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| Thorpe Market |
| A small village in North Norfolk |
Music in a small church
Since 1996 St Margaret's church has been establishing
itself as a centre for musical activities in rural North Norfolk. Each year
a variety of concerts by visiting recitalists and amateur performing groups
are staged (see Events diary). The church is also home to the Cantamus Community
Choir and the Village Folk Scratch Band.
Cantamus Community Choir
The choir meets on Thursday evenings
in the autumn and spring. Up to 4
works are performed each year from the popular choral repertoire.
Rehearsals
restart on Thursday 6th September. The first concert will
be on Friday November 2nd with a programme that includes Faure's
Requiem and items by Elgar. A second concert will take place on
Friday December 21st with a reprise of Handels Messiah and assorted
carols. This concert always draws a full and festive house.
All choirs suffer from a shortage of male singers, which will soon threaten the choral singing tradition of the nation.
Cantamus
is trying to redress this situation and recently launched a campaign to
persuade men to at least give singing a try. A men only evening was
recently held, described as "Singing in the bath without the bath!" We
were very gratified by the response and now have a duty to nurture
these brave fellows and persuade them that they can indeed sing, that
they can easily learn the basics of note-reading, and what a rewarding
experience singing is. As a result we now have a choir that will only
just fit on the stage!!
Village Folk Scratch Band
The band
meets on Friday evenings and plays a wide range of lighter music. At
Christmas the band
normally busks for the "Crisis at Christmas" appeal. They also lead the
singing at St. Margaret's traditional carol service. The members'
ages range from 7 years to adult; this is an activity that all
generations can participate in and enjoy. The group includes recorders,
flutes, violin, clarinet, trumpet, drums and accordion. They busk
regularly for charity, and play at parties and special services in the
church. This term Scottish music for Burn's Night followed by a
possible Irish evening is on the menu. The youngsters are encouraged to
study for the Associated Board
Theory Examinations. The aim is to make music fun! Potential members
may sample a practice evening without obligation!
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