Concert 6th December

Our winter concert was a great success...we had a small, but very appreciative, audience including some new faces...and enjoyed a wonderful evening of music-making. If you weren't there...here's what you missed:

Programme

'Mack the Knife' from 'The Threepenny Opera' – Kurt Weill (Arr. H. Brammer)

The Broken Consort

'Tango Ballad' from 'The Threepenny Opera' – Kurt Weill (Arr. H. Brammer)

The Broken Consort

'Plaisir d'Amour' – Martini (Arr. H. Brammer)

Penny (Flute); Margaret ('Cello) & Imogen (Piano)

'Vivace & Allemande Allegro' from Sonata in F major – Schickhardt

Heather (Flute); Imogen (Treble Recorder); Annabel (Oboe); Margaret ('Cello) & Joan (Piano)

'Sarabande' (from '11^th Suite') – Handel (Arr. H. Brammer)

Judy (Flute); George, Maureen (Treble Recorders); Theresa, Dermot (Clarinets); Kath, John (Violins); & Mike (Bassoon)

 'Adagio ma non tanto & Allegro' from Sonata in F – J. S. Bach

George (Treble Recorder) & Joan (Piano)

'1920's Ragtime Bassoons' – Mike Walton

Mike (Bassoon); Helen (Bass Clarinet); Margaret ('Cello); & Diana (Double Bass)

'Rondeaux – Allegretto' from 'Kegelstatt Trio' – Mozart

Helen (Clarinet); Polly (Viola); & Angela (Piano)

'Let It Snow!/Winter Wonderland' (Arr. James Hayes)

Heather (Flute); Annabel (Oboe); Theresa, Dermot (Clarinets); & Mike (Bassoon)

'Les Patineurs (The Skaters)' – Waldteufel (Arr. H. Brammer)

The Broken Consort

I've been uploading all of the videos of the performances to our YouTube Channel...in fact that's the reason for the delay in posting this...I was waiting until I'd done them all, but had rather a lot of problems uploading the last couple of files, but I think that's fixed now, and I shall be uploading the last video tonight...click here to go stright to our channel.

Of course there was an after-concert party, hosted by Angela & Mike (thank you!), where much delicious food (and drink!) was consumed...and most exciting of all...I was presented with the most fabulous gift for us all:
 

Broken Consort pencils!

I shall be handing these out to everyone at the start of next term...now there'll be no excuse for not having a pencil handy!  

Merry Christmas & a Happy New Year to all of you...I'll be back after our first class of next term on January 10th 2013.

Class - November 29th

This was the last class before our end of term concert, so there was lots to do! We put the finishing touches to our full ensemble pieces ('Mack the Knife', 'Tango Ballad' and 'Les Patineurs'), then whizzed through the small group items...we even had time for a few 'just for fun' pieces too!

Here's what we played:

• 'Kegelstatt Trio' by Mozart - Helen, Polly & Angela 
• 'Plaisir d'amour' by Martini - Penny, Margaret & Imogen 
• Sonata in F major by Schickhardt - Heather, Imogen, Margaret & Joan
• 'Sarabande' from 'Suite 11' by Handel - Judy, George, Maureen, Dermot, Kath, John & Mike
• 'Let it Snow/Winter Wonderland' (Arr. James Hayes) - Heather, Annabel, Theresa, Dermot & Mike
• 'Orpheus Fantasy' by Offenbach (Arr. Jan van der Goot) - George, Maureen, Judy, Helen, Kath, John, Polly & Angela
• 'Sleigh Ride' by Leroy Anderson (Arr. Jan van der Goot) - George, Maureen, Judy, Helen, Kath, John, Polly & Angela
• ;Let It Snow' by Sammy Cahn (Arr. Jan van der Goot) - George, Maureen, Judy, Helen, Kath, John, Polly & Angela

Class - November 22nd

We're into the final preparations for our end of term concert now...the large ensemble pieces ('Les Patineurs' (by Waldteufel), 'Mack the Knife' and 'Tango Ballad' (by Kurt Weill) are sounding good...and we were busy practising lots of the smaller group pieces too.

Small group items:

• 'Kegelstatt Trio' by Mozart - Helen, Polly & Angela 
• 'Plaisir d'amour' by Martini - Penny, Margaret & Imogen 
• 'Let it Snow/Winter Wonderland' (Arr. James Hayes) - Heather, Annabel, Theresa, Dermot & Mike
• Quintet in F by Pepusch - George, Maureen, Judy, Kath, John & Joan

Class - 15th November

Ooops...totally forgot to do this (again!).
With the concert only a couple of weeks away, everything is coming together nicely...and we even managed to get through the opening section of 'Les Patineurs' without me stamping my foot to keep us in time! 

Small group items:

• '1920's Ragtime Bassoons' by Mike Walton - Mike, Helen, Margaret & Diana
• Sonata in F major by Schickhardt - Heather, Imogen, Margaret & Joan
• 'Sarabande' from 'Suite 11' by Handel - Judy, George, Maureen, Dermot, Kath, John & Mike
• 'Allegro molto' by Beethoven (Arr. H. Brammer) - Penny, Polly, Theresa & Angela

Class & AGM - 8th November

We were at full capacity at last week's class...we even had another prospective new member (Maureen on treble recorder) too! So, we were able to make good progress with our full group pieces...and also managed to whizz through lots of the small ensemble items for next month's concert before a record-breaking AGM - all done in 15 minutes...perhaps aided by some yummy belgium chocolates!

Small group items:

• 'Kegelstatt Trio' by Mozart - Helen, Polly & Angela
• 'Five Gershwin Melodies for Four Woodwinds' (Arr. Denwood ) - Heather, Diana, Theresa & Mike
• 'Sarabande' from 'Suite 11' by Handel - Judy, George, Maureen, Dermot, Kath, John & Mike
•  Sonata in F major by Schickhardt - Heather, Imogen, Annabel & Joan
• 'Plaisir d'amour' by Martini - Penny, Margaret & Imogen

Class - 1st November

Well...I didn't expect to spend the whole evening sat at a piano, but as we were (almost) pianist-less at last Thursday's class, that's what happened! Despite my best efforts to distract everyone with my piano playing...(well I was reading the parts off the score...with many, many pages!)...we managed to rehearse everthing, although it did sound rather 'empty' in places, as we were missing rather a lot of players.

Small group items:

• Boismortier Sonata in D minor & Corelli 'Air & Dance' - Penny, John, Theresa, Dermot & Helen
• J. C. Bach Quintet in C major - Heather, Judy, Kath, Polly, Margaret & Imogen

In other news...it's our AGM during the next class.

Class - 18th October

We were a rather depleted group at last night's class...but we battled on regardless with final versions of 'Les Patineurs' by Waldteufel, and 'Tango Ballad' & 'Mack the Knife' from Weill's 'Threepenny Opera' ...with all the expression and articulation added.

Small group items:

• Concerto in A minor by Vivaldi - Imogen, Kath, Diana & Angela
• Trio Sonata in D minor by Schwartzkopff - Penny, Judy & Joan
• 'Tritsch-Tratsch Polka' by Johann Strauss (Arr. Holcombe & Holcombe Jnr.) - Helen, Theresa, Dermot & Mike

It's our half-term break next week, so our next class will be on November 1st.

Class - 11th October

We had some more new ensemble music at last Thursday's class...which is always exciting...another Kurt Weill song...'Mack the Knife' (from the 'Threepenny Opera')...and the other two pieces are progressing well.

Small group items:

• Sonata in F major by Schickhardt - Heather, Imogen, Annabel & Joan
• Concerto in A minor by Telemann - Penny, Judy, Polly, Theresa, Kath, John, Dermot & Angela
• '1920's Ragtime Bassoons' by Mike Walton - Mike, Helen, Margaret & Diana

In other news...the videos on our YouTube Channel..went over 3000 views this week! 

Class - 4th October

Oops...just realised that I hadn't written about last Thursday's class!

We carried on working 'Les Patineurs' and the 'Tango Ballad'...although we were a couple of members down - I knew it was too good to last! There should be some more new music for the next class...

Small group items:

• Trio Sonata in G minor by Corelli - Kath, John, Theresa, Mike & Joan
• Sonata da camera in Bb major by Janitsch - George, Imogen, Judy, Maragret & Angela
• Concerti for Five Flutes by Boismortier - Heather, Penny, Diana, Polly & Helen

Class - 27th September

We had a full house at this week's class...which is almost unheard of for so early in the term! We continued work on 'Les Patineurs', and also the first of a collection of songs from 'The Threepenny Opera' by Kurt Weill...'Tango Ballad'...which is something a little bit different for us.

Small group items:

• 'A Musical Joke' by Mozart (Arr. Jane Gannaway) - Penny, Judy & Dermot
• Sonata in C minor by Schickhardt - George, Imogen, Annabel, Margaret & Joan
• 'Adagio Cantabile (Mrs Winslow's Soothing Syrup)' by Elgar - Heather, Diana, Helen, Theresa & Mike
• Quartet in C minor by Janitsch - Kath, John, Polly & Angela

Class - 20th September

We had our first class of the term on Thursday...we started work on a new piece 'Les Patineurs' (The Skaters) by Waldteufel...and welcomed a potential new member...John on violin. 'Les Patineurs' skated along nicely...despite the tricky changes of key and numerous repeats...and we didn't scare John off...so all in all it was a very successful evening!

Small group items:

• 'Five Gershwin Melodies for Four Woodwinds' (Arr. Denwood ) - Heather, Diana, Theresa & Mike
•  Sonata for Four Treble Recorders by Paisible - George, Penny, Judy, John, Margaret & Joan
• 'Kegelstatt Trio' by Mozart - Helen, Polly & Angela

Summer Music @ Judy's

We had our last summer music session of the year last night, at Judy's new house. I think she must have chosen it for the lovely large room we had to play in, which was just as well as there was rather a lot of us to accommodate! In keeping with tradition, we each selected a piece to play at random, from our ever-increasing libray!

Here's what we played:

• 'Allegro Assai' from Brandenburg Concerto No. 2 by J.S. Bach
• 'Andante' from Symphony No. 94  ('Surprise') by Haydn
• 'Hallelujah Chorus' from 'The Messiah' by Handel
• 'Romance' from 'Eine Kleine Nachtmusik' by Mozart
• 'My Bonny Boy' from 'Folk Song Suite' by Vaughan Williams
• 'Mesto' from 'English Dances' by Malcolm Arnold
• 'Marche Militaire' by Schubert
• 'Toccata' from 'Pulcinella' by Stravinsky
• 'Rondo' from 'Eine Kleine Nachtmusik' by Mozart
• 'Scilienne' by Faure
• 'The Ashokan Farewell' by Jay Ungar
• 'Allegro risoluto' from 'English Dances' by Malcolm Arnold
• Overture to 'The Marriage of Figaro' by Mozart

And after all that lot, we had earned our feast! Thank you to Judy for hosting a most enjoyable evening!

A quick reminder before I go, that our new term begins on Thursday 20th September.

Summer Music @ Annabel's

We had our second summer music gathering of the holiday last night, this time hosted by Annabel. Again the music was selected at random...here's what we played:

• 'Tirolese' from 'Soirees Musicales' by Benjamin Britten
• 'Promenade' from 'Pictures at an Exhibition' by Mussorgsky
• 'Chanson de Matin' by Elgar
•  'Waltz' by Shostakovich
• 'Sinfonia' from 'Pulcinella' by Stravinsky
• 'Polka' from 'Jazz Suite No. 1' by Shostakovich
• 'Minuetto' from 'L'Arlesienne' by Bizet
• 'Capriol Suite' by Peter Warlock
• 'Allegro moderato' from 'Brandenburg Concerto No. 3' by J. S. Bach
• 'Peer Gynt Suite No. 1' by Greig

After playing, we enjoyed a delicious feast...I don't have a photo of us this time, but did snap the cakes before they were devoured!

Thanks for a lovely evening Annabel...see (some of) you again next week!

Summer Music @ Heather's

We had our first 'Summer Music' session of the holiday last night, hosted by Heather. It was a lovely evening, and we entertained Heather's neighbours with a selection of some of our old favourites...picked at random. Here's what we played:

• 'Allegro Assai' from 'Brandenburg Concerto No.2' by J S Bach
• 'Hallelujah Chorus' from 'The Messiah' by Handel
• 'Folksongs from Somerset' from 'English Folksong Suite by Vaughan Williams
• 'Wedding Day at Troldhaugen' by Grieg
• 'Sicilienne' by Faure
• 'Romance' from 'Eine Kleine Nachtmusik'by Mozart
• 'Chanson de Nuit' by Elgar
• 'Overture' to Suite in B minor by J S Bach
• 'Alla hornpipe' from 'The Water Music' by Handel
• Overture to 'The Marriage of Figaro' by Mozart

After the music making, there was of course some food and drink to be enjoyed...a most delicious spread! You can see the aftermath in this panoramic photo below:

(Click the photo for a better view)

Thank you to Heather for a wonderful evening...I can confirm that you will recieve a 5* rating!

PS - I have updated the dates for next term on the 'Term Dates' page (click the tab at the top of the page to view).

YouTube Update

Just a quick post to say that all of the videos from our concert last week have now found their way on to our YouTube Channel...click the icon below to go straight there.

Concert - 12th July

We enjoyed a wonderful evening of music making last night at our summer concert. Our audience was rather 'select', but appreciative nonetheless - thank you to those of you who braved the monsoon like conditions to support us! If you weren't there, here's what we played:

Programme

'Olympic Fanfare & Theme' – John Williams (Arr. H. Brammer)

The Broken Consort

'Serenade' – Derek Bourgeios (Arr. H. Brammer)

The Broken Consort

'Conversations 1, 2 & 3' for Two Flutes – Richard Rodney Bennett

Penny Layland & Judy Skelton (Flutes)

'Andante & Allegro' from Sonata in G major – Fasch

Heather Loebl & Helen Brammer (Flutes); Imogen Locke (Treble Recorder); Margaret Willson ('Cello) & Joan Goodall (Piano)

'Allegro' (from Sonata K279) – Mozart (Arr. James 'Red' McLeod)

Helen Brammer, Theresa Hitching & Dermot Stone (Clarinets)

'Valse Harmonique' – Simon Ballard

Heather Loebl (Flute; Helen Brammer (Clarinet); & Angela Ayton (Piano)

'Adagio & Rigadon' from Sonata in D minor – Schickhardt

Judy Skelton (Flute); Diana Locke (Tenor Recorder); Kath Russell (Violin); Mike Winterburn (Bassoon); & Angela Ayton (Piano)

'The Witches Frolic' – Granville Bantock

Margaret Willson ('Cello); Mike Winterburn (Bassoon); & Helen Brammer (Bass Clarinet)

'Allegro moderato' from Sonata in Bb major – Janitsch

Penny Layland (Flute); Annabel Crowe (Oboe); Polly Kaufmann (Viola); & Imogen Locke (Piano)

Tarantelle Italienne – Léon d'Ourville

Angela Ayton & Imogen Locke (Piano)

'Crown Imperial' – William Walton (Arr. H. Brammer)

The Broken Consort

There was, of course, an after concert party where much delicious food was consumed - thanks to our hosts Angela and Mike for a lovely end to the evening.

I filmed the concert, and have already edited some of the footage and uploaded it to our YouTube channel, the rest will be added over the next few days - I'll post a message on here once they've all been uploaded.

Class - 5th July

**Apologies...I wrote and (I thought) published this on Saturday, but just discovered it was still a draft post***

It was our last rehearsal before the concert on Thursday, so it was all systems go! We began by rehearsing our large ensemble pieces...I filmed those, and will be adding the videos to our YouTube Channel soon. Then we managed to whizz through nearly all of the small group pieces too:

• Sonata in G major by Fasch - Heather, George, Imogen, Margaret & Joan
• 'Allegro' (from Sonata K279) by Mozart (Arr. James 'Red' McLeod) - Helen, Theresa & Dermot
• 'Valse Harmonique' by Simon Ballard - Heather, Helen & Angela
• Sonata in D minor by Schickhardt - Judy, Diana, Kath, Mike & Angela
• Sonata in Bb major by Janitsch - Penny, Annabel, Polly & Imogen

Class - June 28th

Sorry this is so late...I've been having a few problems with my internet, but fingers crossed it's sorted now! Anyway, there was some serious rehearsing going on at this week's class...the concert is drawing near, and we almost had a 'full house'.  Our large ensemble pieces are almost there, we're just putting the finishing touches to those...although we've not heard them with everyone present yet, and there's only one more rehearsal before the concert!

Small group items:

• 'Allegro' (from 'Sonata K279') by Mozart (Arr. James 'Red' McLeod) - Helen, Theresa & Dermot
• Sonata in G major by Fasch - Heather, George, Imogen, Maragret & Joan
• Sonata in D minor by Schickhardt - Diana, Kath, Mike & Angela
• Sonata in Bb major by Janitsch - Penny, Annabel & Polly

Class - 21st June

We worked hard on our large ensemble pieces again last night...although we've still not managed to have a rehearsal with everyone present. They've all improved greatly from our first readings - it was even remarked that our 'Olympic Fanfare & Theme' was "rather stirring in places"!

Small group items:

• 'Prelude & Fugue' (Book 1, No. 24) by J. S. Bach - Judy, Diana & Mike
• Sonata in Bb major by Janitsch - Penny, Annabel, Polly & Imogen
• Sonata in D minor by Boismortier - George, Kath, Theresa & Joan
• 'Valse Harmonique' by Simon Ballard* - Heather, Helen & Angela

*See this link for information on Simon Ballard

Class - 14th June

We were almost up to 'full strength' at this week's rehearsal...and we spent lots of time working on our large ensemble pieces...'Crown Imperial', 'Olympic Fanfare & Theme' and 'Serenade'...with all the expression added, they're beginning to sound good!

Small group items:

• 'TheWitches Frolic' by Granville Bantock - Margaret, Mike & Helen
• Sonata in G major by Fasch - Heather, George, Imogen & Joan
• Sonata in D minor by Schickhardt - Judy, Diana, Kath & Angela
• 'Dance of the Hours' by Ponchielli (from the 'Fairwind Foursomes' Arr. Terry Kenny) - Penny, Annabel, Theresa & Dermot

Class - 31st May

We were greeted by a bellowing organ on arrival in the Church last last night...I thought we'd attracted a new member, but it was merely the Church's organist trying to get to grips with the new electric beast before this Sunday's service! There were lots more notes to get through this evening...with yet more 'Crown Imperial' and a finalised 'Olympic Fanfare & Theme'. I seem to have created a couple of monsters...but I'm sure with a bit of practise, they'll come good in the end!

Small group items:

• 'Allegro' (from 'Sonata K279') by Mozart (Arr. James 'Red' McLeod) - Helen, Theresa & Dermot
• Trio Sonata in D minor by Quantz - Heather, Annabel, Mike & Angela
• Concerto No. 5 by Pepusch - Imogen, Penny, Diana, Kath, Margaret & Joan

It's half-term for us next week...so, see you in a fortnight.

Class - 24th May

We were reunited at this week's class, and were able to continue rehearsing our large ensemble pieces...we've made it to the end of the 'Olympic Fanfare & Theme'  (more or less in one piece!), but 'Crown Imperial' is still to be continued...

Small group items:

• 'Allegro' (from 'Sonata K279') by Mozart (Arr. James 'Red' McLeod) - Helen, Theresa & Dermot
• Quartet in G major by Telemann - Imogen, Diana, Kath, Mike & Angela
• Sonata in F major by Schickhardt - Heather, Penny, Helen, Margaret & Joan

Class - 17th May

We weren't in our usual rehearsal venue this week. Instead, we were split between two of our members' houses...which meant that we were unable to rehearse as a whole group, but that didn't mean that we were slacking:

At Angela & Mikes:

• Cocerto in C by Vivaldi - Heather, Theresa, Polly, Mike & Angela
• 'Minuet' from Divertimento No. 3 by Mozart - Polly, Theresa & Mike
• 'Aria' by Ibert; 'Valse Harmonique' by Simon Ballard; & 'Tarentelle' by Gaubert - Heather, Helen & Angela

At Kath's:

• Sonata by Marcello - Judy, Diana, Kath, Margaret & Joan
• 'Mandoline' by Debussy; 'Two Cuban Dances' by Cervantes; 'Sailor's Hornpipe' by Wyver; and 'The Swan' by Saint-Saens - Penny, Dermot & Imogen
• Trio Sonata in C minor by Quantz - Penny, Diana, Margaret & Imogen
• Sonata in D minor by Boismortier - Judy, Kath, Dermot & Joan  

Class - 10th May

We almost had a 'full house' at this week's class, and are making real progress with our large ensemble pieces. We picked up speed in 'Crown Imperial', and even the rhythms in 'Olympic Fanfare & Theme' seemed less daunting a week on!

Small group items:

• Sonata for Four Treble Recorders by Paisible - Imogen, Penny, Judy, Diana & Joan
• 'Allegro molto' by Beethoven (Arr. H. Brammer) - Heather, Annabel, Kath, Theresa, Dermot & Angela
• 'The Witches Frolic' by Granville Bantock - Margaret, Mike & Helen

Next week's class should be interesting - we're split between two locations again!

Class - 3rd May

We encountered some rather challenging rhythms at this week's class, as we began working on the 'Olympic Fanfare & Theme' by John Williams (composed for the opening ceremony of the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics)...but I'm sure we'll work them out by the concert! We also continued with the Bourgeois 'Serenade' and Walton's 'Crown Imperial' - which we even attempted a little faster!

Small group items:

• Quintet in G major by J. C. Bach - Penny, Diana, Kath, Polly, Mike & Angela
• Concerto in A minor by Vivaldi - Imogen, Judy, Helen & Joan
• Gavotte No. 1 (from French Suite in G major) by J. S. Bach (Arr. Neil Butterworth) - Theresa, Anya & Dermot

Class - 26th April

Sorry this is so late...I just haven't had a moment to sit and write until now.
We began the new term with an old favourite (for most people)...'Serenade' by Derek Bourgeois (written in 1965 for those who were wondering)...and a new piece 'Crown Imperial' by William Walton (in honour of the Queen's Diamond Jubilee)...we will also have an Olympic themed piece too, but that's not ready yet.

Smaall group items:

• 'Dance a Cachucha' (from 'The Gondoliers') by Arthur Sullivan - Penny, Annabel, Dermot & Mike
• Concerto in A minor by Telemann - Imogen, Judy, Diana, Theresa, Kath, Helen, Margaret & Joan
• Trio Sonata in D major by Telemann - Helen, Polly & Angela

YouTube Update

I know it's taken me a while, but all of the videos from last term's concert are now ready to watch on our YouTube Channel - click the logo below to go straight to our channel:

Don't forget, the first class of the Summer term is on Thursday 26th April.

Concert - 22nd March

What a lovely evening we had last night...the weather was warm...the music was good...and the audience was large - perhaps swelled by those coming to support the Songbyrds, with whom we shared the concert.

If you weren't there...here's what you missed:

Programme

'Fantasia on Greensleeves' - Vaughan Williams (Arr. H. Brammer)

The Broken Consort

'Scottish Dance No. 3' – Malcolm Arnold (Arr. H. Brammer)

The Broken Consort

'It Don't Mean a Thing' – Duke Ellington

'California Dreamin'' – The Mamas & The Papas

'Fields of Gold' - Sting

The Songbyrds

Directed by Benjamin Cox, accompanied by Jonathan Pease (Piano)

'Grave, Largo & Allegro' from Trio Sonata in G minor – Telemann

Imogen Locke (Treble Recorder); Diana Locke (Tenor Recorder); Margaret Willson ('Cello); & Joan Goodall (Piano)

'Scherzo & Trio in G minor' – Schubert (Arr. Emerson)

Heather Loebl, Penny Layland (Flutes); Polly Kaufmann (Oboe); Helen Brammer, Theresa Hitching (Clarinets); & Mike Winterburn (Bassoon)

'Andante & Allegro Moderato' from 'London Trio No. 1 – Haydn

Heather Loebl, Judy Skelton (Flutes); & Margaret Willson ('Cello)

 

'42^nd Street' – Harry Warren

'Hallelujah' – Leonard Cohen

'Close to You' – Burt Bacharach

The Songbyrds

Directed by Benjamin Cox, accompanied by Jonathan Pease (Piano)

'Largo, Adagio & Allegro' from Quintet in F – Pepusch

Judy Skelton, Penny Layland (Flutes); George Goodall (Treble Recorder); Diana Locke (Tenor Recorder); Margaret Willson ('Cello); & Imogen Locke (Piano)

Concerto in D minor – Telemann

Emily Johnson, Kath Russell (Violins); Polly Kaufmann (Viola); Margaret Willson ('Cello); & Angela Ayton (Piano)

'Golden Slumbers' & 'Charlie is my Darling' from 'Four Old Tunes – Gordon Jacob

Heather Loebl (Flute); Annabel Crowe (Oboe); Theresa Hitching (Clarinet); & Mike Winterburn (Bassoon)

'Chariots Comin'!'

'Moon River' – Henry Mancini

'If My Friends Could See Me Now' – Cy Coleman

The Songbyrds

Directed by Benjamin Cox, accompanied by Jonathan Pease (Piano)

'Irish Tune from County Derry' & 'Shepherd's Hey' – Percy Grainger (Arr. H. Brammer)

The Broken Consort

I will be uploading the footage to our YouTube Channel as soon as I can...please bear with me - it's not a quick process! 

I'll be back to let you all know when the videos are all uploaded, but for now I'd just like to say thank you to everyone for your hard work again this term and making the concert such a success!

Final preparations...

We've all been working hard this week getting ready for our concert tonight...even our youngest member joined in with a last minute rehearsal to make sure everything goes well!

The concert programmes have been printed and folded...the cakes have been made:

**Edited to add - sorry Lola...but the little tin was for Judy who was travelling down to Plymouth on the sleeper train after the concert last night...and therefore missing the party :0( **

And I'm looking forward to a lovely evening of wonderful music and good company...I'll be back tomorrow with my 'post match' report!

Class - 15th March

Last night's class was the last rehearsal before our concert next week...so we were busy, busy, busy! As well as rehearsing all of our small group pieces, I filmed our large group items for our Youtube channel...although I had a bit of a fail with that...my camera turned itself off, so I didn't get everything, so will have to record the rest, along with the chamber pieces, at the concert.

Small group items:

• 'Four Old Tunes' by Gordon Jacob - Heather, Annabel, Theresa & Mike
• Telemann Concerto in D minor - Emily, Kath, Polly, Margaret & Angela
• Quintet in F by Pepusch - Judy, Penny, George, Diana & Imogen
• Telemann Trio Sonata in G minor - Imogen, Diana, Margaret & Joan
• 'Scherzo & Trio in G minor' by Schubert - Heather, Penny, Polly, Helen, Theresa & Mike
• Haydn 'London Trio No. 1' - Heather, Judy & Margaret
• Boismortier Quartet in A minor - George, Emily, Kath & Angela

Class - 8th March

Normal service has resumed...the piano was no longer wedged in the doorway this evening, and it was good to be able to arrange ourselves in our usual positions again! We had almost a full house...we're yet to have everyone in attendance...the first time that happens this term may well be at the concert! Everything sounded really good tonight ...although it did take us a couple of attempts to all finish 'Shepherd's Hey' together...and here's only one more week to get that right - eeeek!

Small group items:

• 'London Trio' (No. 1) by Haydn - Heather, Judy & Margaret
• Trio Sonata in G minor by Telemann - Imogen, Diana, Margaret & Joan
• 'Scherzo & Trio in G minor' by Schubert - Heather, Penny, Polly, Helen, Theresa & Mike
• 'Sonata da Camera' by Janitsch - George, Judy, Emily, Kath & Angela

Class - 1st March

We were again confronted by a piano wedged in the doorway when we arrived at the Church this evening...but as you can see, we carried on regardless! It's not really practical for us all to crowd around the piano, so we again set up in our usual position and used the two keyboards instead, to rehearse our large ensemble pieces. We almost had a 'full house' tonight...and although there's a little more 'tweaking' to do in places, the pieces are all sounding good.

Small group items:

• 'Four Old Tunes' by Gordon Jacob - Heather, Annabel, Theresa & Mike
• Concerto in D minor by Telemann - Emily, Kath, Polly, Margaret & Angela
• Trio Sonata in G minor by Finger - George, Judy & Joan
• Trio Sonata in D minor by Telemann - Penny, Diana & Imogen

Class - 23rd February

We've had an interesting evening. When we arrived at the Church, our usual entrance displayed a sign stating it was closed...no problem...we have the key...but no...it was bolted on the inside...thankfully, the other door, (which is usually bolted) was not, so we were able to get in. Upon entering the building, it became obvious why the door was not to be used...there was a grand piano wedged in front of it! Apparently, some work had been done to the floor, and the piano was not to be moved back into it's usual position until the floor had hardened...so it had to remain in the doorway, which made for some interesting ensemble work!
We were all delighted to welcome George back this evening...although we did rather throw him in at the deep-end with some of our large ensemble pieces!

Small group items:

• Quintet in F major by Pepusch - Judy, Penny, Diana, George, Theresa & Imogen 
• Concerto in D minor by Telemann - Emily, Kath, Polly & Angela
• Trio Sonata in D major by Boismortier - Annabel, Mike & Joan

Class - 9th February

It was marginally warmer than last week inside the Church last night...despite the falling snow outside...and we continued to work on our large ensemble items...which are coming along nicely...although I'm expecting even more improvement next time, after all the furious half-term practising!

Small group items:

• 'Scherzo & Trio in G minor' by Schubert (arr. Emerson) - Heather, Penny, Polly, Helen, Anya, Theresa & Mike
• Concerto for Four Flutes by Telemann - Judy, Emily, Annabel & Kath
• Trio Sonata in G minor by Telemann - Imogen, Diana & Joan

Class - 2nd February

Brrrrrrrrrrrrr...it was a bit brass monkeys in the Church at last night's rehearsal! With only a couple of the heaters producing any heat, the Church's heating was no match for the sub-zero temperature outside...but we bravely carried on despite our frozen fingers! Our large ensemble pieces are all improving...we even attempted the accelerando at the end of 'Shepherd's Hey'!

Small group items:

• Quintet in F by J. C. Pepusch - Judy, Penny, Diana, Helen, Dermot & Imogen
• 'Flower Duet' from 'Lakme' by Delibes (Arr. H. Brammer) - Annabel, Theresa & Mike
• Suite in A minor by Telemann - Heather, Emily, Kath, Margaret & Angela

Class - 26th January

We seemed to have got over the shock of the key signature with five flats (and then five sharps for the clarinets), and made good progress this evening with our large ensemble pieces...adding dynamics (ranging from pp to fff!) in the 'Irish Tune from County Derry'...and picking up speed in 'Shepherd's Hey'...although we have yet to try it with an accelerando at the end!

Small group items:

• 'Marie Antoinette' by Scott Joplin (Arr. H. Brammer) - Polly, Dermot & Mike
• Trio Sonata in E minor by Telemann - Diana, Kath & Joan
• Sonata in Bb major by Fasch - Imogen, Judy, Emily, Margaret & Angela
• 'Cuckoo Quartet' by Ronald Hanmer - Heather, Penny, Theresa & Helen

Class - 19th January

This expression...accompanied by audible gasps...was the reaction to the discovery that tonight's new piece ('Scottish Dance No. 3' by Malcolm Arnold) had a key signature of five flats in the middle! By the third time through it didn't seem so bad though! We made good progress with our other large ensemble pieces...negotiating the tricky changes in tempi and time signatures in 'Fantasia on Greensleeves'...and we even managed to finish 'Shepherd's Hey' (more or less) together...and at a faster speed!

Small group items:

• 'Air on a G String' by J. S. Bach (Arr. Karen Evans) - Heather, Polly & Dermot
• Divertimento no. 1 in Bb Major by Mozart - Penny, Theresa & Mike
• Trio Sonata in G Minor by Telemann - Imogen, Diana & Joan
• Concerto in G Minor by Vivaldi - Emily, Kath, Margaret & Angela

Class - 12th January

We were joined by some of last week's absentees this evening, as we continued working on our new ensemble pices...'Fantasia on Greensleeves' (by Vaughan Williams) and 'Irish Tune from County Derry' & 'Shepherd's Hey' (by Grainger) - it may take us some time to get that last one up to speed!

Small group items:

• 'Charlie is my Darling' from 'Four Old Tunes' by Gordon Jacob - Heather, Annabel, Theresa & Mike
• No. 6 from 'Sechs Menuetti' by Beethoven - Kath, Emily & Margaret
• Sonata in F Major by Schickhardt - Penny, Judy, Diana, Dermot & Angela

Class - 5th January

Happy New Year!

A new new term means new music, and this term we have a distinctly 'folky' theme to our large ensemble pieces. We made a start on 'Fantasia on Greensleeves' (by Vaughan Williams) and 'Irish Tune from County Derry' and 'Shepherd's Hey' (Grainger versions) - having great fun trying to play the last chord of 'Shepherd's Hey' all at the same time!

Small group items:

• 'London Trios' by Haydn - Heather, Judy & Margaret
• Quintet in F by J. C. Bach - Penny, Diana, Kath, Polly, Mike & Imogen
• 'Masonic Adagio' by Mozart - Theresa, Anya & Angela