With Only ONe week to go before we welcom our new Musical Director, we welcomed back the amazing singer/songwriter Lucy Huzzard. We continued to work on Lucy’s own song “if I Gave You a Tenner”, which is fast becoming a choir favourite.
We also learnt a beautiful short song called “Sweet Earth” written by Emily Longhurst.
Sweet Earth
Sweet earth so wild and free
Our home our place of sanctuary
Love her well oh let her be
With only two weeks left before we welcome our new Musical Director, we invited the extremely talented Folk singer/songwriter Lucy Huzzard along to take us on a journey through song.
We kicked off with a trip to the Austrian Alps, where Lucy enthusiastically taught us the art of Yodeling.
Cow and goatherds used yodeling as a way to call across from one mountain to another. Yodeling is a major feature of folk music (Volksmusic) from Switzerland, Austria and southern Germany and can be heard in many contemporary folk songs.
We then yodelled our way back to Dartmoor, where Lucy kindly taught us the first part of a song written by herself called “If I gave you a tenner”.
Lucy wrote the protest song “if I Gave You a Tenner” as a response to a challenge made to the high court urging wild camping to become illegal on Dartmoor.
An amazing time was had by all. And I’m sure you’ll hear the sound of yodeling on the streets of Meersbrook for years to come.
Please show Lucy some support over on her YouTube channel.
Come & learn with us – If we gave you a tenner [main melody & harmony line]
Whilst we await the start of our New Musical Director, we invited the amazing Sinini Ngwenya to lead us energetically into traditional song from Zimbabwe.
We started by learning “lamulela” which is a prayer song asking god to come save us from earthly Sufferings.
Lamulela bantu bakho bayakhala translates to “save your people they are crying/praying.
As the choir sings, Sinini continues to address the cry from hunger and endless wars.
Sinini’s energy was highly infectious, and a wonderful time was had by all. Feel free to show him some support over on his social media accounts.
Sinini_Ngwenya (@sinini_ngwenya) • Instagram photos and videos
Here we are singing “Zidele Amathambo” at the Bradford War Memorial, led by our now retired musical director Liz Nicholas.
Zidele Amathambo is a Zulu phrase meaning “give yourself away-bones and all”. It implies a complete and selfless giving, not just of effort, but of ones entire being. It suggests taking a chance, putting your heart and soul into something, and holding nothing back.