 
The Choir’s Spring concert will be at St. Stephen’s
Church, Lansdown, on April 4th 2009 at 8pm
and will feature compositions by Handel, Haydn and
Jeremiah Clarke.
“Sing Unto God” is one of the many pieces which Handel
wrote for Royal occasions, this time for the wedding of
the Prince of Wales in 1736. The grand opening uses
chorus, orchestra and an important alto soloist. Then
soprano and bass have short solos and in the final
movement the chorus is joined by a solo tenor and the
full orchestra.
“The Seasons” was composed by Haydn in 1801 when he was
nearing 70 and he found writing such a big choral work
particularly demanding. In fact, he said “The Seasons
have broken my back!” This piece is not as popular as
his other big oratorio “The Creation”, but the first
section ‘Spring’ has a fine overture depicting Winter
turning into Spring. It is followed by many charming and
melodious solos and choruses.
Jeremiah Clarke’s short life culminated in being made
organist at St. Paul’s Cathedral in London, a post he
held from 1699 until his death in 1707. This suite of
pieces includes the famous ‘Prince of Denmark’s March’ –
often attributed to Purcell. Colin Bloch will play a
natural trumpet giving an authentic sound to the
performance. (EB)
We look forward to seeing you there.
Tickets (price £10) are available from Sharps and Flats
near the Abbey in Bath city centre and at the door on
April 4th.
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