The newspaper for Nether Heyford & Upper Heyford, Northamptonshire, UK. Delivered free to every house since 1977.
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If you would like to find out more, visit the Heyford Singers page or our website:
alternatively come along to one of our rehearsals in Nether Heyford Village Hall.
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If you would like to find out more, visit the Heyford Singers page or our website:
alternatively come along to one of our rehearsals in Nether Heyford Village Hall.
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This article is devoted to one man, someone I like to think of as the “Father of the Choir, which is more familiarly known as Heyford Singers” – Hugh Adams. I use the term “devoted” in the widest possible sense for Hugh is a much loved and highly respected member of our local community. I have known Hugh Adams as a friend for many years, and was privileged to teach at Bliss Charity School whilst he was Chairman of the governing body. He not only shared his desire to see every child reach their full potential, to extend their learning and embrace as many opportunities as possible, but also to experience the great outdoors. And it was over numerous plans and discussions about the use of the conservation area behind the school playground that the seeds of the Outdoor Classroom were sown!
But what of the man and music, what was his journey through life to become such a mainstay of the basses in our choir?
Hugh came from a musical family; his brothers sang in choirs and his sisters were keen pianists. As a young child Hugh left for boarding school, Bishop Stortford College, and it was during those formative years that he found his voice and his love of singing, first as a treble, then an alto, and finally a tenor when his voice broke. As is so often the case it was one particular teacher who recognised Hugh’s musical talent as this early age. A revered music teacher, Mr Tidmarsh who himself had a deep bass singing voice, claimed that young Hugh had the perfect size hand to play the cello. He subsequently offered to give Hugh free cello lessons for a term, such was his belief in the music potential of his young pupil! Sadly Hugh declined, believing that the cello wasn’t necessarily a very good solo instrument. However he did learn to play the piano, although when grades and exams beckoned, to mark achievement and progress, he gave up piano lessons, a move that he regrets to this very day!
After leaving school Hugh returned to the farming traditions of his family, but also became a member of the Home Guard. In 1942 he joined the army, serving on active service in the Royal Dragoons. He was amongst those soldiers who, two days before D Day, drove into Copenhagen and a liberated Denmark, to be greeted by millions of grateful people on the streets. Fifty years later, to mark the anniversary of the liberation, Hugh and many of his army colleagues, were honoured to be invited by the Danish government to take part in the commemorations.
The love of music remained and whilst living and farming in Nether Heyford; Hugh and his wife joined Bugbrooke Choral Society, which was at that time conducted and directed by Michael Latham, The piano accompanist was one of the French teachers, Derek, a great character who regularly entertained the choir members with his amusing anecdotes. The Choral Society sang at numerous venues around the county.
And so onto the Heyford Singers. When it was formed in 2002 Hugh was a founder member of the male bass section, where he has loyally remained ever since. With his rich deep bass voice Hugh has been a much valued contributor to this male voice part. I’m sure he will agree if I say that there are some songs that he finds more straightforward, others more complex in their rhythms or words. When the men sing their numerous repeats of “H’rum pum, h’rum pum, h’rum pum” (The Little Drummer Boy) or “By the rivers of Babylon” from song of the same name, Hugh’s wry comments can have the choir in stitches!
The musical legacy of the Adams family has reached far down the generations. Hugh’s daughter and son-in-law sing in two choirs, and his son Nick sings baritone in three choirs. A tenor grandson is a member of the Phoenix choir, whilst a great grandson has recently achieved a distinction for singing at his school. How proud Hugh must be of such a musical tradition in his family!
Hugh continues to enjoy music, especially classical music and light opera, and listening to the radio is a great joy. Edward Elgar’s “Enigma Variations” (quoted above) is one of Hugh favourites. Each variation is a musical sketch of one of the composer’s close acquaintances, a distinct idea based on a particular personality or an incident known only to two people. It is a beautiful piece of music, and perhaps reflects High’s own varied life, his experiences and his wide circle of friends and family.
Thank you Hugh, for letting us tiptoe through your past and your love of music.
Jill Langrish
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If you would like to find out more, visit the Heyford Singers page or our website:
alternatively come along to one of our rehearsals in Nether Heyford Village Hall.
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If you would like to find out more, visit the Heyford Singers page or our website:
alternatively come along to one of our rehearsals in Nether Heyford Village Hall.
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I love this time of year, as summer slides into autumn. The gardens are gently
fading with late summer flowers glowing like jewels, leaves are beginning to turn as trees claim their time of seasonal glory. Fields have yielded up their harvest, whilst the hedgerows and orchards have ripe pickings for jams and jellies, chutneys and cider. It is a nostalgic time as well. The last over of the summer cricket matches have been bowled and the eight week Proms season has ended. We look back and hold fast to fond memories of the summer days, but so we also look forward to the new beginnings that the autumn brings.
The youngest generation has, or is about to, take the next steps on their learning journeys. Pre-school, nursery, primary or secondary school, university or the working world. We have several family members embarking on these “next steps” – we wish them, and everyone else, much happiness and success in their new adventures. The cricket season may be over but the Rugby World Cup is upon us, and the anthem at the top will be heard time and time again as we switch on to watch, cheer, applaud, and hopefully not commiserate. Add to this the various national anthems that will be proudly played and sung too, and then we have a small feast of musical experiences!
Which brings me very nicely to Heyford Singers and music. Our autumn rehearsal season began on 6th September with an Open Evening. We had expected one or two new members, we had hoped for maybe a few more, but we were absolutely thrilled to welcome thirteen new singers! Mary had prepared a lovely mixture of songs for the first evening, two warm up tunes, a medley of songs from Oliver, “Feeling Groovy” by Simon and Garfunkel, and then two songs to be included in the forthcoming Christmas concert. It was lovely evening, warm and welcoming, relaxed and fun, made especially so by sharing it with new friends. And what is more they all claimed to have thoroughly enjoyed their initial session and have continued to come!
So we look forward with excitement and anticipation. I have tried to avoid much
mention of winter’s great festival as that will follow in good time, but for your diaries the Heyford Singers’ Christmas concert is Friday 13th and Saturday 14th December and plans are being made for a village “Carols on the Green” for Friday 20th December. Further details of both events will follow in due course.
But for now, the sun is shining, the sky is cloudless and the garden beckons!
Jill Langrish
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If you would like to find out more, visit the Heyford Singers page or our website:
alternatively come along to one of our rehearsals in Nether Heyford Village Hall.
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We’re neither pure nor wise nor good;
We’ll do the best we know.
We’ll build our house, and chop our wood,
And make our garden grow.
The final chorus from “Make Our Garden Grow”
from “Candide” by Leonard Bernstein 1955
Normally Jill Langrish writes a piece for the Prattler on behalf of the Heyford Singers and Mike, her other half, waxes lyrical about the joys of allotments, orchards and all things green. For this September article we thought we’d combine what little talent we have and write about the effect that both music and growing things can have on making us feel good. So this article is a sort of a dialogue; a chance for us to share that sense of contentment, happiness, belonging, achievement, and well being that we believe comes from both activities. Easy? Just read on……
Jill. Music is a very social activity. Whether you play in a band or orchestra, sing in a group or a choir, sit or stand in the audience for a concert, you are sharing that unique experience with lots of other people. You are helping to contribute towards the collective outcome, a shared achievement. As well as the social benefits of music, it also contributes hugely to our physical and mental health. There has been considerable research recently about the value of doctors giving a “social prescription”. In July, Naomi Paxton hosted a BBC Proms panel discussion on music and wellbeing with epidemiologist Dr Daisy Fancourt and GP Dr Simon Opher. Both are enthusiastic advocates of social prescribing and of using music to support health.
“Social prescription is a fairly new idea,” says Dr Opher. “A doctor might give a normal
prescription for a medicine, but they can also give a prescription for an activity.
That could be singing, music, art, poetry, exercise or anything – but not a medicine.
Music can help everyone, but it can specifically help certain conditions – and we
know this from research. One of the areas of the brain that really lights up when you
listen to music is the pre cortical area. That’s one of the last areas that is damaged
with dementia – so people with dementia, for example, retain their ability to enjoy
music. I’ve seen more effect with music for patients with dementia than any kind of
medication.”
Mike. Gardening, whether it be wandering round the tiny patch of ground outside your back door or maintaining an allotment or huge vegetable patch, vastly improves both our physical and mental health. And the sort of evidence that applies to music is to be found in abundance when it comes to digging and weeding. Kathryn Rossiter, CEO of Thrive, one of the UK’s leading charities in disability and gardening says that
“as well as the strong therapeutic value of gardening it can help people connect with others, reducing feelings of isolation. It makes us more active, gaining both physical and mental health benefits.”
Jill. Then there is the intellectual side of music. Listening to a new song or unfamiliar piece of music demands attention, it keeps the brain’s cells active. And whether it be trying to make sense of all those dots and squiggles in music notation, learning new songs, understanding the different voice parts, learning and playing an instrument, all these are essential in keeping the “little grey cells’ active.
Mike. Now this is a generalisation, but doctors believe that gardeners have lower
levels of the stress hormone, cortisol, leading to improved sleep patterns, relaxation and mental wellbeing. Although sometimes I think it is just exhaustion that makes me sleep!
Jill. And what about the fun side, the enjoyment of it all. During August there was
delightful series on the radio entitled “A Singer’s Guide to Britain” which explored different aspects of British culture through the songs we sing. In the first episode the presenter said that, “a song is like an imaginary magic carpet. You climb aboard and it flies off, it takes you on an adventure”. Now this can be interpreted in so many ways. Special places, special people or special memories are all evoked by the song. It is powerful stuff.
Mike. That first snowdrop can make you feel really good. The flowering of the rose you pruned, a lettuce you grew from seed, the blackbird singing just for you. These are small things but all positive and have healing powers that medicine sometimes tries to mimic. It is no surprise that, like music, doctors are seriously considering prescribing gardening as a cure for some conditions. Monty Don, the man that appears on our TV screens on a Friday evening accompanied by two dogs and who isn’t bad at gardening either, says in a telling way that “When you plant something, you invest in a beautiful future amidst a stressful, chaotic and, at times, downright appalling world”
Apologies if we have just taken this opportunity to indulge in our two great passions. It doesn’t matter if you think you can’t sing a note in tune (something we dispute) or you kill everything you plant (also disputable), there is so much to be gained from both activities. A good way to start would be to join Heyford Singers and/or get an allotment.
Jill. The next rehearsal of Heyford Singers is on Friday 6th September at 7.15 pm in the village hall. It will be an Open Evening and everyone is very welcome. Come and meet us, watch, listen, join in and I guarantee that you will go home feeling energised and happy, having sung, laughed and made new friends. If you feel that you would like to know more then please do contact Mary Rice, myself or someone you know who is already part of this community choir.
Mike. If you are interested in trying out an allotment contact either Sue Corner on
01327 342124 or Lynda Eales on 01327 341707. We can offer a range of allotment
sizes, to suit every need. Help is also on hand to offer advice and encouragement.
There you are, two articles in one
Jill & Mike Langrish
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If you would like to find out more, visit the Heyford Singers page or our website:
alternatively come along to one of our rehearsals in Nether Heyford Village Hall.
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If you would like to find out more, visit the Heyford Singers page or our website:
alternatively come along to one of our rehearsals in Nether Heyford Village Hall.
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Below is a seemingly random list of ideas, events and comments. Please read on and we shall join up the dots and gauge the connections, if you haven’t done so already!
Well if you haven’t already worked out the link between these items, it is that of singing together, belonging to a group of people who also love to sing, and ultimately to achieve the benefits that brings to your own sense of well being. We are so fortunate to have in this village a community choir led by Mary Rice, whose musical history and abilities are renowned, and accompanied by our resident “master of the black and white keys”, Graham Kinnersly. We practise once a week from September until December for our Christmas concert, and then from January until May for our spring concert. The summer months are free for families, holidays, gardens, sport and leisure!
The choir is very much part of the local community and prides itself on having always been so. Most of us live in the village, although we have recently welcomed several new members from the surrounding area We have a delightful mix of male and female members, of all ages. And we have fun! That social event of meeting up once a week to learn new songs, sing old and familiar ones, ultimately then to perform before our families and friends, provides a warm sense of belonging, sharing and huge enjoyment.
On our first rehearsal in the autumn, Friday 6th September will be an Open Evening and everyone is very welcome. All you need is to enjoy singing, no need to read music, and definitely no auditions or solos! Come and meet us, watch, listen, join in and I guarantee that you will go home feeling energised and happy, having sung, laughed and made new friends.
If you feel that you would like to know more then please do contact Mary Rice, myself or someone you know who is already part of this community choir. There are also some information leaflets in the foyer of the village hall.
Jill Langrish
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If you would like to find out more, visit the Heyford Singers page or our website:
alternatively come along to one of our rehearsals in Nether Heyford Village Hall.
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Jill Langrish
The Heyford Singers spring concerts are over for another year, music scores have been returned to folders, storage cupboards or libraries, but the words and the music live on in our hearts and minds. The concerts were lovely and the choir really enjoyed singing the selection of songs chosen by Mary for this programme. Comments from our capacity audiences were warm and appreciative, not least for our new style and colour of concert dress. Thank you.
But it was also a sad occasion, for during the days leading up to the concerts we learnt that Isabel Brown and Carol Baker had died. Both were loyal and committed members of the choir, and true friends to us all. To this sadness was also the loss of family members, and friends in the village. However the coming together to sing gave everyone the chance to share our grief and sadness at the loss of these very special people in our lives. Like a gathering after a funeral, “a wake”, there is something very cathartic in being with others to link our own sadness, our tears, our loss and our wonderful memories, with those of our friends. Whether it be through singing, listening to music or just talking, the long process of healing begins.
I have on several occasions written about the value of music in our lives, and likewise of being part of a choir or similar organisation. The contribution it makes to our emotional, social, mental and physical health is inestimable. And to this I would add that of experiencing grief and loss in our lives. The tears may fall but being together “helps to ease the pain”.
Thank you to Graham and Kate, and Kath for coming to the concert. It was very brave of you. It allowed us to pay our special tribute in song to those we have lost.
Jill Langrish
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If you would like to find out more, visit the Heyford Singers page or our website:
alternatively come along to one of our rehearsals in Nether Heyford Village Hall.
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Jill Langrish
Heyford Singers’ spring concert, Friday 10th May and Saturday 11th May, is entitled “THIS IS MUSIC”. Three simple words, a strong title, but nevertheless open to different meanings or interpretations. If you say it by stressing the “This is..” it becomes emphatic, celebratory, rather like a joyous claim on a beautiful October day of “This is autumn!” If you dwell on the last word, “music” it takes on a more personal tone, evoking individual enjoyment, preferences, memories, etc. For music is both a universal, and a personal and private medium. It can include small groups, whole nations or just a single person in their own musical world.
We all have our favourite types of music – anthems, blues, classical, drum and bass, electronic, folk, gospel, hymns, Irish, jazz, etc, etc. We may listen or participate, we may sing or dance, we may compose or improvise, we may share or prefer to be solo – whichever way, music has the power to embrace everything. It bookends our lives, from early songs and nursery rhymes to the hymns and favourite tunes that accompany our departure from this world.
At the recent Heyford Singers AGM Mary Rice (our Musical Director) wrote of her
hopes and thoughts as she planned the songs and content of the forthcoming spring
concert …….
“Our coming spring concert is about music in many of its different forms and emotional moods and, to some extent, its history and the things it can help to achieve. It is a powerful force and can influence many aspects of life if we let it. We need to be able to make that force such a tangible thing that the audience can feel it. Hopefully, in that way they will also understand it. Earlier I referred to the choir as a singing family. This isn’t something that many choirs can claim to be – it doesn’t just happen, it has to be worked at. Harmony is a precious commodity in every aspect, which we must continue to nurture as we go on. The more we make it obvious that we actually know and like one another the better we will sing and the more people will want to join us. I am very proud that I belong to such a family and want to thank you all for making the Heyford Singers what it is. Keep up the smiles, the caring, the friendship and the good work and the world, as they say, is our oyster!
“People all over the world, join hands, start a love train, love train…….”
From “Put a little Love in your Heart”
A beautiful sentiment and one to which we can all aspire!
So what music might you be entertained by at the concert, THIS IS MUSIC ? I have already written about “Amazing Grace” (February issue) and “Look at the World” (March issue) but there are others to tempt you with! Gospel songs and spirituals feature in the form of “Were You There?” and “Rivers of Babylon”, the exciting and much loved “A Million Dreams” from The Greatest Showmen, and protest songs of “We Shall Overcome” and “Lean on Me”. Words from traditional Irish blessings set to music by Jay Althouse becomes a beautiful lyrical song, “A Blessing” ending with, “May love and laughter light your days and warm your heart and home”.
The song featured at the top of this article has been written and composed by Heyford Singers’ very own talented piano accompanist, Graham Kinnersly, and it will have it’s special premiere at our concert. “Our Love Will Last Forever” is a love song, with words and sentiments that are beautiful and simple. Whether you listen to, or sing this song, it can bring a lump to your throat, a tear to your eye, and make your heart skip a beat.
Such is the power of music!
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If you would like to find out more, visit the Heyford Singers page or our website:
alternatively come along to one of our rehearsals in Nether Heyford Village Hall.
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Jill Langrish
The Nether Heyford Prattler 