SDFS at the Arundel Festival

Saturday 17th August 2019

Our first fully public performance was at the Arundel Festival seven years ago on the Jubilee Gardens Stage in Mill Road by the Arun bridge. Seems almost like yesterday until I look in the mirror!

Again many members will be singing as both SDFS and Secret Shore Singers, both led by Emily.

SSS will be singing between 12.45-1.15pm in Jubilee Gardens (the stage this year will be there only on the Bank Holiday Weekend), but all are welcome to join in the shanty choruses.

SDFS will be singing our song set set from 3.30pm opposite the Nineveh Chapel in Tarrant Street.

If you haven't already put your name down on the list at YOHAH or won't be there on the 7th please email me on southdownsfolksingers@gmail.com just so we have a good idea of numbers for the day (18 so far). There is no cut off date for coming if your plans change at the last knockings.

If the forecast alerts the organisers to a problem with the weather, there are plans to site us indoors.

I will be parking free in Torton Hill Road off Ford Road, but it's a 10 minute walk in and there is charged overflow parking off Station Road.

John C.

Set List:

1. Country Life [E - A]
2. Pleasant & Delightful [B]
3. The Bee Boy’s Song [G]
4. West Sussex Drinking Song [F]
5. The Magpie [B]
6. The Nightingale [B]
7. A Smuggler’s Song [C#]
8. On Sussex Hills [A]
9. Rosebuds In June [B]
10. Thousands Or More [A]
11. Jolly Good Song [B]

Local Group Report – Chichester – Thursday 18th July 2019

Nineteen singers and three very well-behaved dogs came along to our monthly sing at the Chichester Inn. People were in noticeably high spirits and there were lots of jokes and banter, especially amongst the men. Dave G chaired the proceedings and attempted to lead everyone in a stimulating variety of songs, including songs about beer, sailors, shepherds and young lovers. We warmed our voices by singing lustily songs like Gooches Beer and O Good Ale and then went on to sing the Saucy Sailor and All Around My Hat before slowing down the tempo with Searching for Lambs and Shepherd of the Downs. Then as promised months earlier we tackled the elusive third verse of the Song of the Sussex Downsman. With the aid of the music score and Keith’s excellent musical advice we were finally able to sing the whole song reasonably confidently a couple of times. Result!

After a break to refill our glasses, Alan led the assembled company in two rounds: namely Now we wish you many happy returns and Summer’s Here. Stephen A got us all to sing Valiants All, which is a version of Let No Man Steal Your Thyme and had been collected over 100 years ago in the Midhurst Workhouse. This was followed by Chris singing The Devil and the Farmer’s Wife and we all joined in with the chorus of “Lero Lero Lillibullero, Lillibullero bullen a la”. We then sang the Turtle Dove and the Loyal Lover, two tender love songs that Emily has taught us recently at the Lucy Broadwood song workshops in Worthing and Rusper. Finally we picked up the tempo again with The Lark in the Morning and finished the session by singing The Sussex Wedding Song. Thanks to everyone for coming and lending their voices; it was an excellent evening which we all enjoyed immensely. We will meet next month at 8pm at the Chichester Inn on Thursday 15th August. Hope you can join us!

Local Group Report – Lewes – Tuesday 16th July 2019

Fourteen regular singers were joined by Sally, another Jan and Jill who all live fairly locally and will probably return. Also Pauline and Dave on holiday from Staffordshire joined in for the first half and Sandria arrived during the second half.

We started with Pleasant and Delightful, Rosebuds in June and then The Sussex Wedding Song to embarrass our newly weds, Jane and Adrian, followed by Green Grow the Laurel and Hard Times of Old England before Tina guided us to our newer songs. We sang through The Birds on the Spray twice and Our Captain Cried “All Hands” was faultless on first, full attempt!

After a refreshment break, Tina suggested revisiting two of our war-related songs which are still in the repertoire but unlikely to crop up again in a set list – All Things Are Quite Silent and Follow Me ’Ome. We sang through two verses of Dave T’s Caburn Hill with both tunes harmonizing well – we hope to record a verse soon for the blog so that you can all hear it. Then The Fields Lie Silent, The Turtle Dove with its easy but effective harmony and When Spring Comes In concluded the newer songs. We persuaded Adrian to sing the verses of his East Sussex Drinking Song while we all joined in the rousing choruses. We are unlikely to change the reference to The Beechwood Hall Hotel because that was where we met the Southdown Folk Singers that we now know so well. The hoardings are still up around our old haunt – that is seven months now. We finished the evening with Thousands Or More.

Local Group Report – Worthing – Wednesday 3rd July 2019

A warm evening at "Ye Olde House at Home" saw a gathering of 30 singers enjoying a diverse selection of songs to hear and try. After launching with Thousands or More we took time to revisit a couple of songs not sung for a while, The Fields Lie Silent and All Among the Barley, with agreement to polish these for use at events later in the year. Emily then introduced a change of mood and pace with the first of the two pieces chosen for the SDFS to contribute to the “Big Sing” at the Southdowns Folk Festival in September, not a South Downs but a Sami song or “Yoik” from Finland, Ole leloila. Once we had picked it up as a group we extended the fun by singing it in multiple parts, a challenge but making a wonderful noise! After the break Dave W. brought us back to the UK with his solo rendition of The Green Man, leading many to suggest we should have a Green Man song, possibly this version, in our repertoire. Alan and Anne sang The White Cockade again which everyone enjoyed, before we moved on to the second of the "Big Sing” choices, another round or catch, Sing You Now After Me. Although not chosen from or for our usual SDFS repertoire they are great to sing and we hope they will go well at the folk festival after some more work on them before September. Following these vocal challenges we were “weary labourers” so chose to sing Rolling Home to conclude our lively evening. Looking forward to more work, and fun, at our next gathering in August!

Local Group Report – Lewes – Tuesday 18th June 2019

It is probably an advantage that Emily was running the Secret Shore project rehearsal in Worthing on the same night as our session because more than 16 round the tables gets rather too cosy.

It is good to have Cat back with us and, this month, Ruth joined us; both have confident folk-singing voices. We send our congratulations and best wishes to Adrian and Jane who got married recently and are enjoying a mini Honeymoon in Rye – well out of range of the South Downs.

Again, Tina planned a balanced evening starting with Country Life, On Sussex Hills, West Sussex Drinking Song and The Magpie then spending a little longer on three new songs interspersed with well-rehearsed favourites. We soon got the tunes to the Copper’s The Birds on the Spray and When Spring Comes In and even Our Captain Cried, All Hands with the To Be A Pilgrim twister melody and this month tackled the lower harmony to The Turtle Dove as well. Other songs were Song of The Sussex Downsman, Pleasant and Delightful, Hard Times of Old England, Rosebuds in June, The Bee Boy’s Song, A Smuggler’s Song, The Turmut Hoer finishing with Thousands Or More.

Local Group Report – Chichester – Thursday 20th June 2019

‘Twelve good men and women and true’ met in the Chichester Arms to further the maintenance of the local folk-song tradition. Only two canines were registered as present on this occasion.

Alan was officiating and managed to keep order for most of the time.

In order to ensure that we would be at our best for the following Sunday’s performance at the Weald and Downland Museum we practised a number of songs from the gig-list. We concentrated on those numbers that it was felt were sometimes our Achilles heel such as The Song of the Sussex Downsman and The Beeboy’s Song. Then we attended to others in the list and a few more that were nominated as being of either some difficulty or that could be sung in gusto or with joyous enthusiasm.

A lively linguistic discussion was continued into the use of auxiliary verbs shall and will. When to use which as a simple future or a more determined action to be? A rather practical approach was proposed as a useful ‘cop-out’ when in doubt i.e. the use of I’ll or he’ll etc.

We had another bash at Our Captain Cried All Hands and tried another song that could be used as an alternative to Rolling Home before wending our ways homeward. This was Come Stranger Come Friend. This rather lovely but partly sad song was a favourite of the well-known East Sussex folk singer and accordion player Ron Spicer, and of his father George before him.

As the new number was still awaiting a state of perfection we left, as oft times before, to the roaring of Rolling home.

Editor’s note: For those concerned about the use of shall and will I suggest using the following links:
https://www.lexico.com/en/grammar/shall-or-will
https://www.lexico.com/en/definition/shall
https://www.englishclub.com/grammar/verbs-modals_shall-will.htm
https://www.grammar-monster.com/easily_confused/shall_will.htm

SDFS at W&DLM Historic Life Weekend: Midsummer and Plant Lore

Update 19th June 2019: Please note we are now meeting at the earlier time of 10.30am, this is to allow singers to join the tour which starts at 11.30am if they wish to do so.

Update 18th June 2019: The set lists have been added below.

Sunday 23rd June 2019
Weald & Downland Living Museum, Singleton, PO18 0EU

Organiser's web pages:
Historic Life Weekend: Midsummer & Plant Lore
Programme for Sunday 23 June (pdf file)
Map (pdf file)

Apologies for the lateness of these details, those of you who have already contacted me are on the entry list.

We will be assembling at North Cray (by the Market Square) at 11.00am 10.30am to sing there at 11.30am 10.45am or depending on the weather by the Mill Pond. Then again after 2.00pm at that or another location.

Emily will be selecting songs from the two sets that we sang at the Stansted Garden Show.

Entry is by named list but please wear your lanyards if you have them, if you wish to wear sprays of flowers in your apparel please do, or a turnip or two!

To have your name on the list for free entry please email me at southdownsfolksingers@gmail.com as usual.

Many thanks,

John C.


Here are the two set lists:

Set 1

1. Oak, Ash & Thorn [F]
2. The Nightingale [A]
3. Rosebuds In June [B]
4. West Sussex Drinking Song [F]
5. The Magpie [B]
6. Twanky Dillo [G]
7. Hard Times Of Old England [F]
8. On Sussex Hills [A]
9. Life Of A Man [B]
10. The Turnip Hoer [B]

Set 2

1. Country Life [E – A]
2. The Bee Boy's Song [G]
3. Pleasant & Delightful [B]
4. A Smuggler’s Song [C#]
5. Fathom The Bowl [D#]
6. Song Of The Sussex Downsman [D#]
7. Jim The Carter Lad [C#]
8. Hares On The Mountain [F#]
9. Thousands Or More [A]
10. Ale, Glorious Ale [E]
11. Jolly Good Song [B]

Local Group Report – Worthing – Wednesday 5th June 2019

Forty of us gathered for this month’s session. Chris H joined us for a while and started the singing with a solo performance of a song written by a local man in celebration of his social life and his drinking at “Ye Olde House at Home”! From there we went on to revisit the Maytime songs used at Michelham Priory (Hal an Tow, the May Day Carol and It is the First of May), and thereafter to run through some of the songs in the set planned for our next event at Stansted Park on Sunday (The Bee Boy’s Song; Ladies Go Dancing At Whitsun; Song of the Sussex Downsman and Hares on the Mountain). After a break Emily shared with us suggestions received from colleagues in Lewes and Chichester for songs we could introduce or revive for more regular use and possible performance at events. From these one not yet tried by us, The White Cockade, was sung by Alan and Anne, then Dave G led on When Spring Comes, already known to some from the Lewes and Chichester sessions. Littlehampton Colliers and Brave Eleven, also already known by a few singers from the Lewes sessions or from the Secret Shore singers repertoire, were discussed, but singing time was given instead to revive Jim the Carter Lad, Lark in the Morning and Searching for Lambs being songs already known to most of us. Thanks to all for their contributions to another good evening of song.

Local Group Report – Lewes – Tuesday 21st May 2019

Eleven singers arrived at The John Harvey Tavern for another evening of old songs. There was a quiz night taking place in the large room upstairs so I hope we didn’t give away any big clues!! Tina had planned to run through any Stanstead Garden Show set list songs that the group fancied airing and also told us of the six songs that the planning group had agreed upon for the coming year. Not surprisingly, the three May songs that were added at the last minute to our most recent performances, can now be rehearsed and learned confidently for May 2020! Even if they sound Cornish rather than Sussex, they certainly have been played and sung by local Morris sides! Our very own Caburn Hill and Brighton Camp are to be included, Birds on the Spray, The Turtle Dove (from Rusper)and also Our Captain Cried All Hands which was heard, recorded and modified somewhat by Vaughan Williams to create the tune for To Be A Pilgrim! Those who already know this hymn will find it awkward at first because the original tune leaps from the first line to the third which is then repeated before finishing with the usual fourth line.

So we sang through Pleasant and Delightful, Bee Boy’s Song, Rosebuds in June, The Mayday Carol, Hares on the Mountain, Song of The Sussex Downsman, Birds on the Spray, The Turtle Dove, Magpie, It Is The First Of May, Our Captain Cried All Hands, Hal an Tow, The Nightingale, Oak, Ash and Thorn, Brisk Young Ploughboy, East Sussex Drinking Song, finishing with Thousands Or More.

Local Group Report – Chichester – Thursday 16th May 2019

A small but lively group of 11 singers gathered to lift their voices and drink their beers. A new member, Bob the Dog, attended to join Stanley and  Buster in the ever-expanding canine component of folk singers.

Alan was in the chair for the evening and started the proceedings by reintroducing the birthday round to celebrate Buster’s birthday. ‘Buster we wish you many happy returns and the best of love on your day of birth’.

Seasonal songs are often our weakest as they are sung relatively few times during the year. Thus, we spent some time practising some of our May songs in an attempt to lodge them more firmly in our long term memories. Hal and Tow, It is the First of May, The May Day Carol, Searching for Lambs. Then we moved on to some songs that we felt were falling by the wayside but we enjoyed. The Sussex Wedding Song, The Constant Lovers, Our Captain Cried all Hands, Saucy Sailor, Old Adam. Then a few favourites such as Ladies go Dancing at Whitsun  (well it soon will be).

At Chichester we like to try songs that members bring to the table; not necessarily to introduce them to the central home in Worthing, but to sing and perhaps learn them for our own pleasure and fun.

Alan and Anne brought along a rousing song that is sung by folkies widely across the UK. Many versions can be heard. This particular version was taken from a book published in 1885. ‘A Collection of Ballads as Sung by The Peasantry of England’. The White Cockade. The group spent some time learning the melody and the interaction of voices in the refrains.  

Lynn introduced us to a rather lovely May Song that we might consider for next year, Singing in the May.

The evening finished with our local signature song, Rolling Home. Then that is what we did!