Bass John Hobbs guides us through the wild world of ever-changing beats, and makes a timely mention of The Apprentice as a new series begins. Do you like a whirling waltz, a merry minuet or a stately sarabande, or would you prefer a military march, a torrid tango or a perky polka or do you like them all? Maybe something more irregular would beContinue reading “Time Signatures”
Category Archives: Composers
Cecilia McDowall’s Piano Music
We sang Cecilia McDowall’s sparkling Music of the Stars in last November’s concert. In this postcard, bass John, who is also a pianist, explores some of the composer’s piano works. Though McDowall has written many pieces for choir, I first encountered her music through her Four Piano Solos (1999). These are a marvellously varied collectionContinue reading “Cecilia McDowall’s Piano Music”
Five facts you might not know about Nottingham Chamber Singers – aka NCS!
Soprano Rachel (we’ll leave you to guess which one) opens the New Year with some fun facts about the choir. We’re a diverse group with diverse experiences! Some of us have been around for ages in a ‘part of the furniture’ sort of a way, others are much newer. But did you know…. Why haveContinue reading “Five facts you might not know about Nottingham Chamber Singers – aka NCS!”
The most beautiful sound
If you were at Nottingham’s Royal Concert Hall on Monday 1 December for Tenebrae’s concert, you might have bumped into many present and past members of Nottingham Chamber Singers. The evening’s performance inspired soprano Annie to pen this week’s Postcard from the Choir. It can be very intimidating joining a new choir where everyone seemsContinue reading “The most beautiful sound”
Charles Hubert Hastings Parry
John pens a second postcard from time spent in Gloucestershire… Parry’s big three pieces are ‘Jerusalem’, I was glad (sung at many royal occasions) and ‘Repton’ – the hymn tune used for ‘Dear Lord and Father’ of mankind’. In our next concert we are singing Parry’s Songs of Farewell, a collection of songs generally quieter in nature andContinue reading “Charles Hubert Hastings Parry”
National Musicians’ Church
Nottingham Chamber Singers’ soprano Helena goes to London: I’d never known such a place existed! The name of this London church appears in many forms, but I’ll stick with the one used on its website, Holy Sepulchre Church. Located diagonally opposite the Old Bailey and near St Paul’s Cathedral, its north and south side chapelsContinue reading “National Musicians’ Church”