All Saints Church Somerset Martock County Page 1 Show Page 3
Oake Village Hall Page 5
Vivary Park Carols Page 6
Choir Castle Wells Wellington Annual Taunton Hotel Cathedral Methodist Calendar Deane Page 12 Page 7 Service Church Page 9 Area Page 8 Page 10
The news from Taunton Deane Male Voice Choir New Series Issue 8
tauntondeanemvc.com
December 2023
All Saints Church, Martock Concert
A
ll Saint’s Church is the 2nd largest parish church in Somerset and is a Grade I listed building. There has been evidence of
The glorious oak angel roof was completed in 1513; there is a switch on the pillar by the pulpit which will illuminate it for a few minutes. The twelve niches high up in the nave are filled with paintings of the twelve apostles. Some are early 17th century, whilst those with more elaborate backgrounds date after the restoration of the monarchy in 1660.
All Saints Church Martock
a church being on the site at the time of the Norman Conquest, but not a trace of it remains. Of this church, The Village of Martock only the east windows, the outside There is little doubt that these walls of what were originally the paintings, and the carved angels in north & south transepts, and a both stone and wood are portion of the west wall survives. contemporary effigies. 1
The church organ is 19th century, but has recently been restored and repaired.
Musical Director’s Comments I was very pleased with Saturday’s performance, where there was a good turnout from us to a very appreciative (if rather depleted) audience.
All Saints has eight bells in the tower, the oldest dating back to the 16th century and they are rung regularly.
The acoustics of the church proved very rewarding. There are a few things I need to address with a couple of the songs.
Here are some pictures showing the ancient architecture.
Nick Thomas
2
Somerset County Show
O
n the 18th and 19th of September this year, the choir was booked to sing at the Somerset County Show held at Taunton Racecourse on the Corfe Road.
However, things didn’t turn out that way. Certainly, the choir members sang well, but on the second day the whole show was cancelled due to torrential rain and wind. After the event many members of the choir The choristers happily turned up to what was to be two days of half-hour went down with COVID. slots singing to visitors.
We hope that the next Somerset Show we will be blessed with sunshine.
3
At the show, this young pianist was caught cycling around playing a Chopin nocturne. The red Somerset dragon appreciated the music Musical Director’s Comments
Hi. Well done to those of you turned out at the Somerset Show on Saturday. Despite the fact that the impression we got on stage was somewhat imbalanced the public heard a well-produced sound and I have a video taken by my wife to prove it. Sunday was thankfully cancelled due to weather and electrical problems on the stage. Thanks to the ‘phone around’ team. I hope everyone managed to get the message. Well done for a positive and enthusiastic start to the season. Nick
4
Carols in Vivary Park
O
n 11th December, several members turned out to bring in Christmas in one of Taunton's traditional celebrations. Several choirs were taking part including members of the Ukrainian choir, who were in excellent voice. Also singing along were The West Somerset Singers, Rock Choir, Let’s Sing and the musical accompaniment was given by Taunton Concert Band.
Joining the fun was the Mayor of Taunton and Reverend Tobie Osmond, Taunton Minster supported by Reverend Prebendary Adrian Prior-Sankey, Taunton Team Chaplaincy and Mayor’s Chaplain A collection was taken during the singing in aid of the Mayor’s Charity, Charis Refugees.
AgeUK Concert in Wells Cathedral
W
hat a privilege it was for Taunton Deane Male Voice Choir to be invited to the prestigious Wells Cathedral, on 13th December, to sing for the residents and visitors to historic Wells. It goes without saying that the atmosphere was electric and the performance was well received by the enthusiastic audience.
Anniversary. This free concert included Christmas readings and carols led by the Choir. A debut Thanks go to John Hudson for performance by the charity’s own organising the logistics of the trip. volunteer Choir of Agels was also Everything from parking enjoyed by all. Yes, the name ‘Agels’ arrangements, various pick-up points is correctly spelt and is derived from and timings were all flawlessly the words Age (for Age UK) and arranged. angels. The choir was invited by The After the concert, everyone enjoyed Chapter of Wells to help celebrate a two-hour break in Wells to explore AGE UK Somerset’s 75th before the return trip home. The Wells Concert singers
Wells Market
Concert in Wellington Methodist Church There were three wonderfully chosen readings given by Stuart Gifford, Alan Hooper and John Blackmore, plus an accordion accompaniment , a flute and piano rendition of The Snowman Suite and many of our favourite numbers. The very new How Great Thou Art was also sung very successfully as an encore. Congratulations go to all the musicians, Nick, Elaine and Mike but also to Tony Waite who organised the event enabling it to flow so smoothly. Well done . . .
O
ur last major concert for 2023, was performed at the Methodist Church in Wellington. What we hadn’t bargained for was the overwhelming eagerness of the people of Wellington to attend. The church was filled to capacity for the event. Our Musical Director, Nick Thomas, devised a concert that wasn’t just about Christmas carols but featured an extraordinary array of musical entertainment.
Ready to sing!
The Mayors of Wellington (in the pink) and Taunton and their respective consorts were in attendance
Nick and Elaine play the Snowman Suite 8
Choir Annual Calendar
I
t has become quite a tradition now to compile a choir calendar celebrating past years events and concerts. Thanks to our much missed, the late Ray Butler, whose idea it was to celebrate the varied and interesting activities the choir encounters, the calendar has proven to be a very popular custom.
The vital and caring work the Hospice does is almost entirely funded by charity donations. There is always a waiting list for these services and the funds are a vital part of providing the essential endof-life care for these vulnerable people. Please help them by contributing to their cause. You can donate by going on their website
This year, the choir decided to continue this tradition and pass all the proceeds from selling the calendars to a most worthwhile charity. St Margaret’s Hospice was chosen to be the beneficiary because of its close links with both our choir and our sister choir Let’s Sing. Amazingly we sold out straight away and raised the magnificent sum of £300 for this most worthy cause.
St-Margarets-hospice.org.uk Also you can donate by Bank Transfer 20-87-24 40773719 Remember, it could be you who benefits from their work one day.
Photo thanks to Paul Fuller of St Margaret’s Hospice
9
Carol Singing at Taunton Deane M5 Services Message from Brian Lewis
I
t’s strange how quickly things come around. It seems only yesterday that Taunton Deane Male Voice Choir were invited to serenade weary travellers travelling South on the M5 for the Christmas holiday.
Hello All, On a personal note I would like to say how enjoyable the day’s carol-singing session was; it was a treat to have musical accompaniment! Both sessions were enjoyable and successful.
This year was no exception and over the two days of singing, a collection in the range of over £760 was raised for Cancer Research UK.
I am grateful to Alan Reeve for quickly sending his detailed message (see below) about the two sessions and how successful they were in generating good collections for Cancer Research UK.
It was a delight to be joined by the the Mayor and Mayoress of Taunton and as the Mayor himself played his clarinet accompanying Nick Thomas on the accordion, the choir members I would like to wish all of you a Happy New Year. were able to sing in tune (mostly). Brian
The singing company including the Mayoress of Taunton, Catherine O’Donnell, (and Rita and Sylvia Kelly)
10
Message from Alan Reeve
Dear All
I think the carols were much appreciated by all the travellers using Roadchef and people were very generous in their giving to Cancer Research UK. I can’t give a precise figure as I don’t yet know what we took on the card machine – I think about £30 – but on Friday we took £296.26 plus the machine, today a wonderful £362.25 (nothing on the machine), and with a further special donation of £80.05 the total raised is approx. £768. This is a wonderful boost to the fundraising for our two Musgrove cancer research projects. This is the third year that we have been able to sing at Roadchef ahead of Christmas and it would be good to think that we may be establishing an annual tradition.
This is to say a huge “thank you” to all who took part in our singing at Roadchef yesterday and today. Special thanks to the Male Voice Choir, some 15 of whom turned up each day to boost our singing (and special thanks to Nick Thomas and his accordion for improving the quality no end this morning!). It was also a pleasure to be joined today by the Mayor and Mayoress, Nick and Catherine O’Donnell – a pleasure doubled when Nick produced his clarinet and augmented the accordion accompaniment! Our thanks also to Roadchef’s Manager, Matt Flint, for enabling us to sing within the Service Station (and keep dry!).
I hope all of you enjoyed it – thank you all for your contribution and best wishes for a peaceful Christmas and a productive 2024, Alan. Granddaughters Rita and Sylvia Kelly helping with collecting The singing company including the Mayor of Taunton, Nick O’Donnell on clarinet and Nick Thomas on accordion
11
Carols at the Castle Hotel - Taunton
I
t was a great pleasure, to end our singing year with a treat. And none better than accepting Nick Chapman’s invitation to sing at the prestigious Castle Hotel. Accompanied by Nick Thomas and his trusty accordion, on Christmas eve we sang on the staircase entertaining guests before they went to the restaurant for dinner. Although we sang for just half an hour we were treated to a tremendous spread of food in the penthouse. It was a really great way get into the Christmas spirit.
12
Bohemian Rhapsody by Tony Waite
Why is the song called Bohemian Rhapsody?
Unable to comprehend it, he decides to poison himself.
Why does it last exactly 5 minutes At that moment, church bells ring, and 55 seconds? and he goes outside. When he returns to his room, he finds a dog What is this song really about? that transforms into a kind of man. Why did the Queen movie It's the devil, Mephistopheles. He premiere on October 31? promises Faust a full life without misery in exchange for his soul. Faust agrees, rejuvenates, and becomes arrogant. He meets Gretchen and has a child. His wife and child die.
T
he movie premiered on October 31 because the single was first heard on October 31, 1975. It's titled that way because a 'Rhapsody' is a free-form musical piece composed of different parts and themes that seem unrelated to each other. The word 'Rhapsody' comes from Greek and means 'assembled parts of a song.' The word 'Bohemian' refers to a region in the Czech Republic called Bohemia, where Faust, the protagonist of Goethe's work of the same name, was born. In Goethe's work, Faust was an elderly and intelligent man who knew everything except the mystery of life.
Faust travels through time and space and feels powerful. When he becomes old again, he feels miserable once more. Since he didn't break the pact with the devil, angels contend for his soul. This work is essential to understanding Bohemian Rhapsody.
13
He says goodbye to his loved ones, and his mother breaks into tears, tears and desperate crying that comes from Brian May's guitar notes. Freddie, terrified, cries out, "Mama, I don't want to die," and the operatic part begins. Freddie finds himself in an astral plane where he sees himself: "I see a little silhouetto of a man"... "Scaramouche, will you do the Fandango?"
The song is about Freddie Mercury himself. Being a rhapsody, it has 7 different parts:
Scaramouche is an "escaramuza," a skirmish between armies with horseback riders (4 horsemen of the Apocalypse of evil fighting against the forces of good for Freddie's soul), and he continues, saying, "Thunderbolt and lightning, very, very frightening me."
1st and 2nd acts - A Capella 3rd act - Ballad 4th act - Guitar solo 5th act - Opera 6th act - Rock 7th act - 'Coda' or final act The song talks about a poor boy questioning if this life is real or if his distorted imagination is living another reality. He says that even if he stops living, the wind will keep blowing without his existence. So, he makes a deal with the devil and sells his soul. Upon making this decision, he rushes to tell his mother and says...
This phrase appears in the Bible, specifically in Job 37 when it says, "the thunder and lightning frighten me: my heart pounds in my chest." Seeing his son so scared by the decision he has made, Freddie's mother begs to save him from the pact with Mephistopheles. "He's just a poor boy..." "Spare him his life from this monstrosity." "Easy come, easy go, will you let me go?"
"Mama, I just killed a man, put a gun against his head, pulled my trigger, now he's dead. Threw my life away. If I'm not back again this time tomorrow, carry on, carry on as if nothing really matters..." The man he kills is himself, Freddie Mercury. If he doesn't fulfil the pact with the devil, he will die immediately.
14
Her pleas are heard, and angels descend to battle the forces of evil. "Bismillah" (an Arabic word meaning "In the name of God") is the first word in the holy book of Muslims, the Quran. So, God Himself appears and shouts, "We will not let you go."
Having lost the battle, the devil departs, and we reach the final act or 'coda' where Freddie is free, and that feeling comforts him. The gong that closes the song sounds. The gong is an instrument used in China and East Asian cultures to heal people under the influence of evil spirits.
In the face of such a confrontation between good and evil, Freddie fears for his mother's life and says, "Mama mia, mama mia, let me go." They shout again from the sky that they won't abandon him, and Freddie cries, "No, no, no, no, no," and says, "Beelzebub (the Lord of Darkness) has a devil put aside for me." Freddie pays homage here to Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Johann Sebastian Bach when he sings... Figaro, Magnifico, referring to Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro,"considered the greatest opera of all time, and to Bach's Magnificat.
It lasts for 5:55 minutes. Freddie liked astrology, and in numerology, 555 is associated with death, not physical but spiritual, the end of something where angels will safeguard you. 555 is related to God and the divine, an ending that will lead to a new beginning. The song plays on Halloween eve for the first time. A holiday called 'Samhain' by the Celts to celebrate the transition and opening to the other world. The Celts believed that the world of the living and the dead were closely connected, and on the Day of the Dead, both worlds would unite, allowing spirits to cross over.
The operatic part ends, and the rockier part bursts in. The devil, angry and betrayed by Freddie not keeping the pact, says, "So you think you can stone me and spit in my eye? So you think you can love me and leave me to die?"
Nothing in Bohemian Rhapsody is coincidental. Everything is carefully crafted and has a meaning that goes beyond being just a song.
It's chilling how the Lord of Evil feels powerless against a human being, against repentance and love.
It has been voted worldwide as the greatest song of all time. 15
A very Happy New Year to all our readers. Note from the editor: With regard to the Choir Calendar that was produced recently, it has come to my notice that some of these found themselves in many far flung locations around the world. If you know of such please send in a picture of the calendar with the location as a backdrop.. I’ll put the pictures in our next issue. - David
Can you guess where this is taken? Answers to the editor . . . No prizes
Welcome to Martin Turner. One of our new starters in the choir
Also welcome to Rick Bradley. The second of our new starters in the choir
Oake Village Hall
16