It’s that exciting time of year again – the new term has started and we are enthusiastically preparing for our first concert, which will be a wonderful selection of pieces by J.S. Bach, Orlando Gibbons, C.V. Stanford, Hubert Parry and Owain Park. Conducted by the marvellous Richard Roddis, it should prove to be a delightfully absorbing evening of music.

Sir Charles Hubert Hastings Parry, 1st Baronet (1848 – 1918), born in Bournemouth, was a historian of music, as well as a composer and teacher.

He was director of the Royal College of Music (he succeeded George Grove), from January 1895 until his death, and among his students were Ralph Vaughan Williams and Gustav Holst. Stanford (his contemporary) described Parry as the ‘greatest English composer since Purcell’ and Parry dedicated Blest Pair of Sirens  to him.

We are performing one of his pieces called There is an Old Belief, from the set of six choral motets Songs of Farewell.  This was sung in St Paul’s Cathedral at Parry’s funeral. The texts are by British poets but there is also one psalm included. The motets were composed during the First World War, when some of Parry’s students were being killed in action. Parry was deeply affected by this and full of despair because he was actually a Germanophile and could not believe that Britain and Germany could be at war. He indeed wrote a book about J.S. Bach­­­­ and admired him greatly.

Born in Dublin to a musical family, Charles Villiers Stanford (1852 – 1924) attended the University of Cambridge and also studied music in Leipzig and Berlin. He was one of the founding professors at the Royal College of Music and he, along with Parry and others, was considered by some writers and critics of the time to be one of the main figures in a hypothetical development – the English Musical Renaissance, where British composers could rival those of mainland Europe. We will be performing his sublime Beati Quorum Via (Blessed are those that are undefiled), which is one of a collection of three sacred motets based on Latin texts.

Orlando Gibbons (1583 – 1625) was part of a musical family and a very well-known organist and composer in England. He wrote a large number of keyboard works, in addition to madrigals, verse anthems and fantasias for viols. We will be singing his beautiful O Lord in Thy Wrath. King James I and Prince Charles both supported him and he gained the prestigious appointment as organist at Westminster Abbey. His son, Christopher, taught by him, actually went on to teach Henry Purcell.

The very talented Owain Park was born in Bristol in 1993. He studied orchestration with John Rutter and is Composer-in-Residence with the London Choral Sinfonia. His compositions have been recorded and performed internationally and he directs and sings in the vocal ensemble, The Gesualdo Six, which debuted at the BBC Proms in 2023. He is also a Fellow of the Royal College of Organists and was Senior Organ Scholar at Wells Cathedral and Trinity College, Cambridge.  In autumn 2026, he will assume the post of Chief Conductor of the BBC Singers. We will be performing his superbly crafted version of Beati Quorum Via, which was written for the Countess of Wessex and the Choir of Wells Cathedral, performed in 2014.

Our main piece for the evening will be Jesu, Meine Freude (BWV 227) by J.S. Bach, composed possibly in 1723 but experts are debating this. It is a motet for a five-part mixed choir, comprising eleven movements. As one of Bach’s longest and most complex motets, it has a symmetrical structure, centring on a five-part fugue as the 6th movement. The first and last movements have the same music, creating a satisfying frame around the whole work. The expressive word painting also beautifully enhances the juxtaposed emotional and biblical meanings. It is named after the Lutheran hymn Jesu, Meine Freude, with words by Johann Franck, first published in 1653. The hymn is written in the first person, which underlines a more personal connection to Jesus. The odd-numbered movements of Bach’s motet contain the six stanzas of the hymn, and the hymn tune by Johann Crüger appears in these movements in different chorale settings. The text of the motet’s even-numbered movements is taken from the eighth chapter of the Epistle to the Romans, which influenced Lutheran teachings.

Linking to our featured composers, the talented Michael Overbury will be treating us to some interesting organ solos, composed by C.V. Stanford Postlude on a Theme of Orlando Gibbons (Song 22) op. 105 and J.S. Bach (two settings of Jesu, Meine Freude BWV 1105, BWV 713).

The concert is taking place at St Paul’s Church, Mansfield Road, Daybrook, NG5 6BH, on Saturday 8^th November at 7:30pm.

Tickets are £13 and include refreshments.
Cost is £5 for students under 21 in full time education.
They are available from the Sinfonia Chorale website or Sandra Wakefield on 0115 9606236.

We look forward to seeing you and sharing this wonderful music!

Sinfonia Chorale

It’s a lovely, sunny spring day and what better way to celebrate the season than by enjoying an uplifting Sinfonia Chorale concert, conducted by the talented Richard Roddis! On Sunday 29^th June, at 3.30pm in West Bridgford Methodist Church, we will perform a varied collection of choral pieces from different countries and eras. There will also be a tasty cream tea, which is included in the ticket price of £10 (£5 for students under 21).

Our main work is The Making of the Drum by the renowned composer and conductor Bob Chilcott (b. 1955). It sets the powerfully evocative poem written by Edward Kamau Brathwaite (1930 – 2020).  Born in Barbados, he attended the University of Cambridge and was a well-known and highly respected ‘literary activist, critic, editor and author on topics of Caribbean literature’. He was also Professor Emeritus of Comparative Literature at New York University. Chilcott, born in Plymouth, was a member of the King’s Singers and has been composing since 1997. He is currently the Principal Conductor of Birmingham University Singers.

Using a cappella SATB choir and percussion, this energetic piece explores the spiritual ritual of drum making, which Chilcott had experienced on a trip to Uganda in 1984. The drum is a ‘living spirit’ and treated reverentially.

We are really looking forward to hearing our guest musician, Andy Harris, who will be playing his different hand drums and percussive instruments. An experienced teacher and community worker, Harris facilitates a drumming circle in Nottingham called Power of Drums. Taking part in the group is said to cause ‘sudden outbursts of joy, happiness, energy, creativity, awareness and good feeling’! We can’t wait to welcome him and enjoy the exciting drumming!

Indodana, arranged by Michael Barrett and Ralf Schmitt, is a traditional isiXhosa South African song. It is a beautiful, goose-bump inducing piece, full of meaning and delicious harmonies.  One of the Bantu languages, isiXhosa is indigenous to Southern Africa and one of the official languages of South Africa and Zimbabwe.

Travelling back to England, we will sing Henry VIII’s piece Pastime with good Company, the original score of which is held in the British Library, London. It was composed in the early 16th century, possibly before Henry was even a teenager, and was a very popular, catchy English folk song, praising various leisure pursuits of the time, such as hunting, singing and dancing.

There will also be tasters of Latin American Baroque music, some French opera-ballet and more folk pieces. It would be lovely to see you for a joyful and relaxing musical afternoon – and don’t forget the cream tea!

Tickets are available from the Sinfonia Chorale website or from Sandra Wakefield (0115 9606236) or Teresa Marchewicz (07811 913847).

Best wishes,

Sinfonia Chorale

Dear Friends

Warm greetings from Sinfonia Chorale! We hope this newsletter finds you well and full of the joys of spring!

Many thanks to those of you who attended Come and Sing and Play in January. We hope that everyone found the event enjoyable, interesting and warmer than last year! We have received some lovely feedback but please feel free to email us if you would like to comment on/suggest anything.

The phenomenally talented Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27/01/1756 – 05/12/1791) is our chosen composer for this spring’s concert (Saturday 15^th March). He composed prolifically from the age of 6 until his death at 35. These works (over 600) include operas, symphonies, piano concertos, songs and 17 masses. He was born in Salzburg, where his father was a well-regarded violinist and composer in the Archbishop’s service. Wolfgang and his beloved older sister, Maria Anna (known as Nannerl), were very gifted and their father trained them and took them on tours around Europe. They would have been exposed to many different styles of music and influenced by a variety of musicians.  Unfortunately, due to the prevailing attitudes of the time, Nannerl could not continue her career when she came of marriageable age. During the years 1772 to 1780, Mozart acted as third concert master at Archbishop Colloredo’s court but he then left and settled in Vienna, marrying Constanze Weber where he taught, performed and sold his works. In 1862, Ludwig von Köchel created a chronologically numbered, thematic catalogue of Mozart’s compositions – these are the “K” numbers in the titles.

The award-winning Helix Ensemble (founded in 1992) will be performing with us for the concert. This excellent group plays chamber music, small orchestral works and also premier pieces by local composers. Please come along to see them! Naturally, the wonderfully accomplished Michael Overbury will be playing and our conductor is the gifted and skilful Richard Roddis, who manages to highlight sensitively the emotional nuances within the pieces, leading choir and instrumentalists on a delightful journey!

One of the works we will be performing is Dixit et Magnificat K.193, which was composed in Salzburg in 1774, and is a partial setting of Vespers. Mozart, as usual, demonstrates his masterful use of traditional stylistic devices. He uses contrapuntal techniques, weaving choral and solo voices, which answer and imitate in different combinations (solo, choral, groups), with instruments supporting the voices, and he also ends each piece with a fugue.

Regina Coeli K.276 was composed in 1779. It is a shorter, joyful and uplifting piece, with many repetitions of the word ‘alleluia’. There are alternating solo and tutti lines throughout, creating interesting contrasts and combinations of colour, underpinned by the wonderful orchestra. It is challenging but exhilarating to sing!

The Credo Mass K.257, in C major, was composed in November 1776 when Mozart was only 20 years old. He also completed a further two masses during November and December of this year! There are six movements; the Credo section is quite long (hence the title of the piece) and the word Credo is repeatedly sung in a two-note motif. Styles change during the work, expanding the range of expression and creating interest and emotional connection.

It was created for the special occasion of the consecration of a bishop - Ignaz Joseph, Count Spaur, which probably explains the larger size and ‘extended construction’ of the Credo. The Mozarts were also friends of the Spaurs. Both choir and orchestra consider it an exciting and vibrant piece.

Our concert is on Saturday March 15^th, 7.30pm at Beeston Parish Church (St John’s), NG9 1GA. Please come and enjoy some wonderful Mozart pieces with us!

Tickets are £15 and include refreshments during the interval. They are available from the Sinfonia Chorale website, on the door, or Sandra Wakefield (0115 9606236).

We look forward to seeing you!

Sinfonia Chorale