Gathering in the Valley for the great harvest singalong
THE singing season has started.The carols begin just after Armistice Day, as everyone of a certain age, or persuasion, knows in the north of Sheffield (along with plenty of others in Ireland, Scotland and the Appalachian mountains.)
But in the 1990s keen carollers kept asking why they couldn't get together at other times of the year, too – Easter or harvest, for example.
"Harvest seemed the most suitable time, so I organised the first Harvest Sing here at the Rivelin 16 years ago," said Geoff Lester.
The Rivelin pub near Stannington was in an ideal location, accessible to many of the other carolling communities and in the middle of a farming area where the fruits of the harvest season were visible right outside the door, Geoff explained.
"And it's a lovely singing pub. I used to come here on a Friday or Saturday night and people were queuing up to play the piano, big blokes with big hands who'd produce such beautiful music."
Last Sunday well-known carol musician Sue Heritage was on hand to provide the music, on the piano given to the Rivelin by the late David Smith, a Rivelin Valley shepherd who was also one of the great carol players of the past.
David was so committed to the carol – and harvest – tradition that in his later years he made a special trip from hospital to take up his place by the Rivelin piano.
"David Smith was inspirational," said Geoff. "It's nice to think his piano has been given to the pub and used to great effect."
David's famous exhortation to: "Sing you buggers!" was not repeated by Sue Heritage but it wasn't needed anyway as more than 100 singers gathered round to roar out their harvest and other songs.
Geoff's song sheet follows the harvest tradition only loosely – essentially, traditional songs that don't mention Christmas are given the all-clear and some Christmas tunes make an appearance but with alternative lyrics – "My God The Spring rather than While Shepherds Watched to the tune of Old Foster," Geoff explains, by way of example.
Jim Greenwood reckoned the traditional pub singing is getting even more popular. "The Harvest Sing is unique," he said, adding that it was good to see a number of younger people in attendance.
One of whom was Tom Albans (son of regular Harvest Singer Rev Keith Albans), who came back to Sheffield from Newcastle to join his mum and dad and sister Naomi for the event.
"Tom and Naomi came to the first one in 1994 and I think they caught the bug," said Keith, who added that he'd prefer to hear the harvest hymns sung in a pub in the Rivelin Valley rather than " being stuck away in a church".
"The history is that the church kicked the carols out in the past and so this is where they're found now," Keith said. "They didn't like all the fancy bits. So as a church minister it's been great to come and find the carols where they are rather than drag them back in."
Even now, he added, "they sing a very sanctified Dickensian set of carols in church".
The Harvest Sing was described on Sunday as a prelude or dress rehearsal for the carolling season, which will start in just over a month in several pubs around Stannington, Worrall, Oughtibridge and Dungworth.
One of the Harvest Singers, Trish Bater, has written a thesis on the event, which suggests that the Harvest Sing, despite only being 16 years old, is becoming a tradition in its own right.
The return to the Rivelin, after a few years away at the Royal in Dungworth, is helping that process, it seems.
The pub singing tradition of Christmas and October is flourishing, said Geoff Lester, evidenced by the young people – including one or two with babies – who took part on Sunday.
"You don't have that singing round the piano that we used to have and younger people don't perhaps recognise the songs that we used to sing at schools. But although the tradition of community singing has died out in some ways now, if you make it easy for them by putting together events like this it will continue."
He added for newcomers that, when the carolling starts in five weeks, "if you're enthusiastic and respectful of the singing, you're welcome".
That is don't talk during the songs, respect the soloists, don't hog the singing space and let the veterans take up their traditional positions.
If you don't know the words there'll always be people willing to share their song sheets. And, of course, don't forget David Smith's advice.
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Saturday 04 February 2012
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