The hectic December period is over, the turkey and mice pies long digested and forgotten and the Barfield Handbell Ringers are back in full practice mode.
After our AGM this evening, the hard work starts on the music for our concert in St Mary’s Church, Thatcham on 28th March.
Watch this space for further news and updates.
“We’re doing a lot of film music at the moment,” said someone who shall remain nameless, “let’s get some more and do a film concert.” So we did, and now we’re singing film themes, trying to work out how much we should swing, and wondering who’s going to be the chorus line. We do have a soloist assisting us with one piece (singing and ringing with the same brain is difficult!).
Bells, Camera, Action! Saturday 18th May, 7.30pm, St. Mary’s Church, Thatcham.
Tickets £6 (£5 concessions) from Picture It, High Street, Thatcham, or email dianne@barfield.org.uk .
(Poster to come, when the publicity department has prepared it!)
… we must have a concert coming soon. Bow ties and flowers are being dusted off, programmes are being printed and we’re whistling tunes we haven’t played for years then stopping ourselves because they aren’t in the concert. (That last one might just be me.)
As has become traditional we have a part-Christmas concert. It covers all the bases, since if you enjoy Christmas you’ll like the second half and if you’re yearning for a heatwave there’s plenty of non-Christmas in the first half. There are pieces old and new, simple and complex, easy and difficult. So to be eased gently into the festive season, or to provide an excuse for putting off the shopping for another week, come and hear us at St Mary’s Church, Thatcham on the 1st of December, 3.00pm!
Tickets £6 / £5 concessions from Picture It, High Street, Thatcham, or email dianne@barfield.org.uk
Preparations are well under way for our next concert, which is on the 19th of May at 7.30pm. Now you may think this date sounds familiar… and it is, for it happens to be the day of the Royal Wedding! So we are all doing our best not to make puns on “ring”, and hoping some people will not be too exhausted by the celebrations to come and hear some bells.
Of course the wedding had to be mentioned in the title: Wedding Belles. Graham has picked out some pieces suitable to weddings, and some poems to reflect the day. (It’s worth coming along just to see how we got Eleanor Rigby and Leroy Anderson In Concert to fit the wedding theme!)
Thanks to the people at Where Can We Go for including the concert on their website.
Yes, that’s what our next concert is called. If you would like to hear a Bell Boogie, meet a magic dragon or see us attempt a bassline that is highly mischievous, then come along to Ashford Hill this Saturday.
Mid-May Music and Mischief, St. Paul’s Church, Ashford Hill, RG19 8AZ. Saturday 20th May, 7.00. Tickets £7.50, children free. To reserve tickets phone 01635 299227.
Well, we have! Our five recruits have come on wonderfully since they started in September. When they started we thought they’d just about manage to learn a couple of pieces by December. Then we thought it would be nice if they played a piece at the beginning of the Civic Service. As it turns out they played six carols and relegated the senior team to the middle of the service!
We’re really impressed with the way they’ve progressed. So to the one who insisted on playing Belleplates, the one who made more noise with a stool than with bells, the one who wanted the bells turned down, the one who’d never read music before, the one who couldn’t start until they did their homework, and the one who told the joke about the cats swimming the Channel, our heartiest congratulations… and see you in the New Year!
We’re not at Guildford this year (renovations and handbells don’t go together), but we do have some engagements closer to home.
So we’re still going to have a busy autumn! Hope to see you at some of our events.
by Ann Walter
Bill conducting at the Golden Anniversary concert (photo: Thatcham Photographic Club)
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| The team at the Golden Anniversary concert (photo: Thatcham Photographic Club) |
Our birthday cake (photo: Helen Secker) |
The new 50th anniversary badge |
2015 was a special year for Barfield Handbell Ringers as they celebrated the 50th birthday of the group. Bill Butler started the group based in Thatcham, built it up and has remained its Musical Director until he decided to retire at Christmas 2015.
The group organised and performed in various events in their 50th year.
June saw a full school hall in Newbury for an HRGB SouthEast Region rally attended by 18 teams. Tables and teams were decorated with gold and we had an enjoyable day’s ringing with, needless to day, a good supply of cakes.
In September we held our memorable Golden Anniversary Concert with music specially chosen by Bill. Some is part of the group’s history (Bill’s arrangement of Whistling Rufus and Sandra Winter’s specially written Call of the Bells). Other pieces are favourites; Blessed Assurance and God’s Train .The pieces chosen for the concert show the breadth of music which Bill conducts and performs.
Several handbell ringers in the audience said that it was good to hear some tunes they had not heard played recently. We were pleased to see so many relatives, friends and colleagues from both the handbell and tower ringing communities. Bill has taught many ringers of both types over the years and has helped teams to start up successfully.
At January 2016’s AGM the team presented Bill with a gift of an engraved glass, to say thank you for all his hard work and for the enjoyment he has given to many people by his musical activities Although Bill is no longer the team’s Musical Director he is still a valued member of the team.
With Easter past and Guildford not yet in our minds, it must be time for a concert. We’ve called this one Midsummer Magic; the Magic in question is the magic of showbusiness. Graham has picked several pieces with cinematic associations, including a rarely-heard arrangement by Nozomu Abe.
Not all the magic will come from the handbells – we will be sharing the concert with Nonsuch Dulcimers. The two types of dulcimer should make a fascinating contrast. So come along and be swept up in the Midsummer Magic!
St Mary’s Church, Church Gate, Thatcham. Saturday 18th June at 7.30pm. Tickets £6 (concessions £5, accompanied children free): email dianne@barfield.org.uk .
Our small team are also playing in the “That’s Entertainment” day at Ashford Hill on the 25th of June. They’re performing at 2.30, and also running a workshop session at 3.15 when visitors can try the bells and find out more about the music. It should be a relaxed, informal chance to try handbell ringing. (If you try it and like it, you might like to join our new beginners’ team!)
