My Heart is Like A Singing Bird
As we are about to embark on our summer term, it feels like a good moment to take a look at what’s been going on for the choir.
In December, we had our first official concert with Jonathan as permanent Musical Director. It was an enjoyable affair, featuring Francis Poulenc‘s Quatre motets pour les temps de Noël and Missa O Magnum Mysterium by Tomás Luis de Victoria (for the full programme, visit our archive).
Though both pieces were a considerable challenge for the choir, we were equal to the task, delivering a solid performance on concert night. The Christmas concert is really the highlight of our year, it’s a wonderful jolly evening and really kickstarts the season for all of us. The choir’s traditional black attire is brightened with a splash of red for a festive touch. And there’s a raffle, with great prizes just in time for Christmas gifts or tipples!
We had our annual carolling session later in December. Always a fun evening, we sing outside a couple of tube stations in the City near our rehersal venue, before adjourning to our favourite pub The Ship. This year they had us sing a rousing rendition of the Twelve Days of Christmas, and the locals joined in at the top of their voices.
This year’s spring term saw an eclectic programme of spirituals and shorter pieces bookended by more traditional fare in the form of Jan Dismas Zelenka‘s Nisi Dominus and Jesu Meine Freude by Johann Sebastian Bach. The Bach was a really fun challenge for the term. There were those who at one point thought it might be too much for our small but mighty group, but in the end we came through admirably as we always do.
It was truly enjoyable to learn a piece of that calibre, but the real fun of the term was the spirituals and smaller pieces. A personal favourite was a setting by Becky McGlade of Christina Rossetti’s poem A Birthday. We’ve spoken before in this blog about the fine poetry we’ve had the fortune to sing throughout the years, and this is another glorious instance. Take a look at the full poem:
My heart is like a singing bird
Whose nest is in a water'd shoot;
My heart is like an apple-tree
Whose boughs are bent with thickset fruit;
My heart is like a rainbow shell
That paddles in a halcyon sea;
My heart is gladder than all these
Because my love is come to me.
Raise me a dais of silk and down;
Hang it with vair and purple dyes;
Carve it in doves and pomegranates,
And peacocks with a hundred eyes;
Work it in gold and silver grapes,
In leaves and silver fleurs-de-lys;
Because the birthday of my life
Is come, my love is come to me.
The imagery really sings, if you’ll pardon the pun. It effuses with springtime and colourful impressions, it paints a picture we’d like to jump into like in Mary Poppins.
We often have baked contributions from choir members to sell as refreshments during concerts, and one member was inspired by these lines to create pomegranate tarts to share.
McGlade’s setting is very sweet, with just a small amount of cello accompaniment. It really complements this beautiful poem. And there’s more poetry on the way, as our summer term is inspired by Shakespeare. Watch this space.
Before we broke up for Easter, we hosted a choral workshop where we learned and performed Joseph Haydn’s Seven Last Words from the Cross in a single afternoon. This piece was completely unknown to all the choir, and it was a very enjoyable day all around.
And while the music is always interesting and a great learning experience, our choral workshops are always worth it for the refreshments alone – thanks to all the members who contributed home baked delicacies for the consumption of our guests. If you’ve ever considered joining us for a choral workshop, hopefully this has convinced you for next time – keep an eye on our Events page for the next one!
There’s lots to look forward to, with the aforementioned Shakespeare-themed summer term about to kick off and our away weekend in September beginning to take shape. We’ll be sure to post again soon to tell you all about it!