Festival of Village Carols 2016 (sold out)
Saturday 3 December 2016, 9.30 am – 11.30 pm
Grenoside Community Centre, Main Street, Grenoside, Sheffield S35 8PR
The twelfth festival to celebrate the remarkable carol singing traditions which flourish in the communities near Sheffield and beyond .
Our Guests
The Odcombe Carollers from Somerset
The Coal Aston Carollers from Derbyshire
The Carollers from the George, Upper Denby, West Yorkshire
During the day workshops will be held to help participants learn the singing parts of fifteen favourite carols from the core repertoire of the north-west of the city and other neighbouring districts. No special expertise is required; just enthusiasm for the carols and a willingness to join in. All the carols will be pitched to fall within the range of normal voices (as in the pubs).
Instrumentalists will be able to learn to play the accompaniments, including the symphonies, in parts (string/woodwind). These have been specially prepared and are based on the manuscripts used by village carol bands in South Yorkshire, such as the legendary ‘Big Set’. This carol party from Wadsley, Worrall, and Oughtibridge toured their district each Christmas from the 1870s up until the Second World War.
Here’s what we plan to sing.
From The Sheffield Book of Village Carols
‘Old Christians’, ‘Awake and Arise’, ‘Cranbrook’, ‘New Celestial’, ‘Another Year Has Passed Away’, ‘Realms of Glory’, ‘Mount Moriah’, ‘New Hark’ (Green Moor), and ‘Merry Christmas’,
From The Derbyshire Book of Village Carols
‘Once More’ (Foolow), ‘Prince of Orange’ (Castleton), and ‘Rolling Downwards’ (Hathersage)
From the 2016 Festival of Village Carols Programme
‘Ring on Ye Merry Bells’, ‘Shepherds Flock’, and ‘Jesu Lover of my Soul’ (all from Worsbrough and Birdwell)
An illustrated talk will be given by Ian Russell entitled ‘A Short History of the Festival of Village Carols’. The day will come to a climax with a ‘Grand Sing’ featuring the carols tackled during the day plus guest spots for contributions from the different villages. These include the Carollers from the George in Upper Denby, the Coal Aston Carollers from Derbyshire, and the Odcombe Carollers from Somerset.
The festival is supported by the West Gallery Music Association, whose members are noted for their expertise in singing and playing this type of music on instruments from the Church Gallery period.
A lunch will be available during the day but must be pre-booked, and there will be refreshments and a ‘real ale’ bar. We intend to make it an unforgettable occasion with all the atmosphere, informality and friendliness of the best pub sessions. We hope that you can come.