Eight singers were at the Lewes Arms this month, with several regulars away on holiday, moving house, working or assisting relatives. Our number included a new singer from Barcombe who was welcomed. Another new singer from Crowborough had sent apologies and said he hopes to come next month. As a couple of people wanted to leave early, we decided to miss out the usual halftime break and sing straight through, making individual trips to the bar or other facilities as needed.
We went through the songs proposed for the upcoming Lewes Priory by Candlelight event. These were (not necessarily in performance order yet): “Pleasant and Delightful”, “Ale Glorious Ale”, “Country Life”, “East Sussex Drinking Song”, “Farmer’s Toast”, “Magpie”, “Nightingale”, “On Sussex Hills”, “Rosebuds in June”, “Run of the Downs”, “Smuggler’s Song”, “West Sussex Drinking Song”.
For most of these we spent some time going through existing harmonies and making up new ones as well as noting pacing, volume and dynamics including pauses for emphasis in the places agreed over the years. We had equal numbers of women and men so had a good balance. Our new singer is familiar with some folk songs but she knows only a few of the local ones, so we added background information about Belloc, Kipling and others as we went along.
We had a bit of time left and by request sang “Searching for Lambs” and “Fields Lie Silent” (a possible addition for Lewes Priory if time permits) before returning to “Thousands or More”and finishing slightly early at 9:30pm for those who had to leave. Others stayed for a while chatting (and Ray recited one of his excellent amusing poems) before the formal finishing time at 10pm.
Tina said that unfortunately we don’t have enough singers to go ahead with Stanmer Park or Saddlescombe in September, but we are looking forward to Lewes Priory.
Dave T
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