South Downs Folk Singers entertain at Horsham English Festival

A message of thanks from Les B and a report from David G:

Very many thanks to everyone who came and sang at the English Festival in Horsham yesterday. Our performance was much enjoyed, the festival organisers were most grateful and we received many compliments.
We're booked in for next year – 13th May 2018!
Best, Les.

On Sunday 7th May more than twenty of our gallant singers attended the Horsham English Festival and sang a rousing 40 minute set of Sussex songs praising amongst other things Hepworths Beer and life in the countryside. We were well received by the townsfolk, many of whom joined in with the choruses. The afternoon was organised by Horsham Folk Club and was in aid of the Samaritans. Well done to everyone who volunteered to sing at such short notice. See you at Michelham Priory next Sunday!

Photo: Barbara W

Weald and Downland Museum – ICOMOS Singing Project

Sunday 28th May, 11.00am-4.00pm

Here's a short message from Emily about an exciting workshop coming soon.

Hello all, I am delighted to have the opportunity to be involved in this brill workshop at the Weald and Downland Living Museum.

It's a project suitable for all ages and families, to explore our 'intangible cultural heritage', what a phrase! And, most importantly, to sing some wonderful songs, rounds, or 'catches' as they were once called. The workshops are free, so they are also a great chance to look round the museum which is wonderful. Check out this link for more info.

SDFS at Michelham Priory, nr Hailsham, East Sussex, Sunday 14th May 2017

Update 12th May 2017 – here are the song lists:

First Set:

1. Country Life Ab
2. The Turnip Hoer Bb
3. Ha’nacker Mill E
4. The Nightingale A
5. Jim, The Carter Lad B
6. The Magpie C
7. Follow Me ’Ome B
8. Thousands Or More A
9. Jolly Good Song

Second Set:

1. Oak, Ash & Thorn E
2. Pleasant & Delightful B
3. On Sussex Hills A
4. Life Of A Man B
5. Ha’nacker Mill E
6. A Smuggler’s Song C#
7. Rosebuds In June B
8. Fathom The Bowl D
9. Sussex By The Sea (if time) A
10. Jolly Good Song

If you have not been before, Michelham Priory is a very interesting and attractive group of buildings on a Medieval and later site. The event is part of National Mills Weekend and is the first time we have been able to support both a Sussex Archaeological Society 'Sussex Past' event and the national Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings celebration.

Please use this link to download the poster (pdf file) where you will see that we are down to sing two sets, at midday and 2.30pm. Emily will be leading us.

As the event is so close we will use the two song sets used at the Weald & Downland Living Museum last Sunday, with of course Ha'nacker Mill, hopefully the weather will be warmer and this will allow you to perhaps wear items of apparel of blue, green or cream.

I will be at the entrance to identify free entry for singers on the day and half-price entry for one accompanying person with each participant. Complimentary teas, coffees and soft drinks will be provided for Singers.

Please gather at the watermill on site about half an hour before each set.

As I need to let the organisers know the number of singers that have volunteered to support the event, please either email me ASAP at southdownsfolksingers@gmail.com or book a place with me at the Beechwood session this week.

Could you also indicate to me if you wish to volunteer for the Brighton Museum's heritage event on Saturday 17th June so arrangements can be made, especially for car sharing/parking with the organisers, if you are not coming by public transport to the event.

Many thanks,

John C.

Local Group Report – Worthing – Wednesday 5th April 2017

Apologies from the editor for the late publication of this report, which was received nearly two weeks ago.

A list of songs proposed for performance at the “Folk and Food” event on 30th April set the agenda for most of this month’s Beechwood Hall session. We sang our way through the Sussex Hills, Ale Glorious Ale, The Farmer’s Toast and, although a fine spring evening, the Poor Froze-out Gardeners. We cracked on with Jim the Carter Lad (using the words as amended on the SDFS website) and then tried out The Brisk Young Plough Boy again. This had been aired at our March meeting and all agreed it is a lovely song, but since it is not yet on our SDFS list or website and probably not known by all the local groups there was doubt about its suitability for singing on 30th April. After a break we galloped on with A Smuggler’s Song and The Magpie, and gave The Farmer’s Toast another go. This left enough time for Emily to sing and then guide us through a song in keeping with the spring season, Moon-gazer, written by one of our singers (Brian) inspired by the folk stories and legends about hares on the South Downs. The session closed as it often does with, by popular demand, Rolling Home.

Singing at Horsham English Festival, Sunday 7th May 2017

We have accepted an invitation to sing at the Horsham English Festival next Sunday, 7th May 2017, at 2.00pm, for about half an hour. We will be singing in the Bandstand in the Carfax, in the centre of Horsham. Apologies for the short notice, but the invitation has arisen following a cancellation by another choir. There is a Festival web-site with information, but briefly there are food stalls, music, classic cars and motorbikes and some splendid pubs. Our singing spot will be part of a concert held in support of the Samaritans. We propose to sing the songs approximately from the second set that were sung at Singleton on Sunday.

If you would be available and willing to sing next Sunday then could you please let us know by replying to South Downs Folk Singers.

A wee tip regarding parking in Horsham: there is an excellent park-and-ride, at Hop Oast on the southern route into Horsham. £2.00 for a car and 5 passengers. If that does not appeal then the nearest car park is probably Piries Place.

We'll meet at the Bandstand at 1.30pm.

Best Wishes,
Les.

Local Group Report – Chichester – Thursday 20th April 2017

We had a very happy evening on 20th April, and worked very hard as we went through the song list for the Food and Folk Festival on 30th April. We were pleased to welcome another newcomer who is an experienced folk singer but wants to know more about Sussex folk songs and learn the harmonies to ‘our’ songs. We hope she will come again! We finished off the evening of course, by Rolling Home…

Local Group Report – Lewes – Tuesday 18th April 2017

Again this month, we sang through 22 songs with 12 singers. From the start a young man from Brighton joined us and picked up the tunes and some bass harmonies very quickly, so we hope he’ll be coming along in May, too. Tina led us through the Weald and Downland set list as well as Ha’nacker Mill, The Woodcutter’s Song and fortuitously Constant Lovers as new boy Chris grew up with grandparents who sang music hall favourites, so he was able to join in enthusiastically and we made a “terrible sound”, enough to make anyone seasick. We finished the evening on a fast pub crawl with East Sussex Drinking Song and Jolly Good Song.

Shoreham Wordfest – Celebrating Shakespeare festival

20th – 23rd April 2017

Here's a message from Emily:

Hello all,

Here's a great thing to do this weekend! A fab festival in Shoreham celebrating Shakespeare: Workshops, talks, singing, a Saturday night Elizabethan dance and feast... dressing up if you fancy... wonderful costumes last year!

Come and join in!

A small group of SDFS and Secret Shore singers will be performing under the name of Sounds and Sweet Airs. This will be at approximately 11.00-11.30am by the War Memorial in East Street and at midday in St. Mary de Haura Church, Shoreham-by-Sea.

On Sunday afternoon Emily will be leading two workshops titled "Sounds and Sweet Airs" and "Hey ho! To the Greenwood".

For more information about the whole weekend click the images below to download the poster and leaflet as pdf files, and visit the Shoreham Wordfest website.

    

SDFS at the Weald & Downland Living Museum's 'Food & Folk', Sunday 30th April 2017

Dear Singers,

You will have received by now an email requesting you to confirm with John C. if you are volunteering to sing at this event, to be placed on the free passes list, so there may be some duplication in the following details, but better safe than sorry.

We will be performing our two sets in the Market Square at 13.00-13.45hrs & 15.30-16.15hrs, they are detailed further down this piece. Please be in the Market Square half an hour before we commence each set.

As usual if you have apparel that you can wear that reflects our standard colours of blue, green or cream, then please do so but I suspect that as in previous years you will be wearing your coats most of the time. There will be a list of participating Singers at the pedestrian entrances (follow the 'Friends & Exhibitors' stream) where you will be ticked off the alphabetical-by-surname list, and issued with a wristband pass.

This year there is a fuller content of Folk performances on the now-extended-to-three-day weekend, with Emily's 'Sounds & Sweet Airs' Shoreham 'Celebrating Shakespeare' splinter group performing Tudor songs on the Saturday, plus other groups on the other days.

In addition SDFSingers participating will have free entry to the Folk Concert with your wristband on the Sunday evening if you requested this in your email when confirming that you are volunteering to perform.

The Museum is open from 10.30 hrs, and those Singers who have been before are well aware that, especially with good weather forecast, entry traffic queues swiftly build up, so allow for that for your arrival.

Regards,

John C.


First Set, 1.00pm:
1. Oak, Ash and Thorn E
2. Jim the Carter Lad B
3. On Sussex Hills A
4. Pleasant and Delightful B
5. The Farmer’s Toast
6. Smugglers Song C#
7. Ale, Glorious Ale E
8. Rosebuds in June B
9. West Sussex Drinking Song E

Second Set, 3.30pm:
1. Country Life Eb – Ab
2. Poor Froze-out Gardeners C#
3. Life of a Man B
4. The Magpie C
5. The Turnip Hoer Bb
6. Brisk Young Ploughboy C
7. Thousands or More A
8. Gooch’s Beer F
9. Sussex by the Sea A
10. Jolly Good Song

“South Downs Folk Singers” Recording Project

As many of our singers already know, we have hopes and plans to make sound and film recordings of our performances – to share our South Downs songs with others via the internet or to use on a DVD or CD compilation.

Progress has been slow and currently relies on hard-pressed members of our Committee. Assistance from others in the SDFS (or from their friends and families) would, we hope, share the tasks and opportunities and help speed us on our way to realising our goals all the sooner. We have a variety of events and performances planned for this summer and it would be good to make the most of them.

So – if you have any recording expertise, recording equipment and free time to offer we would be very glad to hear from you. Please contact us via the SDFS email or chat with us at one of our regular local sessions, one or more from our committee are usually amongst the crowd at these gatherings.

“Your SDFS Needs You” and we are hoping to hear from you soon!

Many thanks from all the Committee, Henny