Past Free Chandos Singers Performances
Hail! Bright Cecilia, Sunday 20 November 2022, St John the Evangelist Church, South Parade, Bath
We performed Purcell’s Hail Bright Cecilia, Haydn’s Te Deum II, and In spiritu humilitatis by Giovanni Croce. The choir was joined by organist Dominic Irving.
In 1683 the London Musical Society initiated an annual celebration of the feast day (22 November) of St Cecilia, patron saint of musicians.
Purcell contributed the ceremonial ode Hail! Bright Cecilia in 1692. It takes the form of a dramatic cantata, setting a reworking by the Irishman Nicholas Brady of A Song for St. Cecilia’s Day by John Dryden.
As Brady’s text refers extensively to the different characteristics (and competitive and indeed warlike nature) of various instruments, Purcell treats them as dramatis personae; as St Cecilia was traditionally credited with inventing the organ, it has a starring role.
Haydn’s second Te Deum was the result of a commission from the Empress Marie Thérèse, the wife of Holy Roman Emperor Francis II. It is a jubilant choral work, without the solo sections that are typical of Haydn’s other sacred settings, and was first performed in 1800 to celebrate a visit by Lord Nelson to Haydn’s Esterházy patrons.
Giovanni Croce (1557-1609) was an influential Italian composer of the late Renaissance, long associated with St Mark’s, Venice. We performed his beautiful and reverent 8-part setting of the Offertory prayer In spiritu humilitatis.
See Programme 20 November 2022.
Jephte, a dramatic Old Testament story of love and sacrifice, Sunday 27 March 2022, St Mary’s Church, Limpley Stoke
A free concert with donations for the church and for Ukraine, directed by Rupert Bevan, with Nicholas Edwards, organ. As well as seasonal choral works for Lent and Mother’s Day, the programme included Jephte by Giacomo Carissimi (1605-1674). £110 was raised for the church and £115 for Ukraine.
A Christmas Miscellany, Sunday 12 December 2021, St Mary the Virgin Church, Lower Westwood
A sequence of Christmas music in aid of church funds, following many 2021 Chandos rehearsals in their well-ventilated church hall.
Cantantibus organis, Sunday 21st November 2021, St John the Evangelist Church, Bath
A free concert with donations for the church, directed by Rupert Bevan. It included the Te Deum Laudamus plainchant, with interpolations from organist Nicholas Edwards, movements from Victoria’s Missa Vidi speciosam, Lassus’ motet Cantantibus organis, and JS Bach’s cantata Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme.
From Italian Renaissance to English Baroque, Sunday 15 August 2021, St John the Evangelist Church, Bath
A free concert with donations for the church, including Let God arise and O sing unto God (from Handel’s Chandos Anthem no.11), Ave regina (Pierre de la Rue), O sing unto the Lord (Purcell), Assumpsit Maria and Virgo prudentissima (attrib. Giovanni Spataro), O Maria mater gratiae (Crivelli) and the duet Pur ti miro (from Monteverdi’s Coronation of Poppea). The main soloists were Jane Hunt, Katharine Adams and Paul Feldwick, accompanied by Gerry Hoddinott.
Party in the City, Bath Festival, Friday 17 May 2019, Christ Church, Julian Road, Bath
Chandos performed a variety of pieces which had been smuggled into England: Omnis curet (12th century Anon.), Decantabat (Jean de Castro, 1558), Semit XXXI (magic text set c.1650), Fama malum (Josquin Des Pres) and Dulces exuviae (Lassus). The performance ended with Clothing Restrictions ( a chorus from Malcolm Hill’s next opera).
Party in the City, Bath Festival, Friday 18 May 2018
At St Michael’s Church, Chandos performed as much of Vivaldi’s Dixit Dominus cantata as could be fitted into the allotted time of 6.30-6.50. Then at 9.00, the Chandos Singers moved to St Swithin’s Church to form the chorus in Bath Chamber Opera’s performance of the second scene of the comedy-opera Bath: Graveyard of Ambition.
Bath: Graveyard of Ambition, Magdalen Chapel, Holloway, Bath, Saturday 19 August 2017
Most of the Chandos Singers appeared either as soloists or as chorus in Malcolm Hill’s one-act comedy-opera Bath: Graveyard of Ambition.
The performance was to mark the departure of Bath Chamber Opera’s leading tenor (Robert Jack) who also sang with Chandos and who will be taking up a new appointment in Cambridge University in September.
The neo-baroque comedy-opera is set in a waiting room in Bath, where patients comment on living in the pollution, problems with seagulls and parking as well as the joys and pitfalls of living in a Georgian city. Main soloists included Jane Hunt and Katharine Adams (sopranos), Katherine Lush (mezzo), Robert Jack (tenor) and Paul Feldwick (bass-baritone) were joined by shorter solos from Chandos’ Alison Alexander (soprano), John Gutteridge (bass) and members of Chandos in the chorus. Further details can be found at www.malcolm-hill.co.uk.
Party in the City, Bath Festival, Friday 19 May 2017, St Michael’s Church, Bath
Monteverdi Sestina, 4th movement
Monteverdi Cantate Domino
Anerio Sanctus from Missa in Te Domine Speravi
Malcolm Hill Avon Street – en plein air, 2nd movement, 10.00am
Conductor : Malcolm Hill
Party in the City, Bath Festival, Friday 20 May 2016, St Swithin’s Church, Bath
A 20-minute free concert.
Malcolm Hill Quasimodo, a motet for the King on the eve of Magna Carta
Malcolm Hill Jeesus Kristus meille nyt
Benjamin Cooke Hark hark the lark
Josquin Des Prez, ornamented version of Salve Regina
Jaako Mäntyjärvi Full fathom five
John Gardner Fear no more the heat o’ the sun
Huub de Lange A tale told by an idiot
Conductor : Malcolm Hill
Party in the City, Bath Festival, Friday 15 May 2015, St Swithin’s Church, Bath
A short free concert.
Gaucelm Faidit arr. Malcolm Hill: in 1215 the Pope annuls Magna Carta
Estienne Grossin Agnus Dei (mourning Henry V’s war crime of 1415)
John Sheppard (born c.1515) Justi in perpetuum
Michael Haller (died 1915) Motettum in Resurrectione Domini
Sergei Taneiev (died 1915) Heruvimskaia pesn
Eric Haas The Lamb
Conductor : Malcolm Hill
Party in the City, Bath Festival, Friends Meeting House, York Street, Bath, Friday 16 May 2014
Malcolm Hill The Walrus and the Carpenter
Footnotes : Julia Rushworth and Paul Feldwick
Wandering Minstrel : Simon Caldwell
Protagonists : Cameron Neylon and Brian Wilson
Conductor : Malcolm Hill
Buxtehude Membra Jesu Nostri, Magdalen Chapel, Holloway, Bath, Saturday 8 March 2014
Buxtehude Membra Jesu Nostri
Susanna Watson : soprano solos and viola
Julia Rushworth : soprano solos and viola
Simon Caldwell : bass solos and violin
Alison Alexander and Kathy Adams : solo singers
Kathy Lush and Mandy Shaw : solo singers
Cameron Neylon and John Gutteridge : singers in trios
Angela LeGrice : recorder
Debbie Warren and Mandy Shaw : singers and recorder
Debbie Warren and Roger Latimer : singers and viola
The Chandos Singers
Malcolm Hill : organ and conductor
Translation of text read by Fr. David Prothero between each cantata.
Shared Retiring Collection for Julian House and The Genesis Project.
Opening night of Bath Festival, Friends Meeting House, York Street, Bath, Friday 24 May 2013
Music sung at the foundation of Notre Dame in 1163, plus
Gesualdo (died 1613) Deus refugium
Gesualdo Gaudeamus omnes
Ireland The Hills
Mantyjarvi Double, double, toil and trouble
Conductor : Malcolm Hill
Opening night of Bath Festival, gardens of the Royal Crescent Hotel, Bath, Friday 27 May 2011
Unaccompanied works sung by the Chandos Singers:
Pitoni Cantate Domino
Paul Hindemith En hiver
Pierre de la Rue Ave Regina
Anon (Avignon c.1305) Agnus Dei
Waller Goodworth (arr.) Ut Queant Laxis
Victoria (arr.) Musik, du edle Kunst
Percy Grainger There was a pig
Pearsall Lay a garland
Finzi My spirit sang all day
Rautavaara With joy we go dancing
Malcolm Hill Jeesus Kristus meille
Frederic Austin Let us now take time
Stephen Hatfield Elibama
Conductor : Malcolm Hill
Also in the concert, sung by the Consort of Barber-Surgeons:
Hassler Laetentur coeli
Hassler Cantate Domino
Anon (Polish c.1300) Omnia beneficia
Janacek Láska opravdivá
Schubert Liebe
Schubert Zum Rundtanz
E.M. Bostwick When Pa
The Consort of Barber-Surgeons are four members of The Chandos Singers:
Dominic Singleton
Cameron Neylon
Simon Caldwell
Paul Feldwick
Opening night of Bath Festival, St Michael’s Church, Bath, Friday 28 May 2010
A short free concert.
Waller Goodworth (arr.) Ut Queant
Anon. Avignon 1309 Agnus Dei
Paul Hindemith En hiver
Anon. S.American Hanacpachap
Pitoni Cantate Domino
Bernhard Lewkovitch Laudate Dominum
Bernhard Lewkovitch Exsultate Domino
Conductor : Malcolm Hill
Opening night of Bath Festival, Friday 22 May 2009
A short free concert.
Hindemith En hiver
Malcolm Hill Jeesus Kristus
Meister In Deo Salutare
Pitoni Cantate Domino
Anon. Avignon 1309 Agnus Dei
Jaakko Mäntyjärvi Hubble, bubble, toil and trouble
Xicochi
Hanacpachap
Convivando
Conductor : Malcolm Hill
The Chandos Singers and Holy Trinity Church Choir, Sunday 28 March 2004
At Holy Trinity Church, Queen Square, Bath.
Buxtehude Membra Jesu Nostri
Buxtehude Chorale preludes
Susanna Watson : soprano solos and viola
Julia Rushworth : soprano solos and viola
Simon Caldwell : bass solos and violin
Malcolm Hill : organ and conductor
All other instruments – recorder, flute, 2 violins, 5 violas, cello -played by singers when not singing.
Translation of text read by Fr. Graham Oakes between each cantata.
Retiring Collection for Bath Cancer Unit Support Group.
Some Earlier Free Concerts
Green Park, Bath : 21 July 2000 at 11.45 and 1.15 (i)
Green Park, Bath : 22 September 2000 at 11.45 and 1.15 (i)
Acton Court, Iron Acton : 8 October 2000 at 3.00
Green Park, Bath : 10 December 2000 at 12.45 (i)
RUH, Bath : 6 February 2001 at 12.05 and 1.05
Green Park, Bath : 20 December 2002 at 11.45 and 1.15 (i),
and subsequent years at Green Park on the Friday before Christmas:
2003-2006 (i); 2007-2009 (ii); 2010 onwards (iii)
(i) collecting money for the Blind of Wansdyke
(ii) collecting money for CancerBackup
(iii) collecting money for the Cheshire Home in Timsbury
Pieces performed in one or more of the above:
John Bennet Weep O mine eyes
Thomas Campion Never weather-beaten sail
Edward Elgar As torrents in summer
Orlando Gibbons The silver swan
H.M. Górecki Lullaby (1)
Liszt Salve Regina
C.H.H. Parry Come, pretty wag, and sing
Robert Lucas de Pearsall Sing we and chaunt it
Pergolesi Magnificat (choral movs.)
Giuseppi Ottavio Pitoni Cantate Domino
de la Rue Ave regina caelorum
C.V. Stanford Chillingham
C.V. Stanford Corydon, arise!
C.V. Stanford Diaphenia
C.V. Stanford Shall we go dance?
C.V. Stanford When Mary thro’ the garden went
Ludovico Viadana Exsultate justi
Vivaldi Magnificat (choral movs.)
Orazio Vecchi Sing me a song
Conductor : Malcolm Hill