Ancient and Modern
When I was in the choir at school we used to sing from a tome
entitled "Ancient and Modern". It, as the name implies, is a
collection of tunes and hymns, from olden-times to the fairly
recent. We used to learn anthems and other things as well and
some of them were very jolly, rather than the staid old things
from "A&M".
Our choirmaster was an indefatigable and enormously patient
chap, particularly with the youngsters, and his wife baked some
serious cakes, made mounds of sandwiches, gallons of tea and was
also very pretty. Choir practice was optional but always fully
attended, mainly as a welcome break from boarding-school food.
Auditions for the choir became very difficult to pass through.
Due to the kind attentions of the choirmaster, but perhaps also
due to the choirmaster's wife's excellent grub, the choristers
became rather good. People actually paid to come and hear them
sing. They were also invited to sing in various venues and then
in the local cathedral in front of the Bishop.
The choristers themselves were now a good team, (probably
weighing more than their schoolmates due to the large intake of
"choir food") and could sing much better than the rugby and
football teams. As well as being able to sing rugby songs
accurately, they could sing the same words in four-part harmony,
(of course the choirmaster and his lady were unaware of this
achievement by their 'pride and joy').
Inevitably, due to the success locally of this happy band of
well-fed singers, the choir was invited away to sing at other
cathedrals and venues. The choirmaster was delighted that he had
been able to train the choir so well. The choir thought that a
few days out of school on a 'jaunt' would be preferable to
double-maths followed by double-physics followed by
double-geography, followed by 'prep' with a bit of grey food in
between and bed at 8.30 p.m. sharp.
The choirmaster accepted a few (fairly prestigious) local offers
and then, 'The Lord Bishop requests..'. "But that's Carlisle,
the other end of the country," the choirmaster thought, how can
we refuse, but how do we get there and where do we stay?
Of course his wife had the answer. "They can all go up by coach
and stay in caravans. There are loads for rent up near the Lake
District and after boarding school beds they will love it". So
the choirmaster set things in motion and a couple of weeks later
the whole choir were indeed staying in caravans in the Lake
District.
For many of the 30-odd choristers this was their first taste of
caravans. A long
weekend away from school, with a lot of friends, loads to eat
(the choirmasters wife of course organised that) choir practice
twice a day and free time for the rest of the day in a holiday
environment, with perhaps the odd illegal cider for the older
ones. They were all hooked.
In fact, to this day, the choir of this school take the annual
trip to Carlisle Cathedral every year and sing their hearts out
at choral evensong. They still stay in caravans too but these
are a bit more up-to-date. I suspect the choristers have just as
much fun now as they did 40 years ago.
They still sing hymns from "Ancient & Modern" in the cathedral
but the tunes in the caravans are unlikely to come from that
particular book after a few ciders.
Interested in caravans and the open road? Try this link for more of the same.