entertain, accompany work, calm babies and praise God. Fashions come and go, popular composers are now long dead and forgotten, harmonic styles reminiscent of a different era have faded from the ear, but every so often a reminder emerges. Competitions encouraged (or discouraged) amateur musicians to learn new music and "have a go". For good or ill I went to Tournaments of Song and Music Competitions all over. I have a chest full of music, which every so often I get out and play. At the time I just did as I was told, but later I did rebel and call a halt to being put into competitions. As well as a chest full of music I have a shelf of books which were prizes, and I do "prize" them. Oh the short skirt and long hair ...... The Wensleydale Tournament of Song still takes place every year in Leyburn. There had also been a Swaledale Tournament of Song. This is from the Darlington and Stockton Times 19th May 1900. The report filled most of the page - The ancient Borough of Richmond is to be congratulated on the very successful Tournament of Song which has been held there during the past week. These Tournaments have been held at other centres in this district, but it is the first attempt which has been made at Richmond, and according to all appearances, the experiment seems not unlikely to take root as a permanent institution. The idea of founding the gathering rests with the Hon Lucien Orde-Powlett and Mr W Ellis Mus Bac. of Richmond. They have been most energetically backed up by the residents of the town and district, and found untiring coadjutors in Miss C Yeoman and Miss M Yeoman of Richmond who act as Hon secretaries. They have worked in season and out of season to promote the undertaking and deserve a great deal of credit for the success which is to be expected ..... The adjudicators at this competition were Thomas Tertius Noble and Miss Mary Augusta Wakefield. Both celebrated in their time and still remembered. Noble [ 1867 - 1953] was an organist and composer and in 1900 was the organist at York Minster. He also founded the York Symphony Orchestra which today is conducted by Edward Venn who also conducts the choir I sing with. The other adjudicator, Miss Mary Augusta Wakefield [1853 - 1910] is credited with starting music competitions around the country. She was also a talented singer, composer, author and sufragette. She came from a Kendal family and you can read more about her on www.sedgwickparishcouncil.org.uk/mary-wakefield.html Sadly the report in the D & S Times for the Swaledale Festival in 1901 reported a drop in entries, and although it halted for the First World War, and then started again, it did not carry on for much longer. The local newspaper is a great source for the names of competitors in these festivals and tournaments of song. But other singing events were reported in the newspaper too. The Teesdale Mercury 31st January 1872 reported on the Arkengarthdale Miners' and Mechanics' Institute Tea Festival. And what a jolly time was had! This was held in the Reading Room at the CB Yard. One hundred people turned up for tea and then there was entertainment. The report took up a large part of the page and named all those who took part and what they did. I have found some of the music to give an idea of what the folk in Arkengarthdale found entertaining. The Rev John Tinkler M A , vicar of Arkingarthdale presided. Programme (first part) duet - The Osborne Quadrilles - Miss and Master Joseph Peacock of Sealhouses ; part song - Where is Home - Miss Maggie Willey, Mr Michael Willey jun, Mr Matthew Willey of Scar House, Mr Christopher Hind, schoolmaster ; song - My Betsy - Mr Geo Stoddart of Old Schoolhouse ; reading - the Clothing Club - Mr Joseph Stones of Mill Intake ; pianoforte duet - Come down by the silvery brook - Miss E A & Mr W Peacock ; song - Janet’s choice ........ Claribel was Charlotte Alington Barnard [1830 - 1869] a composer of popular ballads and poems. Miss Anne Knowles of Low Row, Swaledale ; Song - Teddy O’Neal - Mr John Hillary, accompanied by Mr B Harker on the harmonium. Song - Don’t marry a man if he drinks - This song is of course a warning and had quite a jolly tune. Young ladies pray listen to me And keep just as quiet as mice While I sing you a song it is not very long Which contains quite a piece of advice. ....... each verse ending with Don't marry a man if he drinks. It was a very full programme, in two halves .... Mr Michael Willey junr. March - The Prussian Cavalry, pianoforte - Miss A Knowles. Song - The old arm chair There are various versions of this which is a sentimental ballad probably in the Music Hall style. The evening copntinued with recitations and then there was Part the second. The Cameronian Quadrille - pianoforte - Miss and Master Joseph Peacock. Song - The young recruit - Mr John Hillary accompanied by Mr B Harker on the harmonium. Recitation - Margery Gullwell’s Model - Mr Joseph Stones and Mr Ambrose Whitehead of Church Lodge. Song - Maggie’s secret . The young recruit has lots of verses and was along the lines of .... Come and be a soldier, lads, come lads, come! Hark, don’t you hear the fife and the drum? Come to the battlefield, march, march away. Come and lose your eyes and limbs for thirteen pence a day. Miss Elizabeth Peacock accompanied by Miss E A Peacock. Reading - Tom out on his velocipede - Mr Joseph Stones. Song - Lady Clara Vere de Vere - Miss A Knowles. Song - Is that mother bending o’er me The poem Lady de Vere de Vere was by Alfred Tennyson and included the line "Kind hearts are more than coronets". The song "Is that mother bending o'er me" is about a sixteen year old American lad who went into battle and was mortally wounded, looking anxiously for his mother...... There were many more items and I am sure that Arkengarthdale had some talent amongst the population who had access to the sheet music in the pre wireless days. I am going to end with an amazing piece in the Liverpool Daily Post for 7th October 1932. A reporter had travelled into the dales and got talking to a local in the Punch Bowl at Low Row. A Chat in the Bar Parlour. The Punch Bowl at Low Row is frequented by many of the venerable choristers who compose the Swaledale veteran concert party, so I sat in the bar parlour one evening hoping to meet one of them. Eventually a white haired farmer entered, whereat the landlord exclaimed "Jemmy, tell the lad here about the Swaledale concert party." The farmer nodded, and measured me slowly with his brown eyes, faintly interested as he saw that I was an "incomer". "Aye, Jack" he answered and led me to a table that overlooked the steep dale. There we sipped the Tadcaster brew, and chatted for a while until he began. "Aye, we're all over sixty, an' we sing for charity, and then we doan't concern ourselves with these new songs as can be listened to on the wireless. We have mostly our own songs written in these parts. we've had concerts in Muker, an' Askrigg, an' Arkengarthdale, all great successes. Ther's Mr John Cottingham here eighty-three and sings a song called "Oonder the ault apple tree"." I gazed with interest at the figure he indicated. A finely poised head with aquiline features, and a short white beard. There there's James Iverson, 77, a well known Swaledale worthy. He sings songs of his own arrangement, and does clog dances with them. "An' Mr John Bearpark, of Low Row, sings a song called "Whiteside Moor" - all about a fomous fox hoont of 90 years ago that found at Markse brigg and went over the moor yonder an' right oop past Muker towards Bootertoobs. It was composed by his gran'father Mr Cherry Bearpark. So he rambled on specifying the songs of each members of the party and relating the history of the dale, and eventually persuaded him to write down the names and ages of the whole choir. Here they are :- Mr John Cottingham, 83; George Alderson 77; James Peacock 66; Ralph Peacock 68; Frank Parker 69; James Hutchinson 69; James Iveson 77; John Bearpark 66; James Coates 68; Edward Fawcett 69; Joseph Chapman 68; George Sunter, Mrs Sunter, Mrs Timothy Scatcherd. "Tim Scatcherd" he explained as I scanned that chronicle of aged nightingales, "doan't sing, but kindly takes oos to engagements in his boos, so I've added him. Now as for George Soonter," he leaned across to tell the solemn truth. "He's not yet sixty, but we bring him in to sing a dooet with Mrs Soonter, because none of oos lads is acquainted with it - an' the ladies? we doan't know their ages". Needless to say I have found most of these people in censuses and confirm their ages. Well we are no spring chickens in the choir that I sing with either! But whatever your age, whatever style of music you like, Eurovision or Opera, Folk songs or hymns, whatever it may be, SING - it is good for you. This picture is called The Village Choir and is by Thomas George Webster [1800 - 1886] at the V & A Museum and on the ArtUk website.
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AuthorThis is where you can share creativity with me. I believe that everyone has something creative within them, and it is a joy to find ways of being creative. Blogging is NEW to me, so here goes ..... Archives
January 2024
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