Our September Events

Look and listen out for us next Sunday Sept. 4th at the Oldland Mill Open Day (nr. Keymer) - and the following Sunday at the Fernhurst Furnace Open day on Sept.11th.  

Continuing our weekly events this month, the Stanmer Village Fete comes next on Sunday the 18th, and towards the end of the month we're singing in Bognor at their very own "South Downs Music Festival" on Saturday September 24th.

Lots of lovely events to support, lots of South Downs songs to sing, and lots of chances for you to come along and see us!

Arundel Festival - amendment to our first Singing time on August 27th

The Festival organisers have today asked us to sing a little earlier than planned  - so we will now be singing in Tarrant Street, near the Nineveh Chapel, at 1.00 p.m.  not 1.30 as previously announced.

We will also be singing at 3.00p.m. in the sensory garden, as planned - it's called "The Pollinators Garden".

Hope you can find us in both of these lovely settings in Arundel - at 1.00 o'clock and again at 3.00!  See you there!

The "South Downs Folk Singers" at the Arundel Festival

This coming Saturday, August 27th, you can find a group of us in Arundel, singing in support of this year's Arundel Festival.  We will be singing at 1.30 p.m. in Tarrant Street and later at the Sensory Garden near the river at 3.00 p.m.  Come along, enjoy the festivities, and hear us sing our South Downs Songs - what better way to spend your Bank Holiday Saturday!

And if that's not fun enough, we'll be singing at various other events during September.  Starting on Sunday Sept. 4th - Oldland Mill near Keymer has invited us back, then heading west again we'll be making a return visit to the Fernhurst Furnace Open Day on the 11th.  Stanmer Village Fete is the place to be and hear us sing on the 18th - and last but far from least, we'll be singing at the South Downs Music Festival again in Bognor on the 24th.   

See more on our Diary Dates page - or if you need more details, or you'd like us to sing at an event,  just drop us a line (southdownsfolksingers21@gmail.com).

Come and See us, Hear us - and Join us!!

Chichester Local Group Report - Thursday August 19th 2022

Fifteen stalwart Chichester supporters plus Stanley the dog attended the August Chichester session and with Alan occasionally in charge and sometimes not, sung their way through the set list for the forthcoming Arundel Festival appearance.  During the first half these included:  "One for the Rook", "Ale Glorious Ale", "Lammas Carol", "Turnip Hoer" and "Fathom the Bowl".  It was decided to swap out "Oldland Mill" for something a bit more boisterous as singing conditions in Arundel could be tricky in view of a noisy background.  It was decided that "Twanky Dillo" would probably fit the bill. 

To enliven the evening, Alan introduced a humorous skit for all to sing based on the harvest song, Plough the Fields and Scatter (Harvest Moan by Sid Kipper) which was much appreciated and Gordon sang one of his incomparable compositions “Termite Hoer” – how did he manage to write a line with a perfect rhyme to Voice Activated…?

 

Alan called all to order and commenced on the second half of the evening, picking from the Arundel set.  "Oak & Ash & Thorn", "Sussex Wedding Song".  Everyone present seemed confident with the rest of the set, so there followed a variety of material for all to enjoy.  Dave G introduced a potential new song from the singing of The Copper Family "All the Young Brethren", to much general acclaim and Steve recorded it to put onto the potential new song list on the website.  He also gave a rousing rendition of a version of "John Barleycorn" as we are rapidly approaching the Autumn season and there was much discussion about differing versions!  Alan taught some lines from "All Among the Barley" as re-introduced by Emily at the last Worthing session and settled various differences of opinion about the tune!  He also tried out his own composition, "My Downland Remembered" and agreed with the suggestion that it could do with a chorus between verses.  "Searching for Lambs" followed by "The Parting Song" rounded off the evening in fine voice.

 

 

Lewes Local Group Report - Tuesday August 16th 2022

It was good to be back in The John Harvey Tavern after the heatwave forced us to abandon our July meeting.  Beryl and Amaryllis joined Angela and me on our journey over from Worthing and Jan arrived with her souvenir from dancing at Sidmouth Festival - a wrist in plaster; and Cathy and Karen finally managed to see what we were like having already sung in choirs with Mac, Margaret and Tina. So there were 12 singers but only 11 voices as poor Tina was still being very cautious after losing her voice to a nasty throat virus.  Nevertheless, she stoically led us through 15 songs especially those less familiar ones which we are more likely to use in performance situations:  "Pleasant and Delightful," "Ale Glorious Ale", "The Magpie", "Country Life", "Rosebuds in June", "The Smugglers Song", "The Nightingale" and "On Sussex Hills". We checked "Oldland Mill" and "Halnaker Mill" ready for the Open Day on 4^th September and practised "The Lammas Carol", "Hares on the Mountain" and "The Song of the Sussex Downsmen", before finishing with "The East Sussex Drinking Song" and "Thousands or More".

In September, we will meet a week earlier on 13^th not the 20^th so that we can rehearse before the Falmer/Stanmer event on September 18th (see the Diary Dates page on this Blog).

Worthing Local Group Report - Thursday August 4th 2022

After some notices to update plans for our public events from August to December - we launched our singing with "Oak and Ash and Thorn" which got our voices exercised and our hearts beating a little faster.  Keeping the upbeat mood "Jim the Carter Lad" followed, with the claps after "crack, crack" still proving a challenge for some!  Emily led us through the "Lammas Carol" and introduced some high and low harmonies which made it even lovelier. "Oldland Mill" came next, with "So now the sails are turning" needing some attention to stop the sails carrying us away into the tune of the chorus.  Spreading the beats in "tur-ur-ning" ensured we kept on track for the rest of the verse. "One for the Rook" went smoothly before we rehearsed "Searching for Lambs", a gentle song but still at a good pace, to help settle in the harmonies.  After a break we resumed with "Come Write Me Down" (otherwise known as "The Sussex Wedding Song") and another couple from the old song book: "Fathom the Bowl" and "Ale Glorious Ale".  Now that we're in August and the end of harvest approaches, Emily reminded us of another lovely song, "All Among the Barley", which we enjoyed reviving with hopes of using it at events as the seasons change.  We went back to the "Lammas Carol" plus harmonies again, before concluding with good old "Thousands or More".  Time had run out for any more, but we agreed to give space to "My Downland Remembered"(another of Alan's songs), and to trying the Copper Family's words to "Lark in the Morning", next month.  See you then!   

Our Next Public Event - Saturday July 30th

On Saturday July 30th you can see and hear us at the Weald and Downland Living Museum - singing songs about the life and work of South Downs folk, as our contribution to the museum's "LAMMAS" week-end event.  We will be singing at the North Cray house at 11.30 a.m. and again at 1.30 p.m. 

Lammas being "loaf mass", from times when bread made of grain from the early harvest was blessed and celebrated in church.  Harvest festival, as we still know it, came later in the year when harvesting for the rest of the growing season was finished and 'home'. 

Be mindful of the extra traffic likely from the nearby Goodwood race meeting this week-end - but not daunted by that, we look forward to seeing you at the Museum for another sunny sing in the South Downs!

(Details of our future events, and our regular meetings, later in August and into September, and beyond, can be found on the Diary Dates page of this Blog.)

Chichester Local Group Report - Thursday July 21st 2022

Our usual leaders, Alan and Dave, couldn't be there but our July's session at the "Chichester Inn” went ahead  - and we welcomed a new member, Roger. 

We'd agreed to concentrate on songs we like and, more importantly, know, and during the session we covered a good few from the list for the Weald and Downland Museum's Lammas event  at which the SDFS will be singing on July 30th - "On Sussex Hills”; "Rosebuds in June”; "Brisk Young Ploughboy”; "Green Grow the Laurels”; “Nightingale” ; "Country Life”; "One for the Rook” and "Farmers Toast”.  We also tried the newest ones: "Lammas Carol” and, rather less successfully, "Oldland Mill”.  Some other old  favourites were requested: “Three Maidens”; "Pleasant and Delightful”; "Rolling in the Dew” - and "Ebernoe Horn Fair”, which, as  Gordon reminded us, would be happening again as usual on July 25th. 

In a break from singing our South Downs songs, the beer drinkers were delighted by what the “Chichester Inn" had to offer this month, and we were all delighted by the beautiful song “Harbour” by Anna Tabbush, sung for us by Stephen, Sue and Viv.  (Stephen reported, Anna is a choir leader from Midhurst and she wrote “Harbour" in the wake of the Syrian crisis. Since the Ukraine crisis she has made the song available to download for free, only asking users to make a donation to the Refugee Council).  Gordon also entertained us with his song, "Site For Sore Eyes", about the Virgin Mary Spring in Petworth, which has now become a regular part of the annual  pilgrimage to the spring.   And when it came to closing the session, “Rolling Home” was again requested to send us on our way.  More next month!

Alert - the Lewes Local Group session tonight (July 19th) - has been cancelled

We're very sorry to say - because of the exceptional weather we're experiencing at the moment, we feel it best NOT to invite folks to travel to this month's regular early evening sing at the "John Harvey Tavern" in Lewes.  

As Tina, who leads the sessions in Lewes, says - "... it will still be 27 degrees at 5pm when people would be travelling to Lewes for a 6:30pm start .... I don't feel comfortable encouraging people to make what is officially classed as an unnecessary journey.  I'm therefore sadly going to cancel .... I'd rather think of the most vulnerable and be safe rather than sorry".

Many apologies for the short notice and for any disappointment or inconvenience caused to our loyal singers and any newcomers hoping to join us this evening.   We look forward to giving you all a very warm (but not uncomfortably hot) welcome again at our next Lewes session in August! 

Worthing Local Group Report - Thursday July 7th 2022

30 of us gathered on a warm summer evening to sing, learn and socialise. We welcomed John after his long absence and he updated everyone on the event programme he's been working on behind the scenes (all listed on the Diary Page of this Blog). Then, guided as ever by Emily, and with advice from Alan on his songs, we enjoyed songs old and new for the simple pleasure of singing them and also to polish some for performance at coming events.  "Jim the Carter Lad" got us moving, with the percussive addition of a hand-clap immediately after singing the word "crack" in the chorus. A bit of a challenge to start with but mastered by most!  Jim was followed by the "Brisk Young Ploughboy", before we spent time learning Alan's beautiful "Lammas Carol". Harmonies were considered but at this stage, and for performance on July 30th at the Weald and Downland Museum event, the melody was our priority.   "Green Grow the Laurels" was revived and enjoyed with a gusto befitting the 'deceived woman' it describes, before we calmed and continued with another new song "Oldland Mill", this time including the range of harmonies it offers.  A latish but well-earned break left us with a shortened second half.  We resumed by revisiting the "Lammas Carol", singing "One for the Rook" and revisiting "Oldland Mill" to consolidate our learning. The evening closed with another song we are beginning to learn, Alan's song "My Downland Remembered".  More on that next month we hope.  Thanks again to Emily, Alan, and everyone there.