Lewes Virtual Session – Tuesday 21st July 2020

Hello again singers in Lewes (or elsewhere). Can you believe it’s July? Some singers have asked me about meeting in a park or a private home, but there seems to be no safe and legal way to do this yet. Scientific advice suggests that singing may need even more than the 2 metres distancing previously in place, possibly 4 metres, with other concerns regarding smaller airborne particles lingering in the air for up to 2 hours. There would also be the logistics of deciding where to meet, which six people at a time, travel there and back (in several cases by public transport), bathroom and other facilities etc. So our virtual sessions will continue for now and here are my suggested songs for this month. As always, a mixture of old and new with basic recordings of starting notes, first verse and chorus, and some harmonies. Download the recordings, and lyrics for a couple of songs, here.

• To warm up we have Gooch’s Beer and O Good Ale (the second one is not universally loved and not included in our general performances but it’s still a good tune for our individual sessions).
• A couple of songs about local places next – Song of the Sussex Downsman and then Stedham Oysterman’s Donkey which is new to Lewes singers, having been introduced by Stephen at the Chichester group and sung there occasionally. Although not yet part of the main repertoire it’s a fun item. I’ve also attached the words.
• Two sea-themed songs follow – Our Captain Cried “All Hands” (a solemn tale set to a jaunty well known hymn tune) and They Won’t Let Us go to Sea Any More (it will be interesting to see what difference B****t eventually makes to Sussex fishing fleets).
• Before we take a well-earned break to replenish whatever we are drinking, two songs concerning occupations and nature – Seasons Turn and The Jolly Woodcutter. The latter was suggested by a Lewes singer as a possible addition to our general repertoire and is known already by those who took part in the Belloc, Broadwood & Beyond Project. I’ve also attached the words.
• Back to the second half of the evening with two of our songs concerning war – Follow me ’Ome which is told from the viewpoint of brothers in arms marking the loss of a comrade; then Ladies go Dancing at Whitsun concerning the women left to carry on at home.
• Two contrasting songs about love next. The very direct Rolling in the Dew followed by the more courtly Shepherd of the Downs (one of the many songs where the lovers somehow meet and marry the very next day).
• To close this month’s session we have old favourites East Sussex Drinking Song and Thousands or More (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