Singing at St Germans

This weekend, The East Cornwall Bach Choir was singing at St Germans. I had had to audition to get into this choir, and it was a very near thing I think, as my sight reading skills are not as strong as they could be. However, in I was, and we had been rehearsing since February for this music festival.

We sang at the 12th century church in St Germans that we had visited earlier, with the enormous door. There was a rehearsal there on Wednesday, to get the feel of the place. The acoustics were fine, but the temperature was sub-zero - or so it seemed. It took me hours to get the chill out of my bones when I got home!

So, Friday we were singing the Brahms Requiem. Fellow choristers Richard and Jacqui, who live in the same group of farm cottages as we do, picked me up as usual. We had a rehearsal at 3, followed by the performance at 7:30. It was a bit of a damp afternoon, but the hedges were bright with flowers on the way. The bluebells are out, now. We drove through the village, and then into the Eliot estate, ignoring all the 'please do not intrude' signs this time. We parked in a field near the Eliot mansion, which used to be the monastry attached to the church back in the 1100's. Here is a picture of it, with the children near it. (They came to listen on Saturday and Sunday.)

We finished the rehearsal a little after five. I went for a walk around the estate with Catherine, a fellow alto. It backs onto the river, and has some nice views. There were swathes of wild garlic. We found rhododendrons and azaleas around a corner- and then, very strangely, a sculpture of what seems to be a giant rat's head! (Wayne took this picture of the children near it on Sunday.) It did look out of place in these austere grounds.

It was still early, and too damp for me to sit down with my humble sandwich. My feet hurt in my 'dress' shoes, not meant for walking. All things considered, the pub was looking good! Several other choristers had gone there for a drink and a meal. I sampled the local ale, and surreptitiously ate my sandwich amongst the pub-fooders. I think the Eliot Arms did very well out of the choir, all things considered.

Back we went to sing the Brahms. For me it had been a challenging piece, being totally unfamiliar with German. However I managed to get through it with a minimum of lip-synching... I think it was well received. There were some soloists and a piano duet as well.

On Saturday we had our main meal at lunch. I went off to another afternoon rehearsal, but this time got a lift back to have a snack and drive in with the family. This time we were singing a selection of South American choir pieces, accompanied by some specialist instrumentalists. It was a lively selection, and I thought the children would enjoy it.

On my advice, they were rugged up to the teeth. They admired the port-a-loo, which was actually inside the large church. Someone said it looked like a Tardis. I hoped that the statues nearby would not suddenly get 'weeping angel' ideas from Doctor Who... A large portrait frowned down upon the scene in seeming disapproval.

It went well. Jack liked the drums and chanting bit.

One more day, in which some of the choir would join with other singers in the church for evensong. Wayne cooked up a roast beef of Old England for lunch, with all the trimmings. Yum! Well fed, I went off to yet another afternoon rehearsal. Wayne and the children came along at six .

The service was very lovely. Jack's music teacher from school was there, and came over to say hello. I think the children were most pleased that we got home in time for Doctor Who, though. A very full weekend.