Orpheus News Aberdeen Orpheus Choir 2011 March 2016 Ringing Praise A fillip as we move towards our summer concert, here s what Alan Cooper thought of the Orpheus Christmas concert at Craigiebuckler Church in December 2015: Aberdeen Orpheus Choir celebrate the 60th Anniversary of their foundation next year. As part of the celebrations, the Choir have invited Bob Chilcott to lead a special Come and Sing workshop on Saturday 28th May 2016. Like John Rutter, Bob Chilcott is renowned for his choral arrangements and he too has a fine portfolio of Christmas music. We were to hear three of his arrangements or compositions in Friday s Christmas Concert. Opening and closing the first half of the concert were two settings by another young composer Philip Stopford, Jubilate and Be Thou my Vision. As soon as the Orpheus Choir began singing Jubilate, the vim and vigour of their singing and the fine rapport of their vocal balance shone through. I was also impressed by Jane Murray s direction, not just beating time but discretely signalling entries to the various sections of the choir. Each section, even the men at the back responded with a will. They all seemed to be enjoying their singing so much and that was communicated to us in the audience. Be Thou my Vision, Stopford s second contribution was a fine setting particularly richly sung. 1
There were six carols where Jane Murray invited the audience to join in although in some we were required to sing only some of the verses. This was because some of these had very fine arrangements that deserved to be heard sung by the choir alone. Child in the Manger, specially arranged for the Orpheus Choir by Geoffrey Atkinson had marvellous organ interludes that were picked up in the harmonies for choir, and Good King Wenceslas arranged or should I really say recomposed by the late Jimmy Reith was absolutely marvellous so full of imaginative choral surprises. A couple of more mainstream classical items, The Sanctus and Benedictus from Charpentier s Messe de Minuit based on traditional French Carols and Handel s Declare His Honour were both particularly impressively sung. The three arrangements by Bob Chilcott were fascinating. There was Where riches is everlastingly with its lively percussion parts played by Graeme and Karen Morrice. The choir picked up on the rhythms and swung along with the drumming. Chilcott s setting of In the Bleak Midwinter; simply called Midwinter had delicious harmonic writing. No Christmas concert these days is complete without something by John Rutter and Angels' Carol, with lovely rippling piano accompaniments played by Erika Fairhead and firm delivery of the melody by both tenors and basses this was a real delight. Some of the carols had special accompaniments played by Rachel Groves on flute and Christopher Smith on oboe. Their playing added a special extra dimension to Charpentier s Sanctus and Benedictus and in the Welsh carol, Sleep away, my gentle child, Erika Fairhead on piano and Christopher Smith on oboe were joined by Karen Morrice on clarinet an attractive blend. Rachel and Christopher were splendid supporting the choir in Buxtehude s Jesu, meine Freude but they also had their own spots in each half of the concert. Christopher gave us a finely controlled version of the first movement from Marcello s Oboe Concerto in d minor with nice phrasing and nuanced dynamics and in the Allegro from the Concertino for Cor Anglais in G, he made his instrument sound splendidly lithe and limber. Rachel is a fine harp player as well as a flautist. Debussy s La Fille aux Cheveux de Lin on harp was a beautifully relaxed performance and her flute solo, O come, o come Emmanuel was wonderfully sinuous. For these instrumental solos Jane Murray provided the piano accompaniments. 2
I should mention another two particularly attractive pieces, Diamond Bright by Lin Marsh with fine singing from the altos and the Scots Nativity by Allan Bullard with lovely gentle singing from the whole choir. This most enjoyable Christmas concert concluded in joyous mood with Jingle Bells and then the second biggest earner in all music, White Christmas. The only tune to beat it is Happy Birthday. Perhaps we can all sing that to the Orpheus Choir next year? Rolling Back the Years Here s a lovely photo of the Orpheus from 1976, kindly supplied by Stella. Who do you recognise?! Orpheus Music A regular article where we look at pieces that the Orpheus have sung over the years. This month Malcolm Boyle s, Thou, O God, Art Praised in Sion. Born in Windsor in 1902, Malcolm Boyle was musical from a young age and served as a chorister at Eton College. As time passed, he gravitated towards the organ and became a pupil of Sir Walter Parratt of St. George s Chapel in Windsor. Boyle would continue his musical studies at Oxford and the Royal Academy of Music. His career in church 3
music started at the young age of 17 when he was appointed as organist and choirmaster of Holy Trinity Garrison Church in Windsor. He would go on to appointments at St. George s Chapel with his erstwhile teacher Walter Parratt and Chester Cathedral. For the last decade of his life, Boyle was the organist and choirmaster at his local church in the Cheshire village of Sandiway. He died in 1976. Alongside his organ and choirmaster duties, Boyle also composed music. Easily his most popular piece was, Thou, O God, are praised in Sion which is still in the musical repertoire of the Anglican Communion. For such a popular piece, its journey to publication was a strange one. Dr. George Guest, who was one of Boyle s choristers at Chester Cathedral, reconstructed the work from the late composer s manuscripts and it is this version that became a finally published edition. This anthem begins with an extended organ introduction, contrapuntal in form and celebratory in nature. The choral part of the work continues this strident feel with a setting of the text from Psalm 65. This is followed by a spare, lyrical setting of Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace... from Isaiah 26. Finally, the full choir returns in triumphant conclusion with Let the peoples praise Thee, O God from Psalm 67. If you would like to listen to the piece, there is a lovely rendition from Chester Cathedral from May 2015. If you re reading the electronic version of the newsletter click here to view it on Youtube. he cries of the fruit-sellers go back to the fourteenth century, if not earlier, and were to be heard throughout the year. In particular were they to be heard in summer, when strawberries, cherries, plums and other soft fruits were plentiful and cheap. Strawberries have always been a favourite fruit of the public, and the women who sold them did well while they lasted. What made the fruit appeal even more to the Londoners were the pretty baskets in which they were sold. They were made of find wicker and were known as pottles, as mentioned in the following Cry: Rare ripe strawberries and Hautboys, sixpence a pottle. Full to the bottom, hautboys. Strawberries and cream are charming and sweet, Mix them and try how delightfully they eat. 4
When first the pottles came out they were much admired; but later it became know that some of them were not as full as the hawkers claimed in their Cry What these dishonest strawberry-sellers did was to fill half the pottle with paper, another quarter with poorer strawberries, and put a few of the very best on top. Generally, though, the strawberry-sellers gave honest value. The earlier sellers carried their stock of fruit in large baskets on the head, and over their arms they hung the pottles ready for sale. Later, hand-barrows came into use; and still later the fruit was sold from stall. The Cry most familiar to Londoners ran: Ripe strawberries, a full pottle for a groat! They are all ripe and fresh gathered, as you see, No finer for money I believe can be bought; So I pray you come and deal fairly with me. Ripe strawberries. A groat a pottle to-day! Many thanks to Margaret Wood for providing that illuminating piece which links perfectly to our summer concert s Bob Chilcott centerpiece, Songs and Cries of London Town. 6 1 0 2-7 4 9 1 5
2016 Aberdeen Orpheus Choir Dates for the Diary Friday 1 st April Saturday 7 th May Civic Reception Town and County Hall 6.30 8pm (Partners invited) Concert Rubislaw Church hall 12.00 12.45pm Sunday 15 th May Friday 20 th May Wednesday 25 th May Rehearsal Rubislaw Church hall 2pm 5pm Christian Aid Concert Skene Parish Church 7.30pm Rehearsal Queens Cross Church 7.15pm Friday 27 th May Saturday 28 th May 60 th Anniversary Concert, Queens Cross Church 7.30pm Bob Chilcott Workshop Aberdeen International School 11am 4.30pm Saturday 5 th June Summer Concert at Aboyne followed by Supper HOLIDAYS!! 6