Singing in Henfield

Update 17th December 2019: Les has confirmed we're going ahead with this. We look forward to seeing all the singers who have offered to sing and to any others who plan to turn up on the evening.

Update 6th December 2019: Here's the set list:

1. While Shepherds Watched (Pentonville)
2. Deck the Hall
3. The Falmer Carol
4. Sans Day Carol (The Holly Bears A Berry)
5. Sussex Mummers Carol (Righteous Joseph)

Wednesday 18th December 2019, 8.30pm
The George Hotel, Henfield

Here's an invitation from one of our singers, Les B, to do some singing with the Chanctonbury Ring Morris Men:

We have been invited by Chanctonbury Ring Morris Men to take part in an evening of carols, songs and a Mummers play on the 18th December at the George in Henfield, from about 8.30pm. It will surely be an engaging and entertaining evening, so it would be great if we can muster a dozen or more of us to sing some of our own winter songs.

If you're interested in this please email Les at southdownsfolksingers@gmail.com so that he'll know if there will be enough singers to go ahead. You can read more about the Chanctonbury Ring Morris Men on their website and Facebook page.

Local Group Report – Chichester – Thursday 21st November 2019

Seventeen stalwarts, including a new member, attended the session at the Chichester Inn. The evening was directed by Alan with help from Keith and consisted for the main part of practising those songs to be sung at the Weald and Downland Christmas Market, interspersed with the normal good-natured banter associated with this venue. A few extra favourites were sung.

At the end Alan sang a new song to see if it would be liked by this small group of members before perhaps putting it forward in the New Year to the main Worthing gathering. A song mentioned by Chris Hare at a Belloc, Broadwood and Beyond session. This version of ‘Buttercup Joe’ came from Ashurst, so maybe we can call it a Sussex song. There seemed to be a positive response with some of the lyrics in particular!!

South Downs Folk Singers “Winter Revels” – our winter party!

Following the success of our gathering there in February 2019 we will be paying a return visit to “The Barn” on Saturday 25th January 2020 for our next “Winter Revels” party.

“The Barn” is a restored old Sussex barn attached to the English Martyrs Church in Goring (map link), on the corner of Goring Way and Compton Avenue. Postcode: BN12 4UE.

There is limited parking at the church, but no restrictions in the nearby residential roads. The venue is also near to the route and stops of the 700 Coastliner bus service and not far from Goring-by-Sea railway station.

The fun will begin at 7.30pm – BUT PLEASE NOTE – quiet is requested during an early evening service held in the adjacent church, so please DO NOT ARRIVE BEFORE 7.00pm. Similarly when leaving the party later, please be especially respectful of the surroundings and the quiet of the neighbouring area.

All South Downs Folk Singers, plus their family and friends, are very welcome to attend. Tickets are £2.50 each. Numbers are limited, so to avoid disappointment secure your place in advance by contacting Margo, via the South Downs Folk Singers email (or maybe see her at some of our local singing sessions).

Please bring food to share and your drinks of choice and, as ever, your readiness to join in song (and even a dance) or two!

Individual or group contributions to the evening’s entertainments are invited – songs, readings, music and dance – all are very welcome. (If possible please let Margo know in advance.)

Just one extra note – the Barn is a much loved Grade II listed building, so special care must be taken not to damage the flint walls, wood pillars and beams, and we’ve been advised that shoes likely to mark the wood floor (especially high heels) are NOT welcome! (The SDFS will be liable for the cost of any damage.)

We look forward to enjoying your good company there in a lovely setting and to saluting the winter season with our festivities in January!

Local Group Report – Worthing – Wednesday 6th November 2019

The festive season arrived early to Ye Olde House at Home when we sang through the songs from the set planned for our events this month and next. Sweet Chiming Bells warmed us up with The Holly Bears a Berry and selected verses from the Sussex Mummers Carol to follow. The Sussex Carol, Hark the Herald Angels, The Holly and the Ivy, Here We Come A-wassailing and The Coppers Christmas Song brought us to a cheery and reviving break. With our thirsts quenched we resumed by singing the rounds Child of Light and Hey Ho Winter Snow, with the final line of each round repeated across each group to all finish singing together. The Falmer Carol then Angel Gabriel and lastly Shepherds Watched Their Flocks, to the Pentonville tune, closed our proceedings for this month. More next time on 4th December.

N.B. Advanced notice – because the first Wednesday of January will be New Years Day we are aiming to move our first Worthing meeting of 2020 to the following week, Wednesday 8th January, thereafter returning to the first Wednesday of each month as usual. This is still to be confirmed with the pub, so watch this space and our website diary page for more details.

Littlehampton Women’s Institute Christmas Celebration

Update 29th November 2019:

Set List:

1. Sweet Bells
2. Sussex Carol
3. Righteous Joseph
4. Alan and Anne duet (Alan to introduce)
5. The Holly and the Ivy
6. Deck the Halls
7. Here We Come A-wassailing
8. We Wish You A Merry Christmas

Please note: Keith will be leading us. We have 20 singers due to attend, which includes six men. On the night we will have to decide if there are enough men to sing “men” parts for the carols.

Alan and Anne will sing a piece accompanied by instruments.

Since we have been asked to sing for 30 minutes, we may have to drop a carol if time is running out.

Doors open for the WI at 7.00pm and I will be there from that time. Their meeting officially starts at 7.30, but often earlier and we are due on at 7.45 prompt. Please be there at least 20 minutes before then, so that we can go through our programme briefly and put on a good show. Do dress up in Christmas spirit.

Look forward to seeing you next Tuesday and thank you for volunteering.

Michael

Tuesday 3rd December 2019, evening event from about 7.10pm
1 St Floras Road, Littlehampton, BN17 6BD

Thank you to the singers who have volunteered to sing for the WI. We should have a very pleasant evening and they are eagerly waiting to hear us.

The meeting will be at the Littlehampton Evangelical Church, 1 St Floras Road, Littlehampton, BN17 6BD. Those of you who sang for the Arcade Knitters last Christmas will remember it.

Their meeting starts at 7.00pm and we are due to sing from 7.30 for 20 to 30 minutes. This will be followed by refreshments, which will include finger food, soft drinks and tea. When the refreshments are over we can leave, as they will be going through notices and future events planning.

The meeting is held in the main hall, but there is a smaller hall next door where we can assemble and store coats, etc. Could I suggest you arrive by 7.10 so that we are ready in time for 7.30. There is ample car parking in their car park or the street.

A song list will follow and will be taken from the songs we have prepared for the Weald and Downland Christmas Market.

My phone number is 07709 935650, which you can ring to let me know if you cannot come, or if you are lost or delayed. Feel free to decorate yourselves like a Christmas tree, or more modestly with a Santa hat, or something in between.

Looking forward to seeing you all on 3rd December.

Michael

Cotillion

Alan and Anne's folk band, Cotillion, is performing its Sussex Christmas folk show 'A Sussex Christmas' in Rusper Church at 7pm on Saturday 7th December and at 7pm in Newtimber Church (which is not far from Henfield) on Saturday 14th December. The evenings consist of a mixture of standard (Hymns Ancient and Modern) carols to join in, early carols, poetry, sayings and rounds. Lots of opportunity for SDFS members to join in. Refreshments in the interval.

Keep up to date with Cotillion on their website.

SDFS at W&DLM Christmas Market

Update 22nd November 2019: If it is raining (forecast is for light rain or showers to about lunchtime, preceded by heavier rain overnight) there is the music tent for shelter in the Market Square and the Gridshell Balcony as usual instead of the Courtyard by the shop.

Update 12th November 2019: Details from John C for this event have been added below. Be careful not to miss the performance notes from Alan which have been added after the set lists below.

Saturday 23rd November 2019
Weald & Downland Living Museum, Singleton, PO18 0EU

Again a packed event with over 150 stalls, so if the weather is reasonable it's worth making a day of it.

See the organiser's website.

Saturday is the middle day of the weekend, with probably the whole of the overflow car park filled out to West Dean College by 1pm, if the weather is dry.

If you arrive early (around 10.00am) you will be nearer to the entrance booths, please use the dedicated members and stall holders queue for quick entry, either by showing your SDFS lanyard (wristband see below) or identifying your surname on the list I will send them. The usual wristbands arrived too late to be distributed at our monthly meetings, but I will be at the Secret Shore Singers practice on Wednesday 20th Nov at YOHAH (for the Victorian Christmas Festival at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard) so you can pick one up then if convenient.

We have two sets, at 12.00 noon in the Market Square and 1.00pm in the Courtyard between the Gateway Entrance and Shop if the weather is OK, or perhaps on the decking outside the Gridshell if the weather is not dry. This will allow you the rest of the day to take in the market stalls and hopefully leave the site more easily.

Please gather at the Market Square and the Courtyard at least 15 minutes before each performance start time.

My contact email as usual for any queries – southdownsfolksingers@gmail.com

Dress for cold variable weather and wear stout shoes, but please don whatever festive headgear you want for the occasion.

I already have 40 volunteer singers for the day. As there will be more singers than at the 'Fire & Light' a couple of weeks ago, please follow Emily's requests to form a compact semi-circular group focussed on Alan, our leader for the day, so we can present the songs again at their best for the assembled multitudes.

Alan has appended a few notes regarding some order/variations to the various songs clarified at the last YOHAH practice. These follow the set lists below.

John C.


Our set lists (thank you Amaryllis) are below, with further details to be added here when available.

First Set – 12.00 noon in the Market Square:

1. Sweet Chiming Bells [E]
2. Where Stormy Winds Do Blow [A]
3. The Holly Bears a Berry [C]
4. Oak, Ash & Thorn [E]
5. Sussex Mummers’ Carol [G]
6. The Woodcutter’s Song [B]
7. Sussex Carol [G]
8. Life of a Man [B]
9. Hark the Herald Angels Sing [F]

Second Set – 1.00pm in the Courtyard between the Gateway Entrance and Shop:

1. The Holly & the Ivy [Ab]
2. The Fields Lie Silent [F]
3. Here We Come A-Wassailing [C]
4. The Coppers’ Christmas Song [B]
5. Rounds for the Festive Season
6. Poor Froze-Out Gardeners [Db]
7. The Falmer Carol [B]
8. The Angel Gabriel [B]
9. Pentonville (While Shepherds…) [C]

  
Additional performance notes as discussed at YOHAH 6th November 2019

Sussex Mummers Carol
Verses to be sung are:

1. When righteous Joseph...
2. Oh Blessed Mary...
3. God bless the master...
4. God bless your house...
5. Our song it is sung...

Hark the Herald Angels sing
The verse beginning "Mild he lays his glory by..."  should be sung softly

Here we come a-wassailing
Sing the last two lines of the song slowly

The Coppers' Christmas song
In the first three verses only men sing the first half of line 4 and women sing the second half
In the last verse substitute ‘Christmas’ for ‘Winter’

The Falmer Carol
Verses to be sung are:

1. See Seraphic throngs...
2. T’was for us he left...
3. Repeat verse 1