BIRMINGHAM SCHOOLCHILDREN TAKE UP WILLIAM BYRD’S “REASONS TO
SING”
By
Christopher Morley
Four hundred years after the death of William Byrd, the
great Elizabethan and Jacobean composer’s spirit lives on in the young voices
of well over 100 Birmingham schoolchildren singing in the premiere of Kerry Andrew’s
new Byrd-inspired commission at the Barber Institute on November 8. They will
join the early music vocal ensemble Stile Antico and Horizon Voice as the
culmination of a project instigated by Dr Katie Bank of the University of
Birmingham.
In his own preface to his ‘Psalmes, Sonets and songs of
sadness and pietie’ of 1588, Byrd listed eight reasons why singing is so
beneficial to all, including curing stammering, and concluded with the injunction
“Sing singing is so good a thing I wish all men would learn to sing”.
Kerry Andrew has followed in the footsteps of her great
predecessor, whose description as England’s Nightingale gives its name to Stile
Antico’s current tour celebrating his music, and named her new commission ‘Oh,
Sing’.
“Stile Antico gave me Byrd’s treatise on singing as a starting
point and I completely used it as inspiration for the
original lyrics I wrote, which celebrate singing, and singing together,” she
tells me.
“I'm really grateful to
Stile Antico and the Byrd Project for this commission, which I feel is
important in encouraging young people to sing at an age when singing drops off
a little!
“All my
experience in previous work with young people was invaluable in thinking about
what sort of material they might like to perform - a funky, catchy chorus in
the right range for 12/13-year-olds, with body percussion!”
Katie Bank explains the educational impetus behind the project.
“While I
certainly love Byrd’s music and it features regularly in my research, my
primary interest was to use Byrd’s anniversary to connect his unique story and
music with what students learn in Year 8 about the Tudor era and the English
reformation. Music and history are particularly intertwined in this period, and
music is often overlooked for this age group as an important window into the
past.
“Byrd lived
in a time rife with plague and violent religious conflict, both at home and
abroad. But he still saw tremendous value in the arts and believed deeply in
how music and poetry bring people together, strengthening and healing body and
spirit.”
How did the dissemination of his music into the consciousness of
youngsters happen?
“We teamed
up with Horizon Voices, a young professional vocal ensemble specialising in
educational outreach. Their participation has helped us work with younger
children than we might otherwise have been able to successfully reach.
“Horizon
are running four virtual lessons with each class of Year 8s, culminating in an
in-school workshop with Horizon Voices. These sessions are currently underway
at St John Wall Catholic School and Jewellery Quarter Academy. They are
exploring Byrd’s history and music, practicing and recognising music
fundamentals such as ‘canon and ‘tempo’, and reflecting upon the role music
plays in their own sense of health and wellbeing.
“Thanks to
University of Birmingham. Stile Antico Foundation and Arts Council England
should probably be noted. We will also be running ‘Reasons to Sing’ education
events in Leeds and Newcastle in early 2024.”
Rebecca
Hickey, a soprano with Stile Antico, tells me about the group’s work with
amateur singers.
“Stile Antico was set up with
several aims: to experience the joy of singing Renaissance music together; to
share our passion for it with audiences; and to introduce people to singing it
themselves, even from a young age.
“The Stile Antico Foundation was
set up in 2014 to support these aims, in particular the latter and the
Foundation has enabled us to run various school projects, Come & Sing
events for amateurs and an annual Youth Consort course for 16-22 year old
singers, amongst other things.
“We are all conscious of how
lucky we were as children that music was a central part of our lives, and
without our musical education in cathedral choirs, church choirs, school music departments
and local council funded music lessons, we would not be doing what we now do.
The place of music in schools and elsewhere seems to be devalued each year and
this project was one way of filling the gap, which is why we were delighted to
be asked by Katie to be part of it. Our work in schools has often focussed on
the 15-18 age group, so it is wonderful that this project focuses on 12-13
year-old students.”
Rebecca explains how the
planning and logistics work.
“As a group, we are self-run
(with no director in charge!) so we divide the various administrative duties
amongst ourselves. My remit is to co-ordinate all our outreach activities
which, I think, is one of the most fulfilling jobs to have. Although we adore
performing and taking our music to audiences all over the world, it is the
contact with amateur singers who derive such pleasure from singing the music we
also love and young singers-in-the-wings which is the most rewarding thing.
“We are
really looking forward to singing to the students as well as with them, in the
Family Concert in Birmingham. Alongside students who have taken part in the
schools project, this free concert is open to anyone in any age group and all
will be able to participate
“Then in
the evening we will sing our concert programme ‘England’s Nightingale’ focusing
on different parts of William Byrd’s life, as well as his legacy, which to our
delight is still being realised today.”
*Stile
Antico’s free family concert is at the Barber Institute of Fine Arts,
University of Birmingham on November 8 (4pm). Their Byrd tribute “England’s
Nightingale”, follows at 7.30pm.
ends