Even for the most hardened cynic, the weeks leading up to Christmas carry a touch of magic. In Sussex, with its strong tradition of song, the season offers a wonderful feast of choral music and carol singing, from the more formal Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols in Chichester Cathedral to school nativity plays in draughty village halls. We hope that the following accounts and pictures capture something of the magic of the season and the diversity of events across the county – all reflecting the joy that singing those well-known and loved songs together brings.
That moment of magic: candles and carols in an ancient church
For Ginny Smith, the annual carol concert kindles a profound sense of history.
Sitting in the semi-darkness in Hamsey church on a bitterly cold December evening, the words of the carol, ‘The hopes and fears of all the years/Are met in thee tonight’ have a particular resonance. We can almost hear the echoes of centuries of history here, from the Saxon King Athelstan who held a meeting of his counsellors in the church in 925, through the years of the Black Death which decimated the village of Hamsey, followed by long centuries of decline. Rescued and repaired by a devoted group of parishioners in the early 20th century, the church stands isolated on a knoll overlooking a bend in the River Ouse and is now a popular venue for summer concerts and the annual candle-lit carol service.
This evening the church is packed, the congregation swathed in blankets and rugs, each person holding a flickering candle in a jam jar. Even the tiniest child is silent, sensing that moment of magic, of breath held, before the first words of the carol ring out, ‘Oh little town of Bethlehem…’
The Big Dome Christmas Singalong
Hilary Lawson gets all festive with the Choir With No Name in Brighton.
The annual Christmas singalong with the Choir With No Name for people who are experiencing homelessness and other forms of marginalisation is always a joyous occasion. Freya, the Brighton choir director, says: “I’ve witnessed first-hand the transformative power of music.”
An infectious vibrancy gets the whole of the Dome audience standing on its feet to sing that they wish it could be Christmas every day and enjoy belting out a festive slanging match between Shane and Kirsty in ‘Fairytale of New York’. Jingling Christmas hats and flashing reindeer antlers are encouraged and there’s a wonderful anarchy to what is, in fact, a highly professional show from this amateur choir.
Supported by both Brighton Dome and Brighton Housing Trust (BHT), the choir has resulted in many participants making life-changes. As Andy Winter, Chief Executive of BHT said: “To stand up and sing on the stage of the Dome takes real courage.”
There’s a lot to be worried and angry about in our society now, and on that cold grey Tuesday night I entered the Dome feeling decidedly bah humbug. But it was impossible not to join in such classics as ‘White Christmas’ and Slade’s ‘Merry Christmas Everybody’ (my teenage neighbour knew all the words by heart!) and be swept up by the enthusiasm of the choir and the audience.
Snow and Schubert in St Mary’s Church, Shoreham
Patricia Sauer describes a wintry scene outside the glorious 12th century church of St Mary de Haura in Old Shoreham.
The Sussex Voiceworks choir were holding their annual Christmas concert, ‘Five Gold Rings’. As the snow started to fall in Shoreham on 11 December, the choir sang with gusto. This friendly amateur choir, under the direction of musical director Sarah Forbes, was joined by three talented young soloists to sing to a packed audience in St Mary de Haura church. The first item on the programme was Schubert’s glorious Mass in G which was followed by an array of Christmas songs and carols. A magical start to the festive season.
Christmas at the movies in Hastings
Rick Dillon sings festive film songs in his local community choir.
So why not Christmas at the Movies? This was the theme of my choir’s annual concert in the hallowed interior of 15th century All Saints in Hastings Old Town. We sang All I want for Christmas is You, Silver Bells, and Walking in the Air, among others. Some had featured in films that came out 80 years ago.
Back in time, it’s In the Bleak Midwinter (its setting by Holst, 1906) that people have most needed hope and optimism. Christmas evolves as we embrace those feelings of hope and optimism in new ways and why it fits so well with the Christian message.
Alongside the Two Towers Hand Bell ringers, this year we also did Carol of the Bells. It featured in the movie Home Alone, but more importantly it was originally a Ukrainian folk melody and to this day is a source of cultural pride in that sadly war-ravaged country.
And for a suitable Christmas finale – our very own carol
Sussex is the only English county to have its very own carol, sung by Harriet Verrall of Monk’s Gate, near Horsham, to the composer Ralph Vaughan Williams in 1904. Although the words are thought to date back to the 17th century, and the tune is even older, the carol was much changed over the centuries. The version that we are familiar with is the one arranged by Vaughan Williams, and it has become immensely popular over the years, sung around the world at Christmas time.
We’ll leave you with the magical singing of the King’s College choir singing the Sussex carol, and wish all our readers a very, very Happy Christmas: https://youtu.be/wxaLyJ5G4zM
