Musical Moments & Memories : Sepia Saturday

 This week's prompt photograph  from Sepia Saturday features what looks llike a a pop group boy band, one with a guitar  - well the pop music scene largely passed me by  and I wrote recently about "pals together" .  So instead I turned to look back at my own musical moments and memories. 

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"I am in an  all singing/dancing chorus, swirling my skirts,  in a  London West End show  - such as Carousel, Oklahoma, West Side Story or 42nd Street ......."

But It Was All One of My Wildest Dreams!  

Back to reality! Playing the triangle in my infant school percussion group  is my earliest musical memory.  I was not too pleased at being given  this instrument.  Like everyone else, I wanted the favourite choice  - the sleigh bells.  

 

My first stage performance  was at a Brownie's concert when, clutching our teddies,  we sang "The Teddy Bear's Picnic". 

 

I began learning the piano at the age of eight, largely because it was a sore point with my mother that her older sister and much younger sister learnt, but she was the middle sister and missed out.   

 

In my school days, there was no opportunity to learn other instruments, as there is now.   I did have a go at teaching myself the recorder, but the dog hated it and whined throughout my attempts, so I never got very far!   I would have loved to go to dancing classes, but that was not to be. 

My parents and aunt were the people I have to thank for making music so much a  part of my life from an early age, introducing me to musicals, operetta and ballet (my most  favourite art form).  I was lucky to grow up in Blackpool, Lancashire which  had regular touring companies to the Opera House and Grand Theatre.  

 

                               

   

My mother, my aunt and my father. 

I was taken to a performance of Johann Strauss's  "The Gypsy Baron" and wanted  a gypsy costume and  headdress with long coloured ribbons  - the nearest I got was full skirt  trimmed with coloured rows of  ric rac.  

 

My first ballet was Coppelia - an ideal choice for a little girl with the feisty heroine in a lovely pale blue tutu,  the handsome hero - and more gypsy dances.  

 

 

 

In my early teens, my mother took me to see  the ballet "Sleeping Beauty" and I was mesmerised by the magic of it - from the orchestral overture,  the transforming scenery, the costumes and of course the dancing.  "La Boheme" was the first grand opera I saw and my hanky was well and truly soaked as I wept at the death of Mimi.  Ditto seeing Carmen and La Traviata. 

We weren't a particularly musical family, but my mother sang in a local choir  and my father sang in the church choir from the age of seven - so hymns were high on his agenda.    He loved military bands and we always watched on TV the annual Trooping of the Colour parade of marching bands  to mark Queen Elizabeth's official birthday. Radio & TV  programmes such as "Melodies for You, 100 Best Tunes, Friday Night is Music Night  and Songs of Praise  - were regulars we listened  to or watched.   

Singing in a choir (school, church, community)  has been a key activity throughout my life from primary school days onwards, whether it was folk songs from round the world, spirituals, carols, sacred music, oratorios  opera and operetta choruses,   or songs from the shows - musical tastes that still mean a lot to me today. I was very happy to be a chorus girl, with no pretensions to be a soloist - I knew my limitations! 

High school introduced me to Gilbert & Sullivan  and I was hooked, singing in most of the operas over the years.  At University, I joined the  Savoy Opera Group and the annual G & S performances were the highlight of my years there - I loved taking part in them - the dressing up (the girls made their own costumes), the singing and some dancing. 

     

In "Yeoman of the Guard"

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In "HMS Pinafore"

    

       

     In "Pirates of Penzance" 

 

 My other musical highlight was some years ago when I  was  one of over a 1000 singers, plus orchestra and organ  in a "Come and Sing" performance of "The Messiah"  in the iconic Royal Albert Hall in London - an exhilarating. moving  and unforgettable experience in front of a packed 4000 audience.  I was on a high,  walking back to our hotel.   

 

 Researching my family history revealed more singers among my ancestors. 

I always knew from my father that his maternal grandfather John Matthews (above)  was a prominent member of the local Methodist Church.  Then  I  heard, through my blog,  from a distant family connection who wished to pass onto a direct descendant  of John Matthews some memorabilia.  Among  the collection was this  silver crested baton presented to John in recognition of his service to the church. in particular in his role as conductor of the choir. 

 

 The tiny inscription reads:   

Presented to John Matthews

By the Choir and Congregation of Wesleyan Chapel, Ladymoor

28.11.04

 

To hold the baton used by my great grandfather was a delight to me, as the love of choral music  continued down through the family. 

 

My great uncle George Danson (1893-1916) was killed on the Somme. at the age of 22.   I traced an obituary in the local press and it included the statement " He was a member of the Poulton Parish Church choir" - I never knew that but it pleased me to find this other side to his life. 

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 I decided some time ago it was time   to "retire" my voice, but music still plays an important part in my life.  Joining a choir is a marvellous form of music making, whatever your age, a great creator of the "feel good factor",  and there is nothing to beat singing with the full blooded accompaniment of an orchestra or organ.   I recommend it!  

 

 

The Roxburgh Singers in  the Scottish Borders .  

I  was a member of the choir  for over 30 years. 

The  musical moments and memories live on!  

 

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Sepia Saturday gives an opportunity for genealogy bloggers  to share their family history through photographs.

 

 

Click HERE

             to read more from other Sepia Saturday bloggers

 

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Alive with the Sound of Music

Music and Austria - two of my great loves - so what better to end this month's Sepia Saturday "Sound  of Music" theme with a travelogue of the Austria with some musical moments - notably Mozart and That Film.  

We stayed in the  village of St. Gilgen on the banks of Wolfgsngsee  - which lovers of "The Sound of Music" film will recognisevfrom the opening sequence as  the camera swooped over the landscape. This was the view from our hotel.

 

 

 

 The typical view across to the Castle in Salzburg

 

The Mirabel Gardens which feature in the the film 

 

Rest your legs from sightseeing by taking a carriage ride 

The centre of Salzburg

 

The Schlafbergbahn - the cog railway up into the mountains 

Below at  Mondsee the train took visitors from the main car park into the town centre.  Mondsee is probably most famous now as the location of the church used in "the Sound of Music"  film for the wedding of Maria and Captain von Trapp.    But sorry no pictured of the church

 

A

 Mozart's Birthplace in Salzburg

Mozart's Statue

 

 

Mozart's Statue in Vienna

  

 

Monument to Mozart in Baden, near Vienna. 

 

 The concert hall in Bad Ischl, near Salzburg

 A tribute to another  composer  Johann Strauss.

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There is so much we like about Austria - the landscape, the  architecture (chalets and churches), the food especially the cakes, culture and the traditional costumes  - no wonder we chose to spend our wedding anniversaries there! 

Early Musical Memories : Sepia Saturday

It is not all that long since we enjoyed Christmas, so for this  week's Sepia Saturday prompt of "The "Sound of Music"  I look back at my early musical memories, centred on Christmas.

 

 

To me Christmas means singing. One of my earliest memorieswas  taking part in a primary school (girls only) nativity play, singing solo the first verse of "We Three Kings of Orient Are".  I wore someone's velvet curtain as my cloak  and  a cardboard crown with jewels made from fancy sweetie papers. I have never wanted to sing solo since.

 

In another Christmas concert, my role was to play the triangle in the percussion band - a bit of a come down from the most desired instrument that everyone longed to get - the sleigh bells.

One family get-together, after the meal, we children did our party pieces, with mine on the piano. My little brother (below) decided to plough his way through all 12 verses of "The Twelve Days of Christmas". He developed hiccups and his long socks kept falling down - this was the days of lads wearing short trousers until their teens  - no matter if the weather was wintry,.   But he was determined to finish singing the carol, kept pulling his socks up and by the end, we were all falling about laughing and we never allowed him to forget this occasion.

 

At High school,  we always had a carol service where the tradition was to sing some carols in foreign languages - so for French "It est ne le divin enfant";   German was "O Tannenbaum", "Es ist ein Rose entsprungen" or "Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht" and Latin always "Adeste Fideles" (O Come All Ye Faithful". )

My father sang in the church choir and my mother in the Townswomen's Guild Choir and being a choir member myself has been one of my key interests. 

 

 In autumn, out came the orange, green and blue books of "Carols for Choirs" (Oxford University Press) as we prepared for our Christmas concerts, looking for a mixture of old favourites and newer arrangements.  Children  were invited to come along with their recorders to take part in coming onto the stage and playing "Jingle Bells".  We tried  to come up with slightly different themes e.g. Carols from Around the World, Carols Down the Centuries, Carols for All Ages etc. (I know, not exactly original, but then Christmas is a time for tradition). 

 

There is something special about taking part in carol singing  outdoors. wrapped up in our winter woolies.   We went round local care homes and were warmly welcomed inside afterwards with more mince pies and shortbread - and at one location even  sherry - no wonder we were happy! ! 

My own favourite carols  have not changed much over the years "Silent Night", "In the Bleak Mid Winter", "Three Kings from Distant Lands Afar" and "O Holy Night". I like the simple unadorned arrangements best - nothing too fancy, but the descants of the standard choral classics such as "Hark the Herald Angels Sing", I find it so uplifting as the sopranos soar up to the high notes. 

 

We always ended the concert with a lively rendition of "We wish you a Merry Christmas" followed by the serving of mince pies and mulled wine or juice to complete one of my "must do" Christmas activities - a great start to the Christmas Spirit. 

 

 

Classic FM is my favourite radio station and come December 1st we know we are in for a feast of carols and Christmas music. On Christmas Eve, it is time to watch on TV the beautiful candlelight carol service from Kings College Chapel, Cambridge.  

So for me Christmas would not be Christmas 

without the joy of singing carols.

 

Adapted from a posting of 2013, but I hope it will be of interest to my newer readers. Graphic Images courtesy of Pixabay.com/

 

 

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Sepia Saturday gives bloggers an opportunity to share 

their family history and memories through photographs

 

 

Click HERE To read this week's contributions from

other Sepia Saturday bloggers.

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Bands on Parade - Sepia Saturday

Sepia Saturday's main theme for January is "The Sound of Music" with the first image one of a band.   I love bands -   best  heard out of doors -  pipe bands, ceilidh bands, marching bands, brass bands, military bands  and here in Earlston in the Scottish Borders we even have a ukulele band.   I am not into pop bands!

 

 Image courtesy of Pixabay

Massed pipe bands in the Scottish Borders at Floors Castle,  reputed to be Scotland's largest inhabited house, standing in parkland overlooking the River Tweed at Kelso.   It was built by the architect William Adam, for the 1st Duke  of Roxburghe in 1721 and later embellished by William Playfair.  Despite its name, it is a large country house - not a castle fortress built for defence.

 

 My home village of EArlston with Melrose Pipe Band leading the fancy dress parade at Civic Week. 

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 Earlston  Clown and at Melrose Cycle Parade, 1923

 Back to 1923 and Earlston Clown Band.  Its origins are obscure, but it was a popular participant in many events across the region up to the outbreak of World War Two.  Notice the man on the front left wearing a kilt, incongruously with a policeman's helmet!  

On 14th January 1919,  "The Berwickshire News"  reporter waxed eloquently in a colourful account of a school concert where:

The finale  was the performance of Earlston Junior Clown Band . trained by Miss Gil, one of the teachers, and her pupils did her infinite credit.  This  was thought to be the crowning performance of the evening and caused a great sensation.   Their grotesque garments and equally grotesque musical  performance  made the bandsmen the heroes of the hour, the observed of all observers, the cynosure of every eye.  Their contribution to the evening  was a veritable  triumph  and was rewarded with tremendous applause. "

You do wonder what their "grotesque musical performance" sounded like!  

 The last report found on the  band was  in "The Berwickshire News" of 13th July 1937 when the band took part, with great acclaim  in a fancy dress parade in Lauder.

 "Much of the success of the parade was due to the efforts of the Earlston Clown Band,  which led the procession through the streets of the Burgh .  The antics of the band, who were all in character,  and its leader Mr. John Murdison roused peals of laughter from the many spectators who had gathered to watch the procession."

 No further press reports were traced after that date. Did the outbreak of war bring an end to the Clown Band activities,  which had delighted its followers down the decades?  

Back to more modern times:

 

 We took a short break in the city of Dundee and coincided with a youth pipe band companionship.  The smartly dressed bands were all practising in streets off the square prior to going on parade.

Taking a break!

 

 

 

St. Gilgen in  the Austrian lakes, where we saw the the parade marking a local festival, with the band and spectators dressed in  traditional costume.

 

 

More traditional costume on show - this time in Krakow in Poland. 

 

 

On the  visit to Krakow in Poland, we visited the  castle and came across a gathering for an event - we never did find out any details, but enjoyed seeing the bands, their  uniforms and  their unusual  instruments.  

 

The Band that Never Was

It was my first visit to Paris and the first full day there marked Bastille Day - July 14th.  I have always loved  the ceremony of state occasions, and marching military  bands, so dragged my husband to stand (for ages) by the Arc de Triomphe.  We waited  and waited  and saw the armed forces and tanks go past and the French President  - but where were the marching bands?  We kept hearing music and thought they were getting closer, but we never saw them.  Eventually rather tired and hungry (after only a light  continental breakfast), we gave up  and walked down the Champs-Élysées.   We came to a crossroads and heard the music very clearly - coming from four large loud speakers of a PA system!  There were no live marching bands!  It was all piped music!  What a disappointment!    

 

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Adapted from an earlier post first published in 2014.

Sepia Saturday gives bloggers an opportunity to share their family history and memories through photographs

 

 

Click HERE to read this week's contributions from

other Sepia Saturday bloggers.

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