Old Sussex Carols with Shirley Collins

Subject: Old Sussex Carols with Shirley Collins
From: Valmai Goodyear
Date: 23 Nov 14 - 09:19 AM

SHEPHERDS ARISE! OLD SUSSEX CAROLS, DANCE TUNES, READINGS & A MUMMERS' PLAY compered by SHIRLEY COLLINS

Shirley Collins introduces a selection of beautiful old West Gallery carols from Sussex accompanied by flute, fiddle, serpent, bassoon, clarinet, concertinas & recorder. Between the carols Shirley reads from Sussex authors and other country writers, and the musicians play lively dance tunes from old Sussex manuscripts. There is also a Sussex Mummers' play.

This is a lovely celebration of Christmas from earlier centuries, still full of the joy and delight it gave then.

St. Nicholas's Church, Saltdean
November 30th. 3.00 pm, free with collection

Lewes Saturday Folk Club , Elephant & Castle,
December 13th. 8.00 pm £6

Michelham Priory Great Barn
December 14th. 1.45 pm, included in Priory entrance fee

Weald & Downland Open Air Museum, Singleton,
December 21st. 2.00 pm, included in museum entrance fee

St. Michael's Church,High Street, Lewes
December 28th. 4.00 pm, free with collection

Valmai (Lewes)

Subject: RE: Old Sussex Carols with Shirley Collins
From: Valmai Goodyear
Date: 23 Nov 14 - 09:25 AM

Here's a YouTube video of a bit of our first performance at Lewes Saturday Folk Club last year. The conductor Stuart Walker has an amusing mishap, upon which Bob Lewis appears to cross himself and Will Duke lifts his music out of the way as if to say 'Well, you're not having mine'.

Shepherds Arise! at Lewes Saturday Folk Club


Valmai (Lewes)

Subject: RE: Old Sussex Carols with Shirley Collins
From: GUEST,Valmai Goodyear
Date: 02 Dec 14 - 02:59 AM

Here's a sample from our first outing at St. Nicholas's church, Saltdean, last Sunday:

While Shepherds Watched at Saltdean

Valmai (Lewes)

Subject: RE: Old Sussex Carols with Shirley Collins
From: bubblyrat
Date: 02 Dec 14 - 07:20 AM

Oddly , I grew up in Sussex (at Cowdray House ) and went to school in Easebourne and Midhurst ,but never once did I hear, or hear about , any Sussex carols ! My grandfather (and his ancestors) came from Wick and Lyminster , near Littlehampton , and he never mentioned them (carols ) either ! --must be a purely EAST Sussex tradition ??

Subject: RE: Old Sussex Carols with Shirley Collins
From: GUEST
Date: 04 Dec 14 - 10:21 AM

Not just East Sussex, but the the carols and dance tunes are from 18th. and 19th. century handwritten manuscripts mostly held at Barbican House, Lewes, by the Sussex Archaeological Society. In 1982 a selection of the dance tunes was assembled by Dr. Vic
Gammon and Anne Loughran and published as 'A Sussex
Tune Book' by the English Folk Dance & Song Society.

Dr. Gammon also researched the carols and gathered musicians and singers to perform them under the name 'Hope In The Valley' thirty-five years ago. Mary Motley directed Hope In The Valley when Dr. Gammon moved from Sussex.

The current group was assembled by Stuart Walker in 2013.
He has had to stand down for family reasons this year.
We are all grateful to him for bringing this beautiful
collection of old Sussex music back to life.

Bubblyrat, you must have heard 'The Sussex Carol' (On Christmas Night All Christians Sing)collected by Vaughan Williams in Horsham and included in his Fantasia on Christmas Carols, and the Horsham Mummers Carol (Whe Righteous Joseph Wedded Was). The others are more obscure.

Valmai (Lewes)

Subject: RE: Old Sussex Carols with Shirley Collins
From: GUEST,Valmai Goodyear
Date: 04 Dec 14 - 10:44 AM

Here the serpent comes into its own, playing The Cotillion from the Bosham Band (manuscript dated 1800):

Serpent solo

Valmai (Lewes)

Subject: RE: Old Sussex Carols with Shirley Collins
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 04 Dec 14 - 09:40 PM

I like that piece (the Cotillion) so much that I have made a MIDI file of it for posting here. Look for a thread called "Tune Add: the Serpent Cotillion."

I hope it isn't a known piece by somebody like Jeremiah Clarke and everybody knows it but me.

I looked for 'The Sussex Tunebook' online. Amazon wants $50 for a used copy.

Subject: RE: Old Sussex Carols with Shirley Collins
From: Valmai Goodyear
Date: 08 Dec 14 - 02:33 PM

Glad you like it, Leeneia!

Our next performance of Shepherds Arise is at Lewes Saturday Folk Club on Saturday 13th. December. As always, floor singers will be welcome and we will start off with a few English dance tunes for anyone with an instrument to join in.

Valmai (Lewes)

Subject: RE: Old Sussex Carols with Shirley Collins
From: GUEST,Valmai Goodyear
Date: 13 Dec 14 - 05:27 AM

We have two performances this weekend - tonight at Lewes Saturday Folk Club and tomorrow at 1.45 at http://sussexpast.co.uk/properties-to-discover/michelham-priory.

Valmai (Lewes)

Subject: RE: Old Sussex Carols with Shirley Collins
From: GUEST,Valmai Goodyear
Date: 14 Dec 14 - 06:10 AM

Here we are singing Shepherds Arise at Lewes Saturday Folk Club last night.

Off to Michelham Priory with the show this lunchtime.

Valmai (Lewes)

Subject: RE: Old Sussex Carols with Shirley Collins
From: Valmai Goodyear
Date: 14 Dec 14 - 12:55 PM

And here's the mumming play from last night (will Duke as King George, and a good heckle from Bob Lewis): Shepherds Arise Mumming Play

Our next outing is on 21st. December at the http://mudcat.org/blickifier2.cfm in Singleton, West Sussex, at 2.00 p.m.

Valmai (Lewes)

Subject: RE: Old Sussex Carols with Shirley Collins
From: Valmai Goodyear
Date: 14 Dec 14 - 01:21 PM

Sorry, that should be the Weald and Downland Museum at Singleton: Weald and Downland Museum

Valmai

Subject: RE: Old Sussex Carols with Shirley Collins
From: Valmai Goodyear
Date: 24 Dec 14 - 08:21 AM

Our last performance of the year will be on Sunday 28th. December at St. Michael's Church, High Street, Lewes, at 4.00 pm - free adminssion with a retiring collection for the church repair fund and refreshments served in the interval.

Here's a video taken by Trevor Curry of the introduction to the second half of the performance at the Weald & Downland Museum last week.

Adjutant Davies's Swiss Guards March

The tune is 'Adjutant Davies's Swiss Guards March' from an unpublished manuscript held by the Sussex Archaeological Society. It is in three-part harmony in the manuscript, which dates from about 1848.

Valmai (Lewes)

Subject: RE: Old Sussex Carols with Shirley Collins
From: Valmai Goodyear
Date: 24 Dec 14 - 08:29 AM

Note mistletoe sticking out of the end of the bassoon.

Valmai (Lewes)