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U3A Music Group - July 02
by Glenys - 16:38 on 03 July 2018
The Music Appreciation Group met at Valerie's house on Monday, 2nd. The topic for this month was English Composers and, as usual, produced a varied and interesting selection of items.
As was to be expected, we enjoyed compositions by many well-loved and well-known late 19th/20th century composers:
Ralph Vaughan Williams (Serenade to Music);
Edward Elgar (two: Salut d'Amour. and Where Corals Lie - from Sea Pictures - sung by Janet Baker);
Benjamin Britten (Peter Pears singing Let us sleep now from the War Requiem);
Frederick Delius (Daybreak - Dance, from his earliest work Florida Suite);
Peter Maxwell Davies (Farewell to Stromness - played by Max himself);
Percy Grainger (In an English Country Garden) - played on handbells!
and also by some who, these days, are somewhat less popular:
Eric Coates (Westminster - Meditation from his London Suite); and
Richard Rodney Bennett (Partita for Orchestra).
Gloria had brought along a very modern piece, Triangular Situations, composed by Vasco Martins, and played by the guitarists John Etheridge (who is English) and John Williams.
Needless to say, the music we heard wasn't just confined to the above. Louise produced a wonderful piece by the unknown (to us) Early Music composer John Baston - his Concerto for descant recorder, played by Michala Petri; and Anthony Holborne's The Fairy Rownde.
Baroque Music proved very popular:
John Dowland's Come Again and Wilt though unkind thus leave me, sung by Sting.
Two pieces by Henry Purcell (With rapture of delight, from his Ode for St Cecilia's Day, Hail bright Cecilia; and several tracks from Dido and Aeneas);
William Byrd's Magnificat, from the Byrd Fauxbourdons Service, sung by the St Edmunsbury Cathedral choir; and
Matthew Locke's Music for His Majesty's Sackbutts and Cornetts.
The 18th century wasn't neglected: we heard James Hook's Sir Sydney Smith's March, played on the Northumbrian small pipes by Alistair Anderson.
As always, we enjoyed coffee and biscuits at the midpoint of our morning - and, of course, interesting discussion of the musical items.
The group will meet next on Monday, 6 August, at Louise's house, where the topic - chosen by Gloria - will be:
SCOTTISH - in any musical manifestation.
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