Lewes Virtual Session – Tuesday 16th June 2020

Hello singers in Lewes (or wherever you may be). June already! Hope you are well and managing to get some sunshine and fresh air, and possibly some extra human contact with the arrival of the new extended “bubbles”. Here are my suggested songs for another month of virtual singing together, a mix of newer and older ones, again with basic recordings of starting notes, first verse and chorus, and some harmonies (download the recordings here).

• To warm up we will start with Ale Glorious Ale and Drink Me Brave Boys.
• A newish song and a lesser sung “old” song next, both celebrating local places – Caburn Hill (both parts) and Run of the Downs (to the old tune here but there may be a new tune written by one of the Worthing singers to try out at some point, watch this space in later months).
• Two very different songs about the sea – the solemnly heroic Brave Eleven and then the raucously joyful Littlehampton Collier Lads.
• Taking us up to our comfort break/ refill of glasses we have songs concerning occupations and nature – Jim the Carter Lad and our old favourite Rosebuds in June (the tune and alto harmony are here, the bass harmony was one of the extras included last month).
• Let’s kick off the second half of the evening with a lively couple of songs regarding local soldiering – Brighton Camp and Sussex by the Sea.
• In contrast two quieter songs about love. Although Eileen Aroon is not a South Downs song, we enjoy it as reportedly having been Hilaire Belloc’s favourite song and it is followed by Green Grow the Laurel.
• To round off the evening we have Pleasant and Delightful and East Sussex Drinking Song (the recordings for these, including harmonies, were included in the previous sessions).

Stay safe, keep well and happy singing until we can meet  again in person. Golier!

Tina