The Friends of Winchester College
Short Half 2018
Dear Friends, Thomas Weelkes By David Hurley, Music Teacher As I sit here in the blazing sunshine of late June, it is hard to contemplate the autumn and our forthcoming events, One of Winchester College’s more illustrious former but I’ll do my best. residents is the composer Thomas Weelkes, who was College organist for two or three years in the early To continue the sunshine theme, the weather blessed our seventeenth century. During his time at Winchester two major events of Cloister Time: the musical evening Weelkes published two volumes of madrigals, and, and Stephen Shuttleworth’s water-colour class. The boys through the generous support of the Friends, the College and staff always give us a real treat at the concert, but this collection now boasts an extra four part-books to add to time it seemed to excel all previous evenings, at least in the one already in its possession. The immense cost of the seven years for which I have been responsible. The producing both hand-written and printed music meant two Thomas Weelkes madrigals were beautifully sung. that singers only had their own vocal parts in the part You, the Friends, paid for the original late sixteenth book for their particular voice, requiring great skill from century scores. It was a privilege to hear them. Our the performers. classical players always impress, but dare I say this time round it was the Big Band sound and the saxophone Weelkes is also possibly one of the more notorious ensemble at the end which sent us all out into the evening residents of the College, for, whilst there are no reports of light, still tapping our toes (if not actually dancing) and bad behaviour during his time in Winchester, he was fired whistling? Wine and canapés were taken in the early or suspended a number of times from his next job as an evening sunshine of Music School Garden. How fortunate organist of Chichester Cathedral. It is suspected that his we are to have access to such surroundings and such prodigious musical talent probably won him his job back talent. each time for he was still in post at his death over twenty years later. A contemporary account says, On mid-summer’s evening Stephen Shuttleworth took the Friends to Old Cloister (Fromond’s Chantry) where the ….Dyvers tymes & very often come [he] so disguised eyther emphasis this time round was more on architectural from the Taverne or Ale house into the quire as is muche to be depiction. We partook of zesty white wine and nibbles lamented, for in these humoures he will bothe curse & swear before venturing on to the grass area where Stephen more dreadfully, & so profane the service of God…. proceeded to paint, narrate and inspire. On another occasion Weelkes was fined for urinating on We have a literary/historical feel to our talks in the the Dean of Chichester from his vantage point in the organ autumn. Nicholas Shakespeare (F, 1970-74), published loft. One can only speculate as to whether he behaved in a author, will speak on Churchill and his surprising rise to similar fashion whilst at Winchester - but maybe such Prime Minister in the war. Later Bevis Hillier will speak behaviour was not remarkable enough amongst his peers on the life and work of John Betjeman. Both are highly to be noted in the College records. respected in their fields. We will finish with our Advent Service on Sunday 2 December.
May I thank you all once again, not only for your financial donations to the College, but also for the way in which you support the school when in contact with the wider community of Winchester City.
Michael D Wallis, Director Singing of the Thomas Weelkes madrigals at the Friends Musical Reception on 9 June. Diary of Events: Short Half 2018 Sept Thu 27: The Life of Sir Winston Churchill, Nicholas Shakespeare . New Hall, 6.30pm drinks for 7.00pm start Sun 30: Chamber Music II. Music School Hall, 7.00pm
Oct Thu 4: Amicabilis Concordia Evensong. Chapel, 6.30pm Thu 4, Fri 5, Sat 6: School Production. Death of a Salesman, Arthur Miller. QEII, 7.30pm Sun 14: Chamber Music III. Music School Hall, 7.00pm
Nov Thu 1: Chamber Music IV. Music School Hall, 7.00pm Sun 4: Quiristers’ Instrumental Concert. Music School Hall, 11.45am Sun 4: Late Night Bach. Chapel, 9.30pm Thu 8, Fri 9, Sat 10: Furley’s House Play. QEII, 7.30pm Sun 11: School Concert to mark the 100th anniversary of the Armistice. New Hall, 7.00pm. Tue 20: The Life of Sir John Betjeman, Bevis Hillier. New Hall, 6.30pm drinks for 7.00pm start Sun 25: Chamber Music V. Music School Hall, 7.00pm Thu 29: Jazz Night. Music School Hall, 7.00pm Thu 29, Fri 30, Sat 1 Dec: School Play. Unman, Wittering and Zigo, Giles Cooper. QEII, 7.30pm
Dec Sun 2: Advent Service. Chapel, 7.30pm Tue 4: Chamber Music VI. Music School Hall, 7.00pm
The Life of Sir Winston Churchill, Nicholas Shakespeare
Nicholas Shakespeare (F, 1970-74) has been described by the Wall Street Journal as “one of the best English novelists of our time”.
Translated into more than 20 languages, his prize-winning novels include The Vision of Elena Silves (winner of the Somerset Maugham Award and Betty Trask Award), The High Flyer, for which he was selected as one of Granta’s Best of Young British Novelilsts, 1993, and The Dancer Upstairs, which was chosen as the Best Novel of 1997 by the American Libraries Association, and in 2001 made into a film by John Malkovich.
His non-fiction includes the critically acclaimed authorized biography of Bruce Chatwin, and In Tasmania, winner of the 2007 Tasmania Book Prize. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and in 2016 was a visiting Fellow at All Souls. He will be talking about his latest book, Six Minutes in May: How Churchill Unexpectedly Became Prime Minister, which draws on new archival material to show how a vital promotion that posterity has taken for granted was, in fact, an extremely close shave.
FRIENDS MEMBERSHIP RENEWALS: 1st Sept 2018 The Angelus Gallery, Art School
If you pay by direct debit, your annual subscription will be taken Come and see the exhibitions in Short Half at the Angelus on 1st September. If you do not wish to continue with your Gallery in Art School. membership, please contact us by 10 August so that we can 5 Oct —9 Nov: Artist in Residence, Jesse Leroy Smith cancel the direct debit. 9 Nov—2 Dec: Displaced—Figurative Sculpture Exhibition, Robert Truscott If you pay by cheque, please ensure this reaches us before 1st Viewing Times: September. Mon, Wed, Fri—2pm-4pm Please note that we will NOT be issuing membership cards. Sat—2pm-5pm
The following information applies during term time only. Contacts:
Choral Evensong in Chapel: Tuesdays at 5.30pm Music Miss Joanna Ambrose: +44 (0)1962 621122 Sung Eucharist in Chapel or Chantry: Thursdays at 5.30pm [email protected] Sung Eucharist or Matins in Chapel or St Michael’s Church: Sundays at 10.30am Theatre Dr Malcolm Hebron: +44 (0)1962 866079 Compline in Chantry: Saturdays at 7.15pm [email protected]
For more information on the events and to register and book online, go to www.wincollsoc.org Registered Charity No: 1139000 Donovan’s, 73 Kingsgate Street, Winchester SO23 9PE +44 (0)1962 621266 [email protected]