Autumn Round-Up

Our late summer visit to the National Trust's Open Day at "Saddlescombe Farm"on September 17th, nestling as it does in the East Sussex Downs near Devil's Dyke, gave some of us a welcome chance to sing in this beautiful setting so resonant of the many of the old South Downs Songs we love to sing.  

The elements put on their own show to accompany us - with torrential rain and thunder during our first set but calm sunshine again by the time of the second.  Rain or shine, the audience we had from amongst the visitors and staff was attentive and appreciative - and we hope they enjoyed our songs and their time at the farm as much as we did in singing there. Thanks again to the helpful and welcoming staff on site and to the National Trust for inviting us - we'd be very happy to visit and sing for you there again another time.

As the days grow shorter we move closer to our autumn and winter events.  The next entry on our calendar is the annual gathering of Singers from all three local groups at our next local session (in Worthing) for our Annual General Meeting - the first full meeting we've had since before Covid closed things down.   It will be the usual AGM business, and also provide a forum for feedback, discussion and planning towards the next SDFS year.  But not for the whole evening - there will still be time for a jolly good sing together too.

Our Diary Dates Page on this Blog describes what is already planned and still to come this year.  Our local sessions continue each month as usual - and October 7th sees (and hears) us singing at a private event, as guests at Fittleworth's Harvest Supper,.  The day after that we will continue celebrations of the autumn harvest when singing at a public event, the Stanmer Village Apple Harvest Day on Sunday October 8th.   Thereafter we'll be looking forward to November and December and our songs and events for the winter and the 'Festive Season'.

So - Watch this space (and the Diary Dates Page) for news of how these go, and for details of where and when you can see or sing with us in the future.   We look forward to having your company there!

Gollier!

Chichester Local Group Report - Thursday September 21st 2023

Seventeen singers came along to the Chichester evening session – a good turn out on an Autumn evening.

Alan explained that the song selection would include some from the forthcoming Fittleworth event as a good number of attendees were going.  The first half started confidently with old favourite "Country Life", "Ale Glorious Ale" followed and then "All Among the Barley" with a few discussions about the words.  "West Sussex Drinking Song" another old favourite followed before moving on to some newer material

 

Firstly the "Oak Tree Song" (that had been introduced at Worthing).  Both chorus and verses were tried this time.  It was agreed that this was a good work in progress and all agreed it was a good song.  In further preparation for the Fittleworth event the group tried a new round written specifically for the occasion -  "English Ale at the Swan".  This being sung to the tune of "Wassail All Your Apple Trees" – to be found on the SDFS Blog.  It was finally sung in four parts which was impressive!

 

The first half was rounded off with the popular "Farmer’s Toast".

 

Following well needed refreshment, the second half of the evening opened with "Turmut Hoer" broken up into male/female parts.  The ever popular "Oak and Ash and Thorn" followed by "One for the Rook" and the relatively newly introduced "Lammas Carol" and "My Downland Remembered".  All went very well. There was some starting note debate over "Brisk Young Ploughboy" which was resolved and the evening finished on a high note with "Thousands or More" which received applause from an impromptu bar audience.  Dave G did his excellent rendition of "Golia" with responses from the singers which delighted the bar audience further and then couldn’t resist a slightly risqué version of the new round which shall remain unpublished!

 

Anne S

 

Lewes Local Group Report – Tuesday September 19th 2023

12 of us were at the Kings Head this month, with a good balance of voices and harmonies and including a new singer Rebecca. We looked at some of the songs for the upcoming “Stanmer Apple Day” in Brighton and also other seasonal items, as well as some general ones which fit into any season.

We warmed up with the well-known “Ale Glorious Ale” and “Sussex by the Sea” (trying out Worthing member Amaryllis’s alternative non-militaristic words, which we liked and thought could also be used at some events where appropriate) before revisiting one of our sea songs, “They Won’t Let Us Go To Sea Any More”. 

Next was “Juice-alem”, not a South Downs song but a tongue-in-cheek ditty about English apples agreed for use at Stanmer, before venturing into a suggested new item to try “Now Christmas is Come”, a traditional carol collected by Lucy Broadwood of Rusper from the “Singing Baker of Cuckfield”. This brought the usual mixed reactions to starting Christmas songs in September, and a reminder that this year there will be two separate practices in Worthing for those singing in the seasonal public events, so we needn’t get through all of them in the pub sessions. We were surprised when a man appeared from the main bar, saying he’d been misled – he’d thought he was going to hear folk singing, not this “God bothering”. We were unsure if he was joking, but after a brief chat he went back to the bar, and we didn’t see him again.  The first half wound up with “Bee-Boy’s Song”, another new song “Summer Is A-Coming in Again” and “Gooch’s Beer”.

After drink refills and chat, we continued with another new item “When It’s Christmas Time”, this time a more modern song by Glen Redman of Brighton Morris and Brighton Pub Carols, covering Christian Christmas but also family togetherness, changes in nature, Saturnalia and misrule, so something for everyone there! We revisited “Tommie” (a song about apple scrumping for the Stanmer event), learned a new short round “Banbury Ale” (written by Thomas Ravencroft in 1609) and sang autumn favourites “Fields Lie Silent” and “Lammas Carol” before ending a lovely evening with “Come Stranger Come Friend”.
 

Tina

 

Worthing Local Group Report - Thursday September 7th 2023

A good crowd of 31 singers contributed their voices to a mix of songs for our September session, bridging the seasons and looking ahead to our events in November and December.  

But first - we began by taking a few moments to reflect on the sad news of the death of our good friend and fellow singer Sue. She will be greatly missed by all who knew her, and in his absence our condolences were expressed to her husband David. They were both in our thoughts during the evening as we lifted our voices to Sue in our songs and singing.

Under Emily’s careful leadership we opened with one of SDFS' favourite anthems “On Sussex Hills", before moving on to “One For the Rook", the “Lammas Carol”  and “The Oak Tree” (with the slightly shorter structure of verses and choruses as tried and agreed last month, concluding with repetition of the last line in the final verse).  Emily introduced a ‘song to try’ by Hilaire Belloc, taken from the songs used in the "Broadwood and Belloc" songs project: “Delicate Flower”.  Known and well remembered by those who had learnt it during that project - we sang it through - but in discussion of it afterwards the vote was split on whether or not to take it forward in the SDFS.  Discussion of other possible choices from the ‘B&B ‘ project ensued - including the "Loyal Lover”, known and favoured by many, so we sang that one too.  Likewise the “Turtle Dove”, another favourite, was requested and duly sung after the break.

“All Among the Barley” concluded our songs from summer into autumn - before making a seasonal shift (with groans from some!) towards our repertoire for the 'Festive Season'.  Not everyone had these songs available in their folders, so choice was limited to those best known from memory (or from the few SDFS songbooks available for loan at the session).  “Deck the Halls” broke the festive ice, and resistance subsided, so we pressed on with “Holly Bears a Berry”, the“ Gloucestershire Wassail”, and by popular demand “Sweet Chiming Bells”.  Having used up the time available this evening, reminders were given about the extra sessions planned in October and November for the singers who have volunteered to perform and who will, all too soon, be singing to the public at our festive events.  

We then closed the session in quieter tone and reflective mood with “Life of a Man”, with sadness but also many fond memories of lovely Sue, her friendship and all she brought to the SDFS.  R.I.P. 

An 'Other Song to Try' - now agreed for public performance - "Juice-Alem"

This song was offered a while ago just for fun at our local sessions.  It's been tried and enjoyed a few times and it has now been agreed for limited use at some public performances - if the event has a theme relating to apples!

It will be making an appearance at our October events (see Diary Dates page for details) as the apple harvest is gathered in.

The link below will take you to the lyrics (sung to the tune of "Jerusalem") on our main "Songs and Recordings" Page

Page Link 

A Sunny Day at Amberley Museum

The sun shone, the clouds kept moving on, the visitors arrived - and we sang at Amberley Museum's "Ale and Crafts Fayre" on August Bank Holiday Monday.  Thank you to our hosts for inviting us to sing at the museum for a second time this year, and for their generous hospitality during the day.  

Thank you too to our singers who gave their time to support this event - including Angela who kindly stepped in as our lead for the day (and get well soon to Amaryllis who wasn't well enough to be there with us).  We had a jolly good day and a jolly good sing, and hope all our listeners enjoyed it too!