June into July

After starting June with our very enjoyable participation in the Chichester Fringe (many thanks to our hosts and to all our singers there) - and then celebrating Sussex Day on the 15th with the good folks of Chiddingly - unfortunately, due to illness and other commitments amongst our busy singers, we have had to withdraw from the last of our midsummer events, in Bevendean on June 28th with many apologies to all.   

Our public events will resume on Sunday July 6th with another celebration - this time at Salvington Mill on the slopes above Worthing, where we will be contributing to their Annual Fete and special anniversary event with some songs at 3.00pm. 

Thereafter we will in Bevendean for another event on July 12th - before looking ahead to another three events in August and nine in September!  Plenty to choose from, as well as our own Local Group sessions happening each month across the South Downs area, where new singers are always welcome (but please drop us an email first to let us know you're coming). 

Just check our Diary Dates page for more details and come and find us at an event or a session before the summer fades .......  and when it does there will still be more on offer in the autumn and winter! 

So - there's always something to look forward to with the "South Downs Folk Singers"!

  

ALERT - Chichester Local Group's June Session Today - CANCELLED !

Due to the number of competing commitments, holidays and other reasons,  preventing our facilitators and many singers from attending - our SDFS Local Group Meeting at the "Chichester Inn" this evening (June 19th) has been cancelled.  The summer solstice season can get very busy! 

We are very sorry for the late notice and any disappointment or inconvenience caused.

If you were hoping to attend - please do come along to our next meeting, booked for the third Thursday in July (July 17th) - when we will resume with more songs and singing together then.  

(Our other local groups' sessions and our programme of public events are running as planned - all details are available on the Diary Dates page of this Blog.)

Lewes Local Group Report – Monday June 16th 2025

Ten of us came to the Lewes Arms, including two new singers and a spectator from Brighton, Hove and Uckfield, who were brought along by existing singers. Our introductions at the beginning threw up several interesting connections where they knew and had sung or played with others present too. We missed those absent due to illness or holidays (Malta sounded lovely. 

The songs were firstly lesser-known items that some of us will be performing at the two upcoming Bevendean events (Farm Green archaeological dig open day on June 28^th and Community Garden celebration at the end of the “Wild Walks” programme on July 12^th) and the song for Whitsun which had just passed on 9^th June. Then we took turns to choose our favourites from the 25 possible songs I had suggested.

In the first half we sang “East Sussex Drinking Song”,  “Poor Froze-Out Gardeners”,  “One for the Rook”  (not the correct season for the previous two but they will be performed at Bevendean Garden), “Hard Times of Old England”,  “Sing You Now After Me” ( the Thomas Ravenscroft 15^th century Sussex round in five parts, which we will be using for audience participation at Bevendean Farm, where a mediaeval farm site is being excavated), “Turmut Hoer”,  “Magpie”,  “Rosebuds  in June” , and  “On Sussex Hills”.

During the break, discussion included various places where we sing and play; where to buy instruments in Aldeburgh; someone’s ongoing folk-based project they are writing about a neuroscientist; and should someone buy a hammered dulcimer (yes, obviously!). One person, who had dashed straight from work without eating, collected and enjoyed his supper order (shout out to Big Fish round the corner).

We discussed our new poster which is now online on several sites in Lewes, Brighton and East Sussex, and has been mailed out to singers to circulate. A couple of singers took hard copies to put up in their areas and I said if anyone else wants copies printed off, let me know and I can post some out to them.

We eventually got back to singing with a new song to everyone at Lewes, “Harvest Round” which is the other to be used for audience participation at Bevendean Farm. This has words by Alan Wheeler from our Chichester group, set to the tune we also use for “Child of Light” at Christmas time. This was quickly learned and sung in four parts. With the hard work out of the way, we turned to our favourite more well-known songs (to some of us anyway, they were less well-known to the new singers, but they kept up very well). We did “Hares on the Mountain”, “Ladies go Dancing at Whitsun”, “Bee-Boy’s Song”,  “Farmer’s Toast”, “My Downland Remembered”,  “Smuggler’s Song”, and “Country Life”.

We ended with “Thousands or More”. During lockdown, when meeting online we would sing “With my bottle and friend you will find me on Zoom” and looked forward to evenings like today when we could once again sit around the table and sing face to face.

As I left the pub, they were putting our new poster up in the front window. A satisfying evening all round.

Our next session will be on Monday July 21^st. New singers are always welcome to join us, whether seasoned performers or new singers. Drop us an email if you want to know more or just turn up on the night.

 

Tina

 

Worthing Local Group Report - Thursday June 5th 2025

We opened this month's session with some future event notices, as we often do, and three new singers were welcomed to the fold.  We also thanked Alan for all his work on preparing and leading the very successful Chichester Fringe performance he'd steered to its completion the previous Sunday  Unfortunately due to other demands on her time Emily was unable to be with us - but Alan and Amaryllis had already kindly agreed with her to facilitate the evening between them. 

Alan set off with "Hal an Tow", "The Cuckoo" (sung twice to refine the timing and tone - and with cuckoo calls added by Amaryllis to finish!), and then the "Sussex Wedding Song" with men and women taking turns to sing verses in conversation.  Amaryllis took the reins for "Searching for Lambs" and the "Smugglers Song", before Alan resumed with "Ladies Go Dancing at Whitsun".

Angela S was then invited to contribute by guiding us through the "Song of the Sussex Downsman" - which many felt we should sing more often in our sessions and also use it at our public events, given how vividly it describes various locations and landscape features across Sussex.  

The mid-time break concluded with a few notices from different singers with news about local events of interest beyond the SDFS (at the Creative Heart centre in Littlehampton on June 28th - Worthing Festival's music weekend on 21/22nd June, and a programme of Heritage Walks in Worthing and other local areas). 

The tandem facilitation continued with Alan or Amaryllis leading us by turns for "Rambling Comber", "Rolling in the Dew", and then "Our Captain Cried All Hands" which we haven't sung in Worthing for a while.   Some requests followed - although no-one took up Alan's suggestion that the individual choosing a song should also have a go at leading it!  So we took our start notes from Alan for the "Turmut Hoer" and Amaryllis for "Rosebuds in June" before singing these old favourites to finish on, and the evening closed with more "Thank Yous" to Alan and Amaryllis, and Angela S, for their valuable contributions.  

More next month - see you then !

H. 

Lewes Local Group Report – Summary - March 17th, April 21st and May19th 2025

Small but enthusiastic groups gathered for our usual third Monday sessions over the spring months. Eight singers came to our usual venue at the Lewes Arms on March 17^th. On April 21^st the pub was busy with Easter Monday drinkers and diners, so five of us decamped to the Railway Land Nature Reserve, where our singing was aided by crisps and vegan beer kindly provided by Eva and James. We sang at what we call the Magpie Tree, so named because during lockdown we sang here (carefully socially distanced) and when we sang Dave Dodd’s beautiful song “The Magpie” two of them sang overhead. This time we saw one walking along the ground but none in the tree.  Back at the Lewes Arms on May 19^th there were seven singers. In total there were twelve different singers, including a new singer, but not all present at the same time. 

  

Over the three sessions we covered 28 different songs from our spring, summer, outdoors and sea themed lists.   

  

Some of them were sung twice, either because of the different singers present, or to practise some harmonies for upcoming performances. These were: “Bee-Boy’s Song”, “Country Life”, “East Sussex Drinking Song”, “Ha’nacker Mill”, “It is the First of May”, “May Day Carol”, “Nightingale”, “Oldland Mill”, “On Sussex Hills”, “Pleasant and Delightful” and “When Spring Comes In”.

  

The others were: “Ale Glorious Ale”, “Birds on the Spray”, “Brave Eleven”, “Constant Lovers”, “Eileen Aroon” (an Irish guest song for St Patrick’s Day, shoehorned in as it was allegedly Hilaire Belloc’s favourite song which many of us learned during the original South Downs Songs Project), “Fathom the Bowl”, “Green Grow the Laurel”, “Littlehampton Collier Lads”, “Love and the Ball” (concerning stoolball, the precursor to cricket, which James recalled playing at school in Uckfield), “Magpie”, “Oak Tree Song”, “Rosebuds  in June”, “Searching for Lambs”, “Smuggler’s Song”, “Sussex Wedding Song”, “They Won’t Let Us Go to Sea Any More” (I decided the previous week to sing this, not realising how prescient it was given the new furore over fishing quotas on the very day we were singing it, just as when it was written in Hastings all those years ago) and, last but never least, “Thousands or More”.

  

In between we also had a lot of discussion about past and future events, the origins and history of the songs, and compared notes about the various other musical groups we sing and play with in other places. 

  

We will be back at the Lewes Arms on Monday June 16^th. New singers are always welcome to join us, whether you are an old hand, new to folk music or somewhere in between. With 100 plus local songs in our repertoire, and more being added all the time, there’s something for everyone, why not come and give it a try! 

Tina

 

South Downs Folk Singers at the Chichester Fringe - Sunday June 1st

It's less than week to go before we'll be singing at the Canal Basin Cafe at 7.00pm on Sunday June 1st - to share songs for all seasons in a programme of songs, readings and music to chart "The Turning Year".

Come along and see us - tickets are available from the Chichester Fringe online:  www.chichesterfringe.co.uk              - and, if not sold out, also on the door. 

See you there!

Chichester Local Group Report - Thursday May 15th 2025

13 singers attended the Chichester Inn for the May SDFS get together.
 
With the appearance at the Chichester Fringe evening approaching, Alan checked that all had received the latest copy of the proposed programme that we would be performing and said that this evening would concentrate on any material that was planned that people felt a little uncertain about.
 
With that in mind, the evening opened with the well-known "Country Life" which everyone sang lustily without the aid of words – a good morale boosting song!  "Hal and Tow" followed with a reminder that everyone should clap together just once at the beginning and that it would start with a chorus, again a great rendition by all.  Alan invited Julia and Nichola to perform their intended solo song "The Holly King and the Oak King" to great acclaim by all, who agreed they performed it beautifully and it was a really good song.  The newly introduced "Rambling Comber"  with full harmonies followed.  It was agreed that in order to get an appropriate “gap” in the lines, that the preceding word needed to be lengthened to two beats.  That seemed to keep the group together at this point.  "Summer is a Coming in Again" provoked a seasonal discussion about Spring flowers and after a further rendition of Julia and Nichola’s song, so they could practice, the group discussed the logistics of meeting up for the Fringe event.  It was decided to meet at the Canal Café at 6.30 pm and to wear the usual “corporate” colours for the SDFS of blue, green and touches of yellow.
 
Following a well-deserved break the group re-convened for the second half of the evening, with Alan asking for requests, either from the planned Fringe programme or any other songs that people felt needed a rehearsal.  Steve A requested "Searching for Lambs" (to be sung at the Fringe).  This was sung confidently with Alan commenting on the particularly nice harmonies introduced by Amaryllis and her group.  "Bee Boys Song" requested by Nichola came next incorporating the suggestion by Dave G that there be not too much of a “swoop” in the opening notes. Dave G suggested "Lammas Carol" and it was decided this was best sung not in “polka” time as suggested once by Mick Ryan to Alan!  Henny asked for ""Sugar Wassail" which went well.  Steve A aided and abetted by Alan read the poem "Sompting Shearer’s Beer" which gave rise to a lively discussion about pubs in Sompting!  

"When Spring Comes In" suggested by Lyn followed.  At this point Henny wondered if Alan had a plan in case the set “over-ran” the allotted time for the Fringe performance.  Alan assured her he did and it may mean leaving out some material but he would judge on the night.  Further discussion about whether to have men only singing "Turmut Hoer" followed with separate men/ladies split.  It was felt there were enough men involved to carry this.  Dave G requested that the group sing "Fields Lie Silent," with particular request that it not be sung too slowly.  The evening finished with a discussion about starting notes for the last item on the Fringe Programme – Dave G’s hearty rendition of "Golia".  It was essential that all should be able to successfully join in the responses.  With  a start note of B,  this was successfully sung as a finishing flourish to another busy singing evening at the Chichester Inn.
 
Anne Sartain 

Even more to see, and hear, on the Miscellaneous Page

A link to hear more about a new book of folk tunes and harmonies can be found on our increasingly busy Miscellaneous page - well worth a look and a listen. 

Alert to look at a new item on our Miscellaneous Page ....

Some broadcasts of interest to folk fans are starting on Radio 3 at 9.45 this evening.

(And in case you miss the programmes, here's the link to hear them....

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006x3hl/episodes/player)

Events Review and Events to Come

Our Miscellaneous Page has a new entry posted today (about an event featuring the Copper Family) - just take a look.for more details ....  

And, as our own SDFS event calendar moves from spring into summer - we thank all the hosts of the events at Petworth House, Firle Garden Show, Stanmer Village's Blossom Day in April, and most recently Oldland Mill and the Stork Festival in Storrington this month, for some lovely occasions and for inviting us to contribute.   

Now looking ahead to June - our performance at the Chichester Fringe festival, at 7pm on June 1st is fast approaching.  Tickets for this event are still available from the Fringe website  www.chichesterfringe.co.uk   - and also (if any are left!) at the door on the day.  

Thereafter we look forward to a variety of other dates and locations where we will be taking our songs this summer.  Please consult our Diary Dates Page for fuller details of where and when we'll be singing out - and not forgetting our local group sessions each month (addresses of where we meet are on our Welcome and New Singers pages).

Lots to choose from .....  Do come along - and we'll see you there!