GWEHELOG CHAPEL

Gwehelog, Monmouthshire, Wales

15 July 2000

The Second Annual all day Sacred Harp singing at Gwehelog Chapel was held on 15 July 2000, the Saturday before the third Sunday in July.

The morning prayer at 10.00 a.m. was led by Audrey Price.  Ken Baddley led song on page 34b.  Leaders:  Judy Whiting 171; David Atkin 49b; Bernard Collard 287; David Cooper 36b; Sheila Girling Smith 28t; Edwin Macadam 523b; Steve Fletcher 48t; Mandy Townsend 33b; Paul Setford 40; Carla Smith (San Diego, USA) 425b; Jerry Schreiber (San Diego, USA) led his setting of the Welsh hymn “Bryn Calfaria”; Rachel Jordan 474.

RECESS

The class was called back to order by Ruth Cooper leading song on page 200.  Leaders: Helen Brown 532; Rosalind Oldham 143; Dave Richardson 111t; Phil Tyler 101t; Ros Clements 61; Jackie Patten 313b; Mick Verrier 107; Jenny Ellis 159; Alan Weeks 150; Ian West 133; Paul Sanderson 344; Ken Baddley 515b; Judy Whiting 460; David Atkin 212;  Bernard Collard 454; David Cooper 324; Sheila Girling Smith 186; Edwin Macadam 236; Steve Fletcher 504; Mandy Townsend 300; Paul Setford 31t; Carla Smith 448t; Jerry Schreiber 198; Rachel Jordan 66; Ruth Cooper 148.  The Gwehelog Grace   was sung, led by the composer, Christopher Gardner.

LUNCH RECESS

The afternoon session was called to order by Helen Brown leading song on page 542.  Leaders: Rosalind Oldham 155; Dave Richardson 467; Phil Tyler 282; Ros Clements 147t; Mick Verrier 272; Jenny Ellis 49t. Ken Baddley took the Memorial Lesson, calling on the words of Rev'd. Henry van Dyke and Joyce Grenfell and leading song on page 163b.  We remembered Ron Thomas, Joan Izzard, Celine Vas, Pauline Weeks, Ron Nathan, Lesley Wragg, Karen House, Rosa Hughes, Sonia Argyle, Fiona Smith, Frances Butcher, Hannah Bond, Carol Starkie, Mike Thompson, Gordon Ashman, Laurette's Mother, Rinie Loades, Marie Bradshaw, Anna Hancorn, Ivy Moore and Lily Ford.  Bernard Collard spoke of loneliness and hope for the sick and housebound and Sheila Girling Smith led song on page 86.  The session resumed with Alan Weeks leading song on page 479.  Leaders: Ian West 182; Paul Sanderson 117; Roz Argyle 457; Ken Baddley 350; Jean Barton with Mandy Townsend 455; Judy Whiting 546; David Atkin 480; Bernard Collard 503; David Cooper 276; Sheila Girling Smith 349; Edwin Macadam 538; Steve Fletcher 142; Mandy Townsend 383; Paul Setford 273; Carla Smith 339; Jerry Schreiber 260; Rachel Jordan 269; Ruth Cooper 268; Helen Brown 384; Dave Richardson 335; Mick Verrier 163t; Alan Weeks 73b.  Ken Baddley thanked everyone for coming and the officers for their assistance in the success of the day.  Ken Baddley led song on page 62 and the class was dismissed with prayer by Helen Brown.

Chairman – Ken Baddley; 

Pitchers – Rachel Jordan and Helen Brown; 

Arranging Committee – Edwin Macadam and Sheila Girling Smith; 

Catering Committee – Jenny Ellis, Judy Whiting and Ann Weeks; 

Secretary – Sheila Girling Smith.

The following reports are copies of those posted on the Fasola List:

Fellow singers...

And we thought that it could not get better!

This year at Gwehelog we were again blessed with the sun, conspicuously absent from the UK since mid June, and the Chapel and the stunning views - all mercifully unchanged from last year.

We were blessed also with a large group of UK singers and by our now customary American visitors who this year were Jerry Schreiber and Carla Smith from San Diego. Jerry and Carla contributed much to our singing and fellowship.

The weekend was ordered a little differently from last year, we had the second Gwehelog Sacred Harp Singing on the Saturday from 10am - 4pm with a meal/social in the evening, and on Sunday from 11am to 12:30pm we were invited by the Chapel to have a Sankey Singing in lieu of their normal morning service. Despite some people being unable to stay over, this arrangement worked well as our voices were fresher (last year the Sankey Singing followed straightway after the SH Singing) and afforded some of us the chance to don our 'Sunday Best' (ties and all) which added I think to the occasion. 

Saturday...

With the stillness and the quiet opening prayer the magic of the setting returned and with the opening strains of 'St Thomas' we were reminded of what a fine singing space the Chapel is - the day was off to a fine start.

Among the many good pieces led in the morning, I particularly enjoyed 'Golden Streets' led by Carla Smith. When Jerry Schreiber was called upon he produced a 'shaped' version of 'Bryn Calfaria', with the air in the tenor line, which he had prepared with help from Arlie Prokop of Nebraska - currently learning Welsh in Lampeter at the start of her year long study stay in Wales. This piece as some of you will know is a grand Welsh Hymn set in the minor key and where better to sing it than in a Welsh Vale.

We gave it our best but, speaking for the basses, we did not in all honesty do it full justice. But we will return to it... 

Before lunch we sang 'The Gwehelog Grace', a piece composed for the occasion by Chris Gardner, who has also composed a number of fine West Gallery pieces. The grace is not yet set in shapes but I am sure it will be for next year - how easily some traditions are established...  

The afternoon singing contained a fairly high proportion of fuging pieces including 'Hampton', sung for the first time at a UK Singing Day I think. Other pieces enjoyed and only occasionally sung over here were 'Hebrew Children', 'Panting for Heaven' and 'When I am Gone' (Carla again). 

We ended with 'Parting Hand'. This was the first time that this piece has been sung to end a UK singing. We all learnt, as hundreds before us, that we really must learn the tune and at least the first two verses by heart. Notwithstanding this it was a lovely way to close the day. 

Due to a mix up on the B&B front I missed the evening meal and party, hopefully someone else will report on this event so I can see what I missed...

Sunday... 

For the Sankey Singing we moved out of the hollow square into a more traditional seating pattern - all facing the front! The singing from 'Sacred Songs & Solos' was somewhat gentler and slower than last year, mainly due I think to Ken Baddley leading rather than myself. In this approach it was very much in line with the regular Sankey Singings which take place in Cornwall and Wales. 

Ken led from the front and interspersed every 3 or 4 pieces with a commentary on the life of Ira D Sankey, the compiler of 'Sacred Songs & Solos', and one of its most prolific contributors. 

For those with an interest in such things we sang at written pitch, which makes it easy going on the basses (never below a 'G'), and normally adopted a 'first two and the last' approach when there were more than three verses. 

Chris Gardner, as last year, accompanied the singing to great effect on the American Reed Organ. It really was very evocative and stirring to hear Chris, feet pumping, play the first 4 or 8 bars of each piece as an introduction.

We started with 'What a Friend we have in Jesus' and to the surprise of all, except possibly the locals, a tenor sang a counter melody with different but complimentary words. It was only the second time I have heard this done and is one example of the 'special bits' which have grown up around the singing from SS&Ss. The other pieces that sounded particularly good to me were 'I need Thee every Hour' (very moving), 'Blessed Assurance' and of course 'When the Roll is called up Yonder' which we again closed with - another tradition established?

The hour and a half we spent singing passed all too quickly, but before commencing the drive back to our other lives, we lingered for an hour or so over tea and biscuits. 

Thanks go to all the individuals - you know who you are - who worked so hard, particularly on the Saturday, to support all aspects of the smooth running singing, and to the food bringers and servers who produced such a glorious and plentiful spread. However the major thanks, I am sure all the singers would agree, must go to Ken Baddley for inspiring and organising the event and to the Vicar and the parishioners of Gwehelog Methodist Chapel for again welcoming us into their community.

Taking nothing away from the other fine singing days that we now have in the UK, this event at Gwehelog has, along with our Convention, become a 'must go to' - book early for next year!!

Dave Richardson
Warwick, England

The Chapel appeared to have been painted since last year and the pale yellow of the exterior stone work was enhanced by the bright sunlight. Inside, the sun streamed through the windows, shining on the singers.

The morning prayer was lead by a member of the Chapel congregation, Audrey Price, and the class was called to order by Ken Baddley leading song on page 34b. It didn't take long for the voices of the assembled company to warm up and the plaster walls and wooden ceiling were soon ringing with the sound of the vibrant harmonies that are only apparent in our Sacred Harp music.

We were fortunate to be graced with the presence of Carla Smith and Jerry Schreiber from San Diego, California, not to mention the couple who lived just a few miles from Gwehelog, who had learned of the singing from Carla and Jerry when they were visiting San Diego earlier in the year. Just amazing!

Of the leaders and lessons it would be too difficult to decide what was better than anything else, although a fairly high pitched Jordan (first) certainly had the tenors on their toes and the notes rang around the chapel. Carla Smith led "Golden Streets" (425b) - a new piece to the UK - and we sang the unwritten second verse which of course then made sense of the title!

I must say that the Dinner on the Grounds was probably the nearest we have yet come to a Southern singing spread! The food was magnificent, the fellowship sweet and the weather warm.

The Memorial and Sick and Housebound Lessons were taken by Ken Baddley and Bernard Collard and were gracious, touching and sincere.

God's Spirit had certainly been moving amongst us throughout the day and a tremendous feeling of love and fellowship surrounded us. It was particularly fitting, therefore, to end the singing with "Parting Hand" (62). As this has never before been led in the UK it was difficult for those singing this for the first time to actually "take the parting hand". It was a special moment nevertheless.

It was not long, however, before the majority of us re-assembled for the evening when we dined together in an upstairs room at Ken's local pub. There was some great music, in particular from the "Gwehelog Occasionals" namely Jerry Schreiber (on guitar and mandolin), Ian West (on melodeon), Phil Tyler (on fiddle) John Hayto (on Appalachian Dulcimer or similar) and Mick Verrier (on guitar and mandolin). Great foot-tapping tunes. There had been a "spot" from "Vocalzone" - I won't say anything about them as I am one of the four who make up this group - and from Sheila Girling Smith who sang a couple of Cockney songs. Jerry Schreiber led two shape-note pieces, "On My Way" and "Music In My Soul" whilst Ken led a round-note English piece called "Here's a Health to all Good Lasses". (The American version of this tune can be found in The Sacred Harp - page 361 - "Loving Jesus").

Sunday dawned bright and sunny and we made our way to the little Chapel once again for the singing of Sankey Hymns. This event had been embraced by the Chapel Minister and congregation and was in place of their normal Sunday service. We had a wonderful time - all the old favourites were chosen and sung with such energy. Ken's descriptions of the lives and mission of Ira D Sankey and his partner, Dwight Moody, gave an insight into the impact that their method of singing and preaching had on those with whom they came into contact. 

All too soon it was time to end and, after lengthy good-byes, we departed Gwehelog with the sun still shining.

Helen Brown
Derby, England

We were delighted to recognize Bernard Collard standing at the corner by the Chapel, directing cars to park in the field nearby. And we quickly recognized Judy Whiting and others whom we'd met at the National in Birmingham in past years.

The singing at Gwehelog followed the pattern familiar to anyone who has been to a Sacred Harp singing in the US, with a few, charming British touches. At the breaks, cups of tea and coffee were served on trays to the singers, rather than everyone serving themselves. The second portion of the Memorial Lesson, so movingly presented by Ken Baddley and Bernard Collard, refers to 'Sick and House-bound' rather than 'Sick and Shut-In'. And I don't recall any election of officers.

It's always a treat to put faces to names which have appeared on e-mail, and we enjoyed meeting many singers whom we had not encounterd before. And the singing, so sweet, so strong! Many of the tunes were taken at slower tempos that I'd heard them in the States, the better to savor the harmonies. I particularly enjoyed 'Hampton', ably led by Edwin Macadam.

While it might appear to be 'bringing coals to Newcastle', I was pleased to have the opportunity to lead 'Bryn Calfaria', a well-known Welsh hymn, at the singing. This past spring, I was asked to transcribe a setting of this hymn into 4-shapes by Arlie Prokop of Lincoln, Nebraska, for use at a singing held there this past June. As luck would have it, Arlie is herself now in Wales, and visited with Ken Baddley on her way to an intensive Welsh Language course she is taking in Lampeter, and left a copy of the transcription with Ken, who had made up copies for the Gwehelog singing.

A special treat was a new composition, 'The Gwehelog Grace', composed and led by Christopher Gardner of Newcastle-upon-Tyne. This is a lovely setting of William Cowper's verse 'Almighty King, whose wondrous hand supports the weight of sea and land...'. We gave this piece its North American debut at our singing in San Diego yesterday.

We especially want to thank Ken Baddley for his warm hospitality. We greatly enjoyed the party at his home on Friday night, and at the Chain Bridge Inn on Saturday night. The British singers have such diverse musical interests, the entertainment on both nights was a real treat. We particularly enjoyed Vocalzone's rendition of Shelly Posen's 'Fa So La' on Saturday night. Not to mention getting to participate in an old-time jam session. 

Helen Brown mentioned the music which I contributed to the Saturday night party. One piece, 'On My Way', I transcribed from 7-shape into 4-shape notation from the Alabama 'Christian Harmony'. The other piece, 'Music In My Soul', is a gospel quartet, also transcribed from 7 to 4-shapes. I will be happy to make these available to anyone interested.

We also enjoyed the singing of hymns composed by Ira Sankey, held at the Gwehelog Chapel on Sunday morning. The pews had been returned from the hollow-square to the more conventional arrangement, and Chris Gardner did a lovely job playing the organ to the congregation's singing. Ken Baddley gave a charming presentation of biographical notes about Ira Sankey interspersed with the singing of such familiar hymns as 'Bringing In the Sheaves' and 'When The Roll Is Called Up Yonder'. While Sankey and his partner, Clyde Moody, were Americans, this music was introduced to Wales through their evangelizing tours around the turn of the last century, and has a special place in the local repertiore. Dave Richardson kindly organized the music for the singing (and was kind enough to send us copies prior to our trip, so we 'round-note impaired' could do a little preparation).

Again, thanks to the British singers for their hospitality and fellowship, and congratulations on a wonderful singing.

Jerry Schreiber & Carla Smith

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