Chichester Local Group Report - Thursday January 16th 2025

13 singers turned out on a cold January day to start the new SDFS singing year.  Alan confirmed that following the visit of a representative from the 2025 Chichester Fringe, the SDFS had been invited to perform in this event on 1st June 2025.  It had been decided that as this was a Chichester based event, and a limited number of places owing to venue size that singers would be drawn from regular attendees at the Chichester SDFS practices.   An early request for Chichester singers had produced 17 volunteers which was about the right number required.  The singers would be included in the advertising material for the Chichester Fringe and so the evening started with an attempt to obtain a suitable photograph!

Alan had worked out a possible draft programme which would drive some of the practices between now and June at Chichester.  Two rousing chorus songs – "Ale Glorious Ale" and "One for the Rook" with Alan suggesting possible harmony lines for those that found it difficult to reach particularly high notes.  Continuing with "On Sussex Hills" Alan reminded all that there were some good harmonies to this and they could be found on the SDFS website.  Although it’s due to be included in the programme, a "Country Life" practice was firmly declined!  Alan stated that harmonies were definitely required in "The Rambling Comber" which was tried next – again these could be found on the SDFS website.  The group had two attempts at "Searching for Lambs", taking extra care to stay in key with Julia providing the singing tip that holding in one’s tummy could well assist in this!  The ladies present then tried "Ladies Go Dancing at Whitsun", the men coming in with the usual humming after the first verse.  It was decided that this arrangement should continue with the ladies taking the main tune as it was a “ladies” song.
 
After a well earned break, with much enthusiasm for Gordon’s Burn’s Night Poem and Dave G’s excellent rendition of the address to the Hagis in keeping with the theme, the second half of the evening opened with "Summer is a Coming in Again".  It was agreed that it was best to leave off the chorus at the end and finish on the last verse.  "Hal and Tow" was tried next with the idea that the group start singing it with the chorus and that clapping or a drum would help keep a good rhythm.  Continuing the Spring theme,  "When Spring Comes In" and "The Magpie" followed with a suggestion that several ladies joined in the harmony when it was next sung.  
 
In response to several other song suggestions, Alan explained that those tried this evening were just a handful of the final programme and others would be introduced in the practices leading up to the Fringe event.  
 
The whole group finished the evening with a joyful “Happy Birthday” to Chris, who was due a birthday at the weekend.
 
 
Anne S
 

A "Thank You" for our Singing

Thank you to the South Downs Folk Singers who came along (in fairly inclement weather) to sing for the Sompting Wassail in Tarring.

Despite some annoying drizzle, there was a good audience, and we managed to go ahead with the procession, the blessing of the apple trees, and the Mummers' play, all out in the open air. It was lovely to hear the sound of the Wassail songs as the     procession made its way into the Vine garden, and many members of the audience joined in the songs with enthusiasm.

Many thanks again and we hope that the South Downs Folk Singers will be willing to join the celebration next year, when the date will be Monday 5th January 2026.

Best wishes
Sompting Village Morris

New Items on our Miscellaneous Page

If you are interested in folk dances as well as folk songs and music - do have a look! 

Worthing Local Group Report - Thursday January 2nd 2025

On the second day of 2025 and for our first Worthing SDFS session of the New Year, the Barn welcomed us again with its fairy lights and Christmas Tree, still there to see out the season's festivities.  18 singers gathered on a chilly evening, with icy roads out and about which had perhaps deterred a few of our 'regulars'.  Emily was needed at home so unable to join us for this session, but Alan nobly stepped up as our guide for an evening of wassailing songs ("Sugar Wassail", "Gloucester Wassail", "Here We Come A'wassailing", "Apple Wassail" and  "Silver Wassail") and other seasonal choices by request ("Sweet Chiming Bells", "The Field Mouse Carol", "Sussex Mummers Carol", "Moon Shone Bright", "Fields Lie Silent" and for a finale, "Thousands or More").  

Between times we enjoyed Lyn singing for us her version of "Hard Times" which she'd shared at the last Chichester group session (and it's now available on the SDFS Blog pages: "Other Songs to Try" and "Songs Created by Us") - and we followed it by all singing the original version "Hard Times of Old England" again.   Keith and Jean also entertained us with the version they knew of "Friendly Beasts" - similar to the one we've learned from and arranged by Amaryllis - but sung as a gentle lullaby.  Later in the evening Alan gave us "Where Does Father Christmas Go in the Summer Time", which prompted more cheery smiles and some folks joining in on the chorus.  

So all in all we enjoyed fifteen songs with a sociable break mid way (made all the better by the mincepies contributed by Suzie) - but with the chilly and possibly dropping temperatures in mind we concluded the evening in good time before taking to the roads again to wend our ways home.  We'll be back at the Barn on Candlemas Eve (February 1st), without fairy lights by then but still with good company and songs to cheer us - and a hopeful look towards the spring returning very soon!  

H. 

Findon Valley Community Orchard Wassail - Saturday January 4th 2025 - Podcast report

Some of our South Downs Folk Singers supported the first ever Findon Valley Community Orchard  Wassail held yesterday, and offered a few songs in celebration of the newly planted fruit trees to encourage them to grow and prosper in future years. 

You can listen to the Worthing Podcast article about the event here - which features an interview with our very own Alan Wheeler!

Many thanks again to Alan and the singers there for our first sing out of the New Year!  

A Song To Try - The Folk Songs of Old England

Here's an amusing alternative of the traditional song "Hard Times of Old England" written by Lyn Ford, entitled "The Folk Songs of Old England".

Lyrics

Season's Greetings All !

Our Local Group sessions and our programme of events for 2024 have now concluded and it's time to give "one big thank you" to all our Singers, our hosts at the various events and occasions we covered in the year, and to everyone who stopped to listen to our singing when we were out and about.  

We'll be resuming in the New Year with more songs, more local sessions and more events across Sussex in 2025.  Our Diary Dates page will have all the details as they emerge - and already on there is the Wassail in Tarring, Worthing, in the evening of January 5th - a great start to another year.

Wherever, however and whatever you may be celebrating during this season of festivity, as the year turns and the days gradually lengthen - we wish you happiness and peace, and if you'd like to join us or hear us at a future event, we look forward to seeing you in the New Year! 

Chichester Local Group - Thursday December 19th 2024

Eleven of us were at the "Chichester Inn" for our December sing.  We were sorry not to see some of the usual faces who were unable to attend due to health concerns - and we wish them well for the new year.  The main room at the pub was busy with a festive party so we had use of the quieter side bar - with a very seasonal hearth and log fire beside us (although it needed repeated attention, including bellows, to keep the warmth of its glow going!).  Alan and Anne brought instruments (guitar, melodeon and whistle) to accompany us and add to the fun. We also enjoyed seasonal readings and songs, 'party pieces', contributed by Chris T and Gordon.  Amongst them "Spot of the Antarctic" and the "Twelve Songs" carol made welcome comebacks and must now qualify as 'traditions' at the Chichester group's December session!  Lyn added to the fun with her updated version of "Hard Times of Old England" - which we hope she will send in to have it posted on the "Songs Written by Us" and "Other Songs to Try" pages of this Blog - watch these spaces !

A variety of seasonal songs and carols were suggested or requested and sung - favourites from our SDFS collection, some selected from the carol song sheets brought by Alan, plus one or two other winter songs, "Fields Lie Silent" and "Woodcutters Song".  The first of these last two was tried (and liked) at a slightly quicker pace than when sung at the recent Petworth event - and the vibrant "Woodcutters Song" somewhat compensated for the dying embers in the hearth beside us…    Julia and Nicola sang Julia's song "The Holly King and the Oak King" as a duet - with thanks to both, and we looked forward to hearing and using this song  more next year.  As the evening moved on and conversation turned to our next 'sings out' in January (the first being at the Tarring Wassail on January 5th), the "Gloucester Wassail" was chosen from the many we know as a rousing one to close the evening.  We then parted with festive well-wishing and thanks to all for their company and music making - and here's another Big thank you to Alan, for his diligent and careful facilitation of another year of Chichester sessions.  We look forward to more in 2025! 

Happy Yule to All.  H. 

Another Festive Item

Another Festive item of interest has been added to our Miscellaneous Page - if you like the traditions of carol singing do have a look and a listen.

Worthing Local Group Report - Thursday December 5th 2024

Festive lights around the Barn's ancient beams and a decorated Christmas tree greeted us when we arrived for our last Barn session of this year.  The decorations increased with the arrival of festive hats and jumpers adorning our singers.   We welcomed two new singers to the fold and fun, and after a few brief notices (about our new membership of the English Dance and Folk Song Society, and outline plans for our wassail events in January 2025) the singing began.

"Pentonville", "The Holly and the Ivy","Wassail the Silver Apple" and "Sweet Chiming Bells" gave us a lively start to proceedings. Emily then led us through a couple of rounds which were, as ever, a delight to sing - first "Hey Ho Winter Snow" building to four parts, then "I Heard a Bird Sing" beautifully done in two parts.  Lovely!   "Deck the Halls", "Moon Shone Bright" and "Hark the Herald Angels" took us to the break and gave way to chatting, quaffing whatever beverages we had with us, and enjoying the 'sweetmeats' folks had brought to share as befits the season.

The second half began with Barbara S sharing details of a talk her son will be giving at Worthing museum on Tuesday - about the history of our treasured woodlands and forests.  Thereafter we resumed with more seasonal songs, starting with "Holly Bears a Berry (the Sans Day Carol)" and "Sugar Wassail", before changing the mood a little with descriptions of a cold winter on the Downs in "Where Stormy Winds do Blow".  The evening continued with more old favourites and requests - the next one's being the "Boar's Head Carol", followed by "Ideo" and then the "Apple Wassail".

The session concluded with another round - or two. "Child of Light" was lovely and worked well on its own, but sounded even better when then blended with "Hey Ho Winter Snow".  The rafters at the Barn were lifted as too were our spirits after an enjoyable and festive evening.   We'll be back there very early in the New Year, on January 2nd, when no doubt more of wassailing songs will get an airing in readiness for our first 'sings out' in January - the first of many more sessions and events to come in 2025. 

H