Christmas Music – Recital at Denaby Parish Church (videos)

December 1925

Mexborough and Swinton Times December 18, 1925

Christmas Music.
Recital at Denaby Parish Church

(videos from YouTube)

A delightful recital of Christmas music was given in the Denaby Main Parish Church on Sunday, following a shortened Evensong conducted by the vicar, the Rev. H. Lee., The skill and quality of the choir of this church are being rapidly developed by the choir master, Mr G. V. Smith, who is doing good service for the church music of the district in organising and preparing frequent recitals, and by constants striving after the reverence, dignity and simplicity in church music laid down in the recent report of the Archbishop’s committee as the ideal to be set before parish church choirs and congregations.

There was a fairly large congregation for the recital last Sunday, and the music was greatly enjoyed. The programme was generous, well chosen, and had admirably executed.

It opened with the Mendelsohn chorale “sleepers away” and went on to the Messiah chorus, “O Thou that tellest” for which Mr B. Leckenby, of Letwell, a promising young contralto, sang the recitative and aria

A fine feature of the “Messiah”, this was the masterly accompaniment supplied by Mr E. Dabbs, the churches gifted organist, whose solo contribution to the programme was Corelli’s “Pastorale.”

Of the carols, the two most beautiful examples were “The Night is dark” by Corner. And Martin Shaw’s “how far is it to Bethlehem?” A quaint, appealing little ditty with a simple melody grandly harmonised. In Corner’s Carol the beautiful singing of the bases were a striking feature.

The adult voices of this choir are rapidly improving, though the trebles are still its outstanding merit.

Dr Alcock’s setting to the Carol. “Christ, he lies in yonder cot” is on the anthem plane and has more grandeur than simplicity.

“Our little town of Bethlehem” was sung to Davies setting, and ban interesting item was bold monkish Carol, “in Dolce inbilo,” the choir pronouncing the Latin credibility.

Another “a babe is born I wys,” an established favour of the Westminster Abbey choir, was sung to Sir Frederick Bridges music,

Miss Lackenby sang Easthope’s version of that sweet little Carol “Away in a manger.”

The programme closed with the singing of the Nune Dimitts to in Stainers chant and the hymn “brightest and best of the sons of the morning” to a well-known mendelssohn air arranged and somehow fitted to the words.

The Christmas hymns were, “while shepherds watched” and “O come all Ye faithful.”.

Recitals are to be given in the Denaby parish church monthly until June and the collections applied to choir funds. The primary object of the recitals, according to a note on the programme, is “to give as far as we are able, adequate renderings of good and representative church music.”