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Gwehelog Singing, 17th July 1999 Report from Helen Brown The day dawned bright and sunny, although thankfully not too hot. We made the short journey by car from our accommodation, following the directions that Ken had given us to get to Gwehelog Methodist Chapel. We meandered through some wonderful countryside and proceeded until we ran out of hill (as Ken had described) and there, at the top of the hill, stood a small grey-painted chapel, tranquilly surrounded by the most wonderful view of Welsh hills, trees and sheep. Inside the Chapel, people were gathering and an expectant buzz echoed all around the room. At 10.00am Ken asked a local minister, Catherine Campbell-Hyde, to lead us in prayer, and the buzz subsided. As part of that prayer, a short time of silence was observed as we prepared for the day ahead. How powerful was that silence! And very moving. The singing commenced with Ken leading song on page 34b. The notes resounded around the wooden ceiling and the plaster walls to create a splendour of harmony. The day progressed and several of the locals (a lot of whom were farmers getting ready for the harvest) came and went and came back again! and as the numbers swelled and the voices warmed up, the singing really exceeded our greatest expectations. The assembled company came from all over the UK all the usual people who frequent just about every singing there is - and we were fortunate to have several people with us from the States. Diane Mennella from New York (a well known and wonderful Sacred Harp singer with whom I had the pleasure to sing at the National in Birmingham in June), together with her two sisters, Carol Keith from Memphis, Tennessee and Virginia McNay, from London, England! Shelley and Barry Phillips from California joined us just in time to partake of the fantastic dinner on the grounds. Well actually it was on a pasting table and a church pew, but you know what I mean. We still can't compete with the amount of food that appears for the Southern singings but this was not far short. The weather was good enough to enjoy the meal outside and the wonderful surroundings and fellowship that ensued just served to ensure that the remainder of the day was as good, if not better, than the morning had been. Judy Whiting called the class to order after lunch by leading song on page 350, Nativity. This had been specifically requested as Shelley and Barry Phillips wanted to hear a West Gallery song. Well ... Nativity is set slightly differently from our own English version, but the thought was there. The Memorial Lesson was led by Ken Baddley in a particularly moving gentleness, after which Bernard Collard led song on page 163b, "China". I always have difficulty in singing this (I want it sung at my funeral) and the whole togetherness and atmosphere of the singing made it harder than ever. But what wonderful words they are! As I looked around the room, people had been visibly moved and, as we progressed further into the afternoon's singing, some of the locals who had managed to stay for the whole day were quite openly and obviously enthralled and spiritually uplifted by this wonderful singing and the purpose for which it was created. To mention any lessons or leaders in particular (other than those already reported) would be almost impossible as there were too many good leaders and lessons for me to distinguish between them. Perhaps worth a mention though are those who were new to standing in the square. Antonina Spittal (with Sheila Smith) and Jan Wilson (on her own but with lots of help from the front row tenors of course). The singing ended with Ken Baddley leading song on page 99 - a splendid rendition of "Gospel Trumpet", a great way to finish a great day. It seemed as if we had only just begun singing and could have gone on for hours. We did in a way. After a much needed cup of tea, we commenced with a singing of Moody and Sankey hymns. Far more of the locals arrived to join us for this after all, they knew what this bit was all about. We had a wonderful two hours of singing with the small Chapel bulging at the seams. The late afternoon sun streamed through the windows as we sang "To God be the Glory", a particular favourite of mine as it was one of the hymns sung at my wedding to Ted and at the baptisms of both of our children, "When the roll is called up yonder", "Rock of Ages" and others too numerous to mention. Chris Gardner did a magnificent job of playing the harmonium to accompany our singing. I thought he was going to take off at one stage so vigorous were his efforts. As we finished at 6.00pm, the expressions of sheer delight on the faces of just about everyone in the Chapel told the story of what a wonderful day of singing had been experienced. We knew that a big impression had been made on the locals - they told us so. Having not known anything about Sacred Harp singing they had arrived not knowing what to expect and been completely bowled over by the singing, the spirituality, the people and the welcome that they had received. Does that sound familiar? I hope so.
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