Male Voice Choirs

in the beginning . . .

In 1979, I was commissioned to write a set of three songs for Bolsterstone (Yorkshire) Male Voice Choir. Of these settings of poems by Thomas Hardy, Great Things has been performed at many major festivals throughout Britain. The commission proved to be the genesis of my interest in a major but neglected arm of the British choral movement. After Felling MVC on Tyneside had sung the Hardy settings, I was invited to become the choir's Musical Director, a post I held for twelve years. During this time, I embarked on a detailed, six-year research project examining the history of MVCs which culminated in my Doctoral thesis The History and Development of the British Male Choir (available on microfiche from the library of the University of London)

was the song . . .

During this time, I completed several commissions for new male voice pieces including those from Saddleworth (These Women All), Warrington (Man among Men) and further songs for the choir at Bolsterstone (What May This Mean? and Birth of a Nation). Other male choirs commissioned various arrangements including the highly successful The Mermaid.

see "Compositions" page for some conductor's comments

and the word . . .

As the leading authority on the history and repertoire of male choirs, I frequently contribute reviews of music and recordings to Choir and Organ and was able to publicize the present state of the male voice scene on Radio 4's flagship arts programme (then called Kaleidoscope). In response to interest shown, I have developed a series of talks on the subject tailored in length and substance to suit a lecture with musical illustrations or an after-dinner talk. From my years spent sharing the unique camaraderie of the male choir world, I have inherited a mine of information and anecdotes which I enjoy sharing with audiences in both formal and informal situations

. "Gone are the days when the first prize in the male voice choir class was a pair of trousers for the conductor, second prize a pair of boots!"

 

 
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