Eleven singers (six male and five female) came to the Lewes Arms so a good and balanced number. We took it in turns to choose from the sixty-three songs on the reflective, remembrance, cold weather, Christmas and wassailing seasonal list.
We sang through without a break so at the start we discussed the next session here on Monday December 15th when we will be leading carols and seasonal songs in the pub downstairs, and the lunchtime event at Brighton Unitarian Church on Friday February 6th where the programme contains songs of reflection, winter and wassailing.
Our singing started with one of the final remembrance songs of the year “Home Lads Home” which as well as the lost Hampshire farm labourers remembers the 8 million horses, mules and donkeys lost in World War One. We then turned to Christmas with the newer folk tune for “Hark the Herald Angels Sing”, the general traditional ballad “Hard Times of Old England” and the seasonal “Stir Up”, a round concerning the last Sunday before Advent when Christmas puddings are made and left to mature (this year on November 23rd).
Continuing to jump around themes according to singers’ individual choices we sang the Christmassy “Boar’s Head Carol” and “Masters in this Hall” then “All Things are Quite Silent” (remembrance of a sailor pressganged into war from the point of view of his heartbroken wife), “In the Bleak Mid-Winter”, “Brave Eleven” (a poignant true story of a shipwreck off Shoreham), and “Follow Me ’Ome”(back to remembrance, with Kipling’s tale of soldiers mourning a fallen comrade).
We rounded off a lovely evening with more Christmas and wassailing numbers – the West Country guest song “Wassail the Silver Apple”, “Ditchling Carol” and “Coppers’ Christmas Song”.
We’d spent some time trying out harmonies for several of these songs and agreed it would be good to explore these further in future. A member mentioned that she has now moved from the outskirts back into central Lewes and could offer her home for small practice sessions including harmony workshops, so we will compare diaries to suggest some dates for the less busy months in the New Year and spring.
As mentioned above, our next session will be on Monday December 15th. We will start upstairs as usual at 7 for 7:30 with some general songs and then move to the pub downstairs to lead the carol singing from 8:30pm until 10pm. New members are always welcome to join us, whether seasoned performers or new singers, and this will be a good opportunity if you just want to listen in the background or sing along (word sheets provided). Email us if you want to know more or just turn up on the night.
Tina
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