December 2020 FASH Chat As in Our Last, On-Line, Issue of ‘Solent Waves’, to Look Before Festivals Can Take Place, with This Chat Is by Members of the Committee
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Newsletter of the Folk Association of South Hants No. 429 December 2020 FASH Chat As in our last, on-line, issue of ‘Solent Waves’, to look before festivals can take place, with this Chat is by members of the committee. We sufficient attendees, is still not apparent. We can felt that especially as this is our last edition for only keep fingers crossed. this year, an actual issue, rather than the Also a year ago, we warned that the EFDSS historical copies I have been sending out by e- public liability cover provided by membership of mail, would be appropriate. the Society might be insufficient for your needs. Who would have thought, twelve months ago, Things were very hastily revised, so that callers that we would be facing a bleak winter with no and bands who are paid for participation in folk folk dance and only a very limited (and events are covered, provided these payments are uncertain) program, under difficult conditions, not their major source of income. from our folk clubs and arts centres. The folk It seems that EFDSS does have these clubs with sufficient space to allow distancing occasional hiccups, one of them being in 1999, in between visitors are hoping to stage concerts, which year a reorganisation led to us becoming and with a prayer that this will actually happen, I FASH, affiliated to the EFDSS, rather than the include a Folk Club Diary in this issue of ‘Solent South Hampshire Branch of EFDSS. Ten years Waves’. Much will depend, it seems, on how before that there was another upheaval; I have quickly our ridiculous status of “Tier 2” at this reached 1989 in my archiving of previous issues stage of the Covid-19 pandemic is reduced to a of this journal, and in June that year, there was a more realistic “Tier 1”. Do note, however, that bumper issue of ‘Solent Waves’, sixteen pages no where concerts are running, seats must be less, perhaps the largest one ever. It included reserved in advance – contact details are always copies of letters from the vice chairman of the provided – and you will also get a better idea of national executive committee to our area whether the event will actually take place. chairman, and angry responses from the SW The situation is sufficiently uncertain that the editors and our chairman, after the vice chairman organisers of Chippenham Folk Festival have complained about their/our publishing letters decided that it will not be possible to run a earlier in the year from area members who were festival in 2021 that will meet people’s more than a little upset by decisions made by the expectations, and are refunding monies from EFDSS national executive committee. Also tickets carried over from the cancelled festival copied in was a letter from the South West area this year. They hope to run some sort of folk chairman, a response to a press release issued by event but are not yet clear what that might the NEC in the April. amount to. How much later in the year we need For the July issue, the editors wrote that it CONTACTABAND The articles, club lists and For your barn dance bands and callers six months event diaries can UNA BOULTON 023 9263 2770 be found on the web at Email: [email protected] www.fash.org.uk www.contactaband.org.uk Page 2 Issue 429 December 2020 was a relief to be back to local news, although working very hard selecting recordings to play they did mention the national situation, but then for us to sing along to. Every week he sends out in September’s came reports of an extraordinary a play list, a pdf of the music for those who don’t general meeting called by a group of concerned have a copy and even a midi file that we can play EFDSS members in July, which over 300 to remind us of the tune. Thus armed with the members attended, together with half that music, we gather at 7.45pm in our various homes number of apologies for not being able to make and ‘join in’ with our fellow quire members all it. The NEC refused to attend, claiming it was arranged in little squares on the screen, all “illegal” (how could it be; this is a society of and singing and playing along with great enthusiasm, for members?), but eventually, after a few more but unable to hear each other! Because of the months there were major changes in the different time delays on people’s computers, we executive. I do not have details of the final can’t actually sing or play out loud together. The outcome and what changed and what did not, but only time we unmute is to chat or to sing perhaps some of you remember the whole Happy Birthday, which is great fun as the episode. I knew nothing about the joys of folk resultant cacophony has to be heard to be music and dance at that time, and have often believed! The Madding Crowd website wished since that my parents had been involved (www.maddingcrowd.org) has a screenshot of 26 in folk activities. Music yes, but folk, alas, no. of us on Zoom in July. Since then, several I shall end my section of this ‘Chat’ by members of other West Gallery Quires around wishing you all a Christmas as enjoyable as the country have joined us until now we often possible, given the restrictions which will only have nearly 40 people. We are singing partly be lifted over the actual festive days. As Christmas carols and anthems during December our month logo at the top of the front page I and there is also a weekly Sheffield Village include the snowman which graced so many of Carols Sing on Zoom on Saturday evenings. If our past Christmas issues. you would like to join any of these Christmas Dave Sutton – Editor sessions, please contact Mike Bailey ([email protected]). In Praise of Technology! The other fun thing that has kept us singing Who knew that singing and dancing would and playing has been the making of virtual become two of the most dangerous hobbies we recordings. Mike Bailey has sent out ‘click could choose to be involved in? Still, this year tracks’ of some of our best loved pieces – the has brought out a most impressive ‘can do’ spirit music with a click beat to help keep the timing in very many people and a willingness to try new tight. We listen on earphones and sing along technology that may have surprised even us! So with our part (Soprano, Alto, Tenor or Bass) or many ingenious ways have been found to play play our instrument’s part into a phone or and sing together and (in the words of Claudia computer (which is very much more difficult and Tess from ‘Strictly’) “keeeep dancing!” than you might think!) and send the resultant West Gallery Singing recording to Mike. He then, with his customary Most members of The Madding Crowd have technical wizardry, puts them together to produce been ‘rehearsing’ together via Zoom on Sunday what I think is a brilliant result with four part evenings (previously our normal rehearsal time) harmony and band. Phil Price from the London since the beginning of May. It is of course not Gallery Quire is now doing the same thing with really rehearsing, as we are all singing and participants from as many West Gallery Quires playing to an audience of none in our own as he can persuade to join, including ours, and homes, and Mike Bailey, who normally keeps us posting the results on YouTube. The Madding firmly on the right track, can’t hear any of our Crowd website (www.maddingcrowd.org) mistakes! Still, it does mean that we all get to has links to some of our Virtual Quire sing some of our huge and still growing recordings. It also has a link to a recording we repertoire of West Gallery music and to see each made in response to the Covid-19 pandemic with other and even have a bit of a chat. Mike has words written by Christina Pritchard. The music recordings of many of our concerts and is an arrangement by Mike Bailey of the workshops going back as far as 1993 and they are Hampshire tune for ‘Our Captain cried All now proving extremely useful. He has been Hands’. Issue 429 December 2020 Page 3 Social Dancing year will show some improvement. We have had We were very lucky on the 18th October to to cancel workshops and hold our AGM on Zoom have Victoria and Dave Yeomans run a Virtual but we have also held a virtual dance, hosted by Dance for us, which was really good fun. Many Victoria & Dave Yeomans, which was much of our FASH supporters attended as well as enjoyed and very well attended, and tried to keep people from around the country who know and in touch with you with archived issues of Solent love Victoria’s calling. She and Dave are very Waves and occasional FASH Chats. experienced now at running Zoom dances and The News page of our website has details of made it look easy. Several callers including any folk activities that we have been made aware Victoria have been working hard and consulting of or that Dave has been able to find by trawling each other behind the scenes about the best way through other websites. There are lots of virtual to adapt our folk dances to work in a small space dances happening, including our local FolkActive with just one or two people.