On song with
THE spotlight this week falls on Côr Crescendo, a small ladies choir based in Carmarthen.
They kindly answered my weekly appeal for choirs and singers to get in touch.
This column exists to give lovers of singing and music a chance to catch up on the news in West Wales, so it relies heavily on the information it receives from choir secretaries and event organisers.
Please don’t be shy. In this coronavirus age, we all need to keep each other in the loop on the latest news on the West Wales choral and concert scene.
Follow the example of Côr Crescendo musical director Deborah Peak, who kindly emailed with news about her choir.
Deborah explained about Côr Crescendo: “We are a small ladies’ choir of approximately 18 members who come together purely for the pleasure of singing.
“We rehearse regularly throughout the months September-July at a central Carmarthen location.
“Our repertoire is quite varied: classical, traditional, popular songs. We sing in English and in Welsh.
“We have been having ad-hoc rehearsals during the last month but aim to resume full rehearsals from September.
“We would love to welcome new members. Previous choral experience or the ability to read music is not essential.
“If anyone is interested in finding out more, please contact by email - crescendo.crwbin@breathe.com”
Côr Crescendo was formed at the end of 2014, after Côr Caerfyrddin was sadly disbanded due to the decreasing number of male voices.
The ladies of Côr Caerfyrddin felt that they wished to continue as a new choir, primarily for the sheer pleasure to be gained in singing, but also in order to maintain the social contact that had been formed in Côr Caerfyrddin.
Côr Crescendo came into being as a two-thirds-part ladies’ choir under the musical direction of Ffilis Hughes.
Under Ffilis, regular performances were given for societies and old people’s homes in Carmarthen, Newcastle Emlyn and twice in Cardiff.
Over the years, the choir has welcomed new members, usually encouraged to join by word of mouth, and numbers have increased and decreased in natural flux, but have remained at 16- 20 singers.
Ffilis Hughes stepped down at the beginning of 2018 and Deborah Peak, a member of the alto section, took over as musical director.
Since then Côr Crescendo has performed for the WI at St Peter’s Hall, for pensioners at Y Tumbl and at Towy Castle.
For the past 18 months, all choir activities have had to be curtailed, but members have kept in touch with each other through regular Zoom chats.
A varied collection of classical, traditional and popular songs in English and in Welsh forms the choir’s basic repertoire.
Some of the songs performed at the final concert before lockdown were Ave Verum (Mozart), Barcarolle (Offenbach), Skye Boat Song, Que Será, Wonderful World, Annie’s Song, Hafan Gobaith, Sospan Fach, Suo Gân and Gilmor Griffiths’ Ave Maria.
Keyboard accompaniment is provided by the husband of one of the altos.
Rehearsals always begin with one or two warm-up ‘sing-a longs’ such as When You’re Smiling, Pack Up Your Troubles, Lawr Ar Lan Y Môr, or Myfanwy, which are also sometimes included in concerts to encourage audience participation, and they always end with a cup of tea and a chat.
With the start of term planned for September, there will be a brand new repertoire and it would therefore be the ideal time for any new member wishing to join.
Musical director Deborah Peak sang in Côr Caerfyrddin and then Crescendo under the direction of Ffilis Hughes. She took over the role of MD in April 2018.
Deborah is a retired teacher. She worked for 21 years at Chetham’s School of Music in Manchester, as
Head of Modern Languages and then as Deputy Head. She is an amateur musician, singer and violinist.
She grew up in Liverpool, where she played in the Merseyside Youth Orchestra at the same time as the world famous conductor Simon Rattle (now Sir Simon!) and now sings in two small groups, The Merlin Singers and Frenzaloud. She also plays her violin in Symphonica Tywi.
To find out more about Côr Crescendo, see their Facebook page - https:// www. facebook. com/ crescendocarmarthen
In other news, I’m grateful to BBC journalist and broadcaster Garry Owen for broadening my horizons on matters historical.
He has pointed me in the direction of a website which contains some treasures about religious life in Wales and musical history.
Garry emailed me: “Just browsing at random bits of Llanelli history and came across this gentleman. You may know of him, but he is a new name to me. May be something for your music column? The info is from the Welldigger Blog.
“Charles Meudwy Davies (also known by the bardic title Pencerdd Myrddin) was born in Pontardawe in 1855.
“He studied music for two years under Joseph Parry at Aberystwyth. In 1880 he married Martha Davies of Cardigan, who was sister to the Revs Ossian Davies and Cynon Davies.
“He served as choirmaster and organist at Tabernacle Congregational Chapel, Llanelli for 36 years.
“He was also conductor of the Llanelli Harmonic Society, the Llanelli Temperance Choir, and also of the Llanelli and District Band of Hope Union and Choir, another temperance organisation.
“In 1901, C Meudwy Davies and his family were living at 34 Salamanca Road, Llanelli, when his occupation is described as being a stationer and music-seller.
“In 1903, he was the first Welshman to conduct the 5000 voices of the National Temperance Choral Union at the Crystal Palace. This was in a performance of his own work, ‘The Fall of Bacchus’, which was presumably a piece of temperance propaganda.
“He also had the honour of being invited to be a musical adjudicator at the Grand National Eisteddfod of Australia in 1910 - a measure of how great was his reputation by then. He died just six years after returning from Australia, in 1916, after a long illness, aged just 60.”
Diolch yn fawr, many thanks to Garry and, of course, the Welldigger Blog for the historical information.
The Welldigger Blog is something of a treasure trove and if you want to browse you can find it at http://daibach-welldigger.blogspot.com/
During the coronavirus crisis, this column is putting the spotlight on west Wales singers and choirs and many online internet recordings. Please email if you are already planning an event post-lockdown in 2021. Get in touch if your choir has resumed rehearsals or if you have news you’d like to share about your choir or events. Email robert. lloyd01@ walesonline.
co.uk