New Christmas Songs

Here are links to download pdf files and a piano recording for the two new Christmas songs that were introduced at the last Beechwood singing session.

Coppers' Christmas Song pdf

Coppers' Christmas Song piano recording mp3

Christmas Now Is Drawing Near At Hand pdf

Brighton Pub Carols

Lo - the musical star is rising in the east once more! Well, Brighton, anyway.

Indeed, the Brighton Pub Carols are with us again, as delivered by the Napier Quire, augmented by ourselves. Rehearsals start on Tuesday 10th November and run weekly until 8th December. We then take the results of our labours to pubs around Brighton in the days leading up to Christmas.

If you would like to become part of the quire for the festive season, you'll need to attend as many of the rehearsals and pub sessions as you can. The role of the quire is to lead the rest of the pub in song: there are some well-known carols, but we will also be singing several less familiar ones – or different tunes/versions. This is the most fun you will ever have singing carols and is coupled with a wonderful sense of cameraderie – perfect seasonal behaviour!

Practices will again be on Tuesday evenings at Dorset Gardens Methodist Church, Dorset Gardens, off St James's Street. 8.00pm – 10.00pm.. Doors open from 7.30pm.

The pub sessions will be announced on the blog in due course. Photos from last year are in the December 2014 news archive here and the facebook page is here – carols (words and some music) can be downloaded from there.

In the pubs we cheerful neighbours
Talk about our Christmas spree
Pause to spare a thought for all those
Not so fortunate as we
So the turkey and the pudding
Comes upon the tables then
And the alehouse door is opened
Let the poor folk enter in.

Merry Christmas!

Adrian F

Singing at Slindon Apple Fair, Saturday 10th October 2015

Update 9th Oct: song 9 in the second set is now West Sussex Drinking Song

Parking is in the field behind the Village Hall / Forge Cafe / Village Shop.

Gather at latest 11.45hrs for 12.00 first performance.

First set:

1. Country life
2. On Sussex Hills
3. West Sussex Drinking Song
4. Nightingale
5. Life of a Man
6. Hard Times
7. Dancing at Whitsun
8. Fathom
9. Rosebuds
10. Thousands
11. Jolly Good Song

Second set:

1. Twankey Dillo
2. On Sussex Hills
3. Green grow the Laurel
4. Old Adam
5. Ale Glorious Ale
6. Life of a Man
7. Rosebuds
8. Ebernoe Horn Fair
9. West Sussex Drinking Song
10. Sussex by the Sea
11. Jolly Good Song

Xtra Singing Session for Xmas Songs

PLEASE NOTE – Our Christmas preparations are under way!!

We will be having an EXTRA Singing Session at The Beechwood Hall Hotel in Worthing on Wednesday 28th October at 7.30 pm to work on (and enjoy singing) our ‘Christmas' songs in readiness for the seasonal performances we have planned for November (see the Diary Dates and Events pages for more details of these).

So, if you are going to be singing with us at these events, please do join us if you can on 28th October at the Beechwood.

A Celebration of Folklore in Sussex and the South Downs

Here's a message passed on from Julie T about the Celebration of Folklore in Sussex and the South Downs. We were unable to sing at this event as we didn't have enough singers, but two of our singers, Alan and Anne from Cotillion, will be performing here.

A Celebration of Folklore in Sussex and the South Downs
Saturday 31st October 2015, 2-4 pm
Cloisters, Bishop Otter Campus, University of Chichester, College Lane, Chichester, West Sussex PO19 6PE

The Sussex Centre for Folklore, Fairy Tales and Fantasy is hosting a celebration of folklore in Sussex and the South Downs, with stories and songs, to celebrate our new illustrated map of local folklore created with the kind support of the South Downs National Park.

Dr Steve O’Brien will read ‘St Dunstan and the Devil’, Joanna Gilar will perform ‘The Witch of Ditchling’ and Cotillion will introduce the audience to a selection of Sussex folk songs for this special Hallowe’en event. With Special Guest of Honour Prof. Jacqueline Simpson, without whom the map would not have been created.

You can download the map of folklore for free here: www.chi.ac.uk/fairytalemap

Tickets £5/£3 concessions; free to University staff and students. Contact h.robbins@chi.ac.uk to reserve your ticket or for more information.

With thanks for your time,

Heather Robbins
Assistant at the Sussex Centre for Folklore, Fairy Tales and Fantasy

Southdowns Folk Festival, Bognor – 27th September 2015

Angela B

Peter B

All photos below thanks to Barbara S

SDFS at the Southdowns Folk Festival, Sunday 27th September 2015

Here's the latest information for singers going to the Southdowns Folk Festival in Hotham Park, Bognor, where we will be performing on the Bandstand Stage. Please be there by 11.45am at the very latest to be ready to sing at midday. There is usually street parking available in the estates to the north of the A259 above the University Campus with a 5-10 minute walk.

Download a site map using this link.

You can see what else is going on at the Folk Festival here. There is much to see and to listen to!

Song List

1. Country Life
2. On Sussex Hills
3. West Sussex Drinking Song
4. The Nightingale
5. Life of a Man
6. Hard Times of old England
7. Dancing at Whitsun
8. Fathom the Bowl
9. Rosebuds in June
10. Thousands or More
11. Jolly Good Song

Singing at the Worthing Beach Clean and Coastal Fair – Saturday 19th September

With thanks to Barbara and Amaryllis for their work on this.

Please arrive by 12.30pm to meet on the seafront at the Beach House grounds – this is east of Worthing pier and near to the new Splashpoint Leisure Centre (postcode BN11 2EN), the replacement for the Aquarena. We will need to be ready to sing at 12.45pm. The suggested song list is below.

[ If you have to ask for directions, be sure not to get Splashpoint (the leisure centre) confused with Splash Point (which is where the Rowing Club is). Also don't get Beach House (the Regency beach-side villa) confused with The Beach House Bar-Café or The Beach House Hotel. ]

If possible please bring some spare copies of the song words – it’s been suggested we might try to get the audience to join in the singing.

FYI - Earlier in the day there will be breakfast on sale before the Big Beach Clean-up starts at 10.00am – and a free paella lunch afterwards for the registered volunteers! So do arrive early and join in if you can. Various other stalls and activities will be available during the day.

(For more details go to the “Transition Town Worthing” website:  transitiontownworthing.ning.com.)

Song List

1. Country Life
2. On Sussex Hills
3. The Nightingale Song
4. West Sussex Drinking Song
5. Thousands Or More
6. Sussex By The Sea

Arundel Festival – 31st August 2015

Here are some photos from Amaryllis of us singing in the Market Square in Arundel, after our performance on the stage in Jubilee Gardens.

A.G.M. Notice

Wednesday October 7th 2015 at the Beechwood Hall Hotel in Worthing. To start at 7.00 p.m. to precede our singing session.

The AGM is not only a necessary formality but also a chance to celebrate and review the achievements of our second year as the independent “South Downs Folk Singers”, and to look ahead and make plans for our next year. As usual, the Meeting Minutes file, the Constitution and the Accounts will all be available to view – and there will be the annual Elections for our Committee.

At the meeting the current Committee will effectively resign to allow for the elections, and although they may stand again for re-election new and additional candidates are always welcome.

If you are interested in contributing your ideas and energies to the Committee and would like to be a candidate in the Elections please let us have your name, the name of another singer who is willing to nominate you, and another happy to second this.

You do not have to take on a specific role on the Committee to be a member of it – but just to say – there are vacancies for the following: Minutes Secretary and Publicity Officer, and if you can help out with either of these tasks that will be of great help to us all!

Also, we need to cover for the absence of our Treasurer during 2016. Our current Treasurer will be away for much of next year, but hopes to resume in the autumn of 2016. She will be around until December to handover to her understudy before she goes.

So, if you’re interested in joining the Committee please contact me as soon as possible via the SDFS email address (southdownsfolksingers@gmail.com).

Voting will be conducted at the AGM by a show of hands and carried on a simple majority of those present.

It may not be easy for all our singers to get to the AGM, even though it is at the most central of our regular singing venues, but it will be great to see as many of you there as possible – for the meeting first and to enjoy the singing afterwards.

See you at The Beechwood, 7.00pm, October 7th.

Henny (Chairperson)