In November 2013, Schola Cantorum was invited to sing in a number of concerts on Norfolk Island (Google Maps reference). Programmes are below:

Thanksgiving Day Recital
Wednesday 27 November 5pm
St Barnabas Church

Norfolk String Ensemble:
Concert Master Eric Craig MBE
John Kelly (Sen) Viola.
Grace Kelly (13) Violin.
Jude Kelly (11) Violin/Viola.
Johnny Kelly (9) Violin.
Ethan Kelly (14) Cello/Violin.

Ferny Lane Family Concert
30th November 5:00pm

* Schola Cantorum to be joined by Norfolk Island singers
+ Accompanied by string orchestra

Norfolk String Ensemble:
Concert Master Eric Craig MBE
John Kelly (Sen) Viola.
Grace Kelly (13) Violin.
Jude Kelly (11) Violin/Viola.
Johnny Kelly (9) Violin.
Ethan Kelly (14) Cello/Violin.

2pm Sunday 13th October at The Nut Point Centre, West Melton

Processional:
Kyrie and Gloria from Missa Pange Lingua – Josquin des Près 1450-1521
O Lord, Give thy Holy Spirit – Thomas Tallis 1505-1585

1 Pitcairn and Norfolk Islands
Ave Verum Corpus – William Byrd 1543-1623
The Lady Oriana – John Wilbye 1574-1638
What is our life? – Orlando Gibbons 1583-1625

2 Discovery and the first penal settlement (1788–1814)
Zadok the Priest (1727) – G.F. Handel
Ave Verum (1791) – W.A. Mozart

3 Mutiny on the Bounty (1789)
Negro spirituals
Steal Away – Wallace Willis, arr. O’Beirne
Michael Row the Boat Ashore – arr. O’Beirne

4 Second Norfolk penal settlement, survival in Pitcairn and the 1856 re-settlement
Hymns from Pitcairn and Norfolk Islands
Oakleigh – Gustav Quintal
Gethsemane – Driver Christian and Rev G H Nobbs
Pitcairn Anthem for choir and orchestra – arr. John Emeleus

Encore:
Hine e Hine – Te Rangi Pai, arr. Roger Buckton

• 2pm Saturday 24th August at St Paul’s Presbyterian Church, Oxford St, Ashburton
  
• 3pm Sunday 1st September at WEA, Christchurch
  

Part the first – Merrye olde England (sheet music for Byrd, Wilbye, Weelkes)
All As A Sea – Byrd
What is our Life – Gibbons (sheet music)
The Lady Oriana – Wilbye
The Andalusian Merchant – Weelkes

Part the second – New Spain (Mexico)
Tristis Est Anima Mea – Padilla (sheet music)

Part the third – Billings and the Great Awakening (sheet music)
When Jesus Wept – Billings
Boston – Billings
Bolton – Billings
Africa – Billings
Chester – Billings

Part the fourth – The dark side of exploration (South and East United States)
Blow Boys Blow (sheet music)
Shenandore (sheet music)
Down To The River To Pray – Noia (sheet music)
Steal Away – Willis (featuring Delia Hunt) (sheet music)
Michael Row The Boat Ashore – unknown (with cello, flute and guitar) (sheet music)

Part the fifth – Shaker songs – with dances (New Hampshire)
Simple Gifts
Come Life, Shaker Life

Part the sixth – Newfoundland Shanties (North Atlantic)
The Banks of Newfoundland – Forbes (sheet music)
She’s Like The Swallow – traditional (sheet music)
Feller from Fortune (sheet music)

Part the seventh – Shanties (Atlantic seafarers)
Roll the Cotton Down (sheet music)
All For Me Grog – traditional (sheet music)
Farewell To Grog – Schenk (sheet music)

Sunday 16 December 2012, St Barnabas Church, Fendalton

Saturday 3rd November 2012
The Nut Point Centre, Langdales Road, West Melton

The concert with a quarter of a century conductors

Schola Cantorum of Christchurch celebrated its 25th anniversay with a concert featuring all its past and present conductors.

Introduced by Roger Buckton

Harry Abbenhuis (1987 – )
Gregorian chant: Veni Creator

Veni Creator Spiritus by Tomas Luis de Victoria (1548 – 1611)

Dennis Guyan ( – 2005)
Draw on sweet night by John Wilby (1574 – 1638)

Malcolm Leitch (2005 – 9)
Ave verum corpus by William Byrd (1540 – 1623)

Chris Burn (2009 – 2011)
O Lord, give thy Holy Spirit by Thomas Tallis (1505 – 85)

Roger Buckton (2011 – )
Record of John by Orlando Gibbons (1583 – 1625)

• Jodie Phaal (conductor), David O’Beirne – tenor

Elegy for a fallen city by Patrick Shepherd (1963 –  )

• Jodie Phaal (conductor), David Lovell-Smith (piano)

What is our life? by Orlando Gibbons

The big-sing (all invited)

Carol: In the bleak mid-winter by Gustav Holst (1874 – 1934)

• conducted by Harry Abbenhuis

Street Cries of London  by Orlando Gibbons

The Silver Swan by Orlando Gibbons

Domine exaudi meus by Giovanni Gabrielli (1557 – 1613)

26 Reasons to love Canterbury by Toch (1931)/Buckton (2011)

Saturday 25th August 2012 at Trinity Church, Darfield

Schola Cantorum of Christchurch performed in Darfield under its musical director, Roger Buckton, who was thrilled to be able to bring this notable 25 voice Christchurch City choir to Darfield. As guest conductor, Jodie Phaal, a student of conducting at the University of Canterbury’s, School of Music also conducted and David O’Beirne, another senior student at the School of Music sang the solo tenor part in The record of John by Orlando Gibbons. Darfield organist, Hugh Stevenson accompanied The record of John as well as another fascinating Gibbons composition, The street cries of London.

Elegy for a fallen city is a compelling piece about Christchurch the earthquake city and received its first Darfield performance in the programme together with a performance of a spoken fugue arranged by Roger Buckton entitled 26 reasons to love Canterbury. Apart from these contemporary songs, the choir performed from its more traditional Renaissance repertoire, both sacred and secular.

Sunday 13th May 2012, Presbyterian Church, Hampden
(with guest artists, the Canterbury/Otago Consort of Viols)

Schola Cantorum of Christchurch performed in Hampden, under its new conductor, Roger Buckton.  David O’Beirne, a senior student at the School of Music, sang the solo tenor part in The record of John by Orlando Gibbons.

The Canterbury-Otago Consort of Viols consists of six leading viol players from Christchurch and Dunedin. These players meet three times a year to work at and enjoy the rich and fascinating viol repertoire from the 16 and 17th centuries. The viol is a six string fretted instrument played between the legs, as a cello, (da gamba). The three typical sizes are treble tenor and bass and these were all in action in Hampden. Rhona Lever and Roger Buckton played treble, Donald Moorhead and Gay Peek were on tenor and Jo Fielding and Aart Brusse provided the bass line.

The day included a welcome at 2pm to Hampden for the Choir and Consort from His Worship the Mayor, Mr Alex Familton, a discourse on Mr John Hampden – The Patriot (1594-1643) from historian Ken Bridge, followed by a short informal concert introduced by Roger Buckton. In the morning, from 10.00am to 12.30, the viol consort rehearsed in the hall and the choir in the church and members of the public could drop in on those sessions at any time. Following afternoon tea from 4.15 – 5pm there was a Big Hampden Sing for anyone to sing some Hampden repertoire with members of Schola Cantorum. Printed music was provided.

John Hampden (1595-1643): His Tymes and Musick
Notes about the music:

Music in Elizabethan and Jacobean England was an established part of life and for the gentry, part-singing, playing the viol and spinet went alongside pastimes such as dancing, tennis, bowls and hunting. Queen Elizabeth herself was an accomplished keyboard player and her Father, Henry VIII has several compositions credited to his name. Even the first ship (Mayflower) to sail around the world contained a room to house a chest of viols to be played by the officers in the evenings.

Nothing has been discovered about Sir John Hampden’s musical accomplishments and interests but we can be certain that music would  have been part of life at his Buckinghamshire Estate, Hartwell.

The finest music, no doubt, was to be heard at the Royal Court and on the occasion of the marriage of Princess Elizabeth, daughter of James 1 on St Valentines Day in 1613, John Hampden, then, an undergraduate of Magdalen College, Oxford wrote her some verse that ‘so pleasing a marriage would be unequalled by that of any age or nation.’

In 1613, Hampden, aged 19 was in his last year at university.  Orlando Gibbons (1583 – 1625) was a Gentleman of the Chapel Royal serving the King, although he does not seem to have had a hand in composing music for this royal wedding.  William Byrd, by this time in his 70th year had also been at the Chapel Royal but by then, was resident in the country in Essex where he was actively composing and publishing his music. Both Byrd and Gibbons were revered composers of their time and must have been known to John Hampden.

Byrd had a prolific output of about 470 compositions including  choral church music, madrigals, keyboard and viol music.  Gibbons’ output was significantly less, but there are some favourites which are perhaps some of the most well known of the period, eg The Silver Swan and the Record of John.

The final two pieces have nothing to do with Hampden!  Elegy for a fallen city is a compelling piece about the earthquake city and received its first Hampden performance in the programme together with a first performance of a spoken fugue arranged by Roger Buckton entitled 26 reasons to love Canterbury. They are performed as a reflection by the choir of the Canterbury earthquakes 2010/11.

Notes by Roger Buckton