Falkirk Festival Chorus -a Little History

Falkirk Festival ChorusA Little History

In the early 1970s, the choir of Falkirk Old Parish Church was very strong in all sectionsand was able to include in its repertoire choral works by composers like Vivaldi, Mozart,

Haydn and Schubert. For special evening services and concerts, we were often fortunateto be able to assemble a small orchestra drawn from the best amateur instrumentalistsin the area to accompany these events. This ad hoc ensemble became known as the "ParishPlayers". The choir and the players were invited often to perform at evening events likeMusic at Six in St Giles Cathedral, Edinburgh and similar events in Paisley Abbey, andparish churches in Helensburgh and Stirling.

Towards the end of 1972 and early 1973 a small group from the choir and the Rev. JamesPaterson met with Bob and Christine Tait, to discuss the possibility of forming anoratorio-sized chorus for Falkirk. The proposal was put to David Cunningham,Entertainment Officer for Falkirk Town Council and Helen Robertson, Chair of Falkirk& District Arts & Civic Council, who gave enthusiastic approval. Such a musicalorganisation would be a welcome addition to the F&DA&CC and the annual FalkirkFestival which at that time took place in March.

The Falkirk Herald published an article inviting interested people to attend a meeting inFalkirk Old, chaired by the Rev. James Paterson. A large number of singers attended,and gave overwhelming support to the venture. A steering committee was formed withJames Paterson as Interim Chairman and Mrs Minnie Holmes as Interim Secretary andMr Brown as Interim Treasurer. Bob and Christine Tait were appointed as Conductorand Accompanist respectively. And so was born the Falkirk Festival Chorus, Falkirk'snewest musical organisation. A constitution was drawn up to allow FFC to join theF&DA&CC and the National Federation of Music Societies (now Making Music Scotland)which was able to award annual grants provided by the Scottish Arts Council.

The mainstay of the constitution was that the Chorus undertook to perform annually inFalkirk Festival an oratorio with a professional orchestra and soloists. The firstperformance took place in the Sanctuary of Falkirk Old in 1974. The work was Handel'sMessiah with a distinguished line up of professional soloists - Margaret Marshall, HelenCochrane, Clifford Hughes and Ronald Morrison. The Parish Players were supported bya few professional players and the Organist was John Langdon. There were about 100singers in the Chorus and the concert was attended by approximately 900 people.Condensation was running down the walls of the church at the end of the performance.

In the second year FFC was fully established with the original interim office bearers beingelected and joined by other committee members. In the second year Haydn's Creation

was performed in Falkirk Town Hall with the professional orchestra which was to becomethe Scottish Chamber Orchestra, and soloists Kathleen Livingston, Neil Mackie and FrankCarroll. A Christmas Carol Concert in the church was soon added to the annual activities.Eventually the Christmas Carol Concert included Falkirk Caledonia Choir and FalkirkOrchestra and this event also moved to Falkirk Town Hall.

In the course of over 40 years FFC has performed most of the masterworks of the choralrepertoire; Elijah, Bach's St John Passion and B Minor Mass, Requiems by Fauré, Verdi,Mozart and Dvorak, Tippet's Child of Our Time, Honegger's King David, Orff's CarminaBurana, Jenkins' Armed Man as well as concert performances of Bizet's Carmen.A comprehensive list of performances is to be found on a later page.

Membership of FFC is open to all singers without audition. The only criterion is thatprospective members like singing and hard work! We aim to provide an opportunity forall who like singing to participate in performing works by the great composers. Alongthe way most people acquire skills in reading music or if they had such skills these arefurther developed during the rehearsals. All members have attested to the fact that theyhave gained much pleasure in participating in a rewarding and worthwhile pastimewhich has the added advantage of promoting good health.

Christine and I have many happy memories of working with FFC. Memories of wonderfulpeople whom we are proud to number among our friends, and memories of tremendousperformances and working with top professional singers and instrumentalists. The chorusmembers always rose to the occasion when they worked with these top musicians.

It has been a privilege for both of us to have had the support of the singers, the peopleof Falkirk, and our audiences, to whom FFC has introduced so much great music. Withoutsupport and encouragement from all of these groups of people it would have beenimpossible to achieve what has been built up over the past forty-four years. We aregrateful for the support given by many people and groups - the Ministers and Kirk Sessionof Falkirk Old, subsequently Falkirk Old & St Modan’s, and now Falkirk Trinity Churchof Scotland, for allowing use of the buildings for rehearsals and concerts; Falkirk Counciland its predecessors; Falkirk Community Trust; Falkirk & District Arts and Civic Council;and the friendship and professionalism of the Managers, the Venues Team and TechnicalTeam of Falkirk Town Hall.

We have now come full circle and depart as we began with a performance of Messiah inthe sanctuary of the Faw Kirk. We sincerely give FFC our best wishes for its futuredevelopment with a new team, in the certain knowledge that the Chorus will continuesuccessfully to fly the flag for choral music in Falkirk.

Festival Performances

1974 Messiah1975 Creation1976 Requiems (Brahms and Faure)1977 Elijah1978 The Kingdom1979 Verdi Requiem1980 Zadok the Priest;

Ode for St Cecilia’s Day; A Child of our Time

1981 Dream of Gerontius1982 Mass in B Minor1983 Elijah1984 The Seasons1985 The Musicmakers;

Psalmus Hungaricus1986 Mozart Requiem; Rejoice in the Lamb1987 Carmina Burana1988 Verdi Requiem1989 Belshazzar’s Feast1990 Creation1991 Coronation Mass; King David1992 Carmen (Concert version)1993 Dream of Gerontius1994 St John Passion1995 Stabat Mater (Dvořák)1996 Motets (Bruckner);

German Requiem1997 Gloria (Poulenc);

Carmina Burana

1998 Nelson Mass; Magnificat (Bruce Fraser)

1999 Elijah2000 Mass in Ab (Schubert);

Magnificat (Rutter)2001 Zadok the Priest;

Psalm 150 (Britten) A Burns Sequence (John Gardner); Paukenmesse

2002 Christus (Liszt)2003 Hiawatha’s Wedding Feast;

Hymn of Praise (Mendelssohn)2004 Verdi Requiem2005 Coronation Mass; The Armed Man2006 Rutter Requiem; Mozart Requiem2007 Gloria (Poulenc); Carmen (Concert version)2008 Elijah2009 Stabat Mater (Dvořák)2011 A Night at the Opera2012 Requiem (Fauré) A Sea Symphony (Vaughan Williams)2013 Petite Messe Solennelle de Ste Cécile; The Armed Man2014 Nelson Mass Opera Choruses2015 Messa di Gloria (Puccini) Lux Aeterna (Morten Lauridsen)2016 Carmina Burana2017 Messiah

5

Falkirk Festival Chorus and Handel’s Messiah

Falkirk Festival Chorus presented its very first concert on 10 March 1974 in Falkirk OldParish Church, the Faw Kirk. The performance was attended by 900 people, and was atriumph for the newly-formed choir and its founder and conductor, Robert (Bob) Tait.The minutes of the Committee meeting which took place a few weeks later record that

“the Chairman, the Rev. James Paterson commented that as far as the future of the Societywas concerned he was in a most cheerful and optimistic frame of mind. He thanked theCommittee for all the work that they had put into the production which was a truly festiveoccasion. From the performance point of view it was a highly successful one and wasindeed a profound spiritual experience”.

It was soon decided that the choir would give two concerts a year, with a Carol Concertin December 1974, Haydn’s Creation in the Falkirk Festival in March 1975 and aperformance of Messiah again in December 1975. This pattern of alternating Carol Concertand Messiah in December continued until the inception of the “Bairns’ Christmas” in 1983.

The 1975 Messiah was again performed in the church, with soloists Eileen Hamilton,Soprano; Elizabeth Aird, Contralto; James Boyd, Tenor; David McHarg, Bass. The ParishPlayers were led by Robert Walker, and the Organist was John Langdon.

The minute book records plans for the performance on 18 December 1977 –“The programme to be identical as before inside with one change outside,

namely that Morag Siddall is now Leader of Parish Players instead of BobbyWalker. Mr Tait to get programme typed onto a Banda Skin ready to be “runOff”. (sic) Cost of performance £65 for all soloists, plus £100 for Orchestra. Totalcost £165”.

A later minute says that “a trumpet player has now been obtained”.Alas, no copy of the printed programme has survived.

The choir was invited to give a programme of excerpts from Messiah in Brightons ParishChurch on 3 December 1978, but no details survive. The customary Carol Concert on 24December also contained some items from Messiah.

1979 saw Messiah once more performed in Falkirk Old Parish Church on 2 December.Morag Siddall again led the Parish Players, and John Langdon played the OrganContinuo. The soloists were Eileen Hamilton, Soprano; Elizabeth Aird, Contralto; IanDarling, Tenor; David Robertson, Bass.

For the first time a Messiah for All was proposed for 1981. It was felt that a shortenedversion of the work would be appropriate, and the cost for singers and listeners alike

was £1. Soloists were Christine Tait, Soprano; Ann Scott, Contralto; Ian Darling, Tenor;James Watters, Bass, with Organist Dr Frank Thomas. In the end, the event was

“destroyed by the weather”, to quote the Chairman, Colin Gilmour, in his report at thenext AGM. He continued that “a better, bigger, more involved audience would benecessary for a really good evening”. Ouch. Despite all that, a profit of £118 is recorded!

It was at this AGM in 1982 that the idea of a joint Christmas Concert by Falkirk FestivalChorus, Falkirk Caledonia Choir and Falkirk Orchestra was first suggested by Bob Taitin the course of a talk given in his capacity as Chairman of Falkirk & District Arts andCivic Council.

Later in 1982 the Christmas Concert consisted of Britten’s Ceremony of Carols and Haydn’sSt Nicholas Mass, and in 1983 the joint Christmas Concert came to pass, under the inspiredtitle of “A Bairns’ Christmas”. This event quickly became a hugely popular annualtradition, which continues to this day.

So the pattern of Messiah every other Christmas was given up, and a number of yearswent by without any further performance of the work until 10 January 1988, when aprogramme of excerpts was given in what was now called Falkirk Old & St Modan’sChurch. Soprano and Contralto arias were performed along with nine choruses and theOrganist was John Langdon. The printed programme names Christine Tait, Soprano, andElizabeth Aird, Contralto, but a later report explains that Elizabeth had been indisposedand replaced at short notice by Frances McCafferty. “Not an enormous audience, butquite appreciative”.

Grangemouth Old Parish Church was the venue for the next Messiah, on 10 February1991, with the Parish Players. The publicity says the Leader was Sheena Robertson, buta letter in the files thanks Morag Siddall for her contribution, so a little dubiety there.Robin Bell played the Organ Continuo. Soloists were Elizabeth Quinney, and NormaThomson, Sopranos (both members of FFC); Carol Clark, Contralto; David Faulds, Tenor;Robert Black, Bass. The report in the Committee minutes says “The verdict was mostlysuper. The audience had been quite numerous, and the organ and little orchestra verynice indeed”. Also that “the trumpet had been tremendous” - but who played it remainsa mystery.

A shorter programme of excerpts was performed the following Sunday in Edinburgh aspart of the “St Giles at 6” series. “Our own two soloists, Elizabeth and Norma, had beenvery good, and Robin Bell, as always, excellent. Artistically, a great success altogether”.

The year 1993 brought an invitation to perform Messiah on 7 November during the 150ᵗ�Anniversary celebrations of Brightons Parish Church. The choir was accompanied byRobin Bell, Organ Continuo, and a String Quartet from the Royal Scottish Academy ofMusic and Drama, but there is no record of who the soloists were. The Committee minute

simply says the event had been “even better than the Grangemouth performance. Mr Taitwas delighted and the Brightons people were very pleased”.

Messiah was the work chosen for the “Hallelujah for Hospices” event in Falkirk Old & StModan’s Church on 8 October 1994. “Nice concert, but as usual audience sparse. Makenote to do our own publicity in future. There had actually been another event in aid ofStrathcarron on the same day!” In following years members of FFC continued to takepart in Voices for Hospices events, along with members of other local choirs, and Messiahwas again the work chosen to be performed in the Church of the Holy Rude in Stirlingon 18 October 1997, and in Dunblane Cathedral on 1 November 2003.

On our own we led a Messiah for All on 31 March 2001 in Larbert East Church,accompanied by Organist Robin Bell and conducted by Bob Tait. We have the list ofexcerpts, but no mention of who sang the solos – presumably members of the choir.

Quite a number of years now passed with no FFC performance of Messiah. Bob suggestedin 2008 that a New Year performance on 2 January 2009 would be a nice change, but inthe end it proved impossible to arrange.

The year 2011 saw a series of events to mark the 200ᵗ� Anniversary of the Sanctuary ofthe Faw Kirk, and its recent complete refurbishment. What better celebration than aperformance of Handel’s Messiah by Falkirk Festival Chorus! And so it came to pass on20 March. Soloists were Eilidh McEwan, Soprano; Laura Margaret Smith, Mezzo; StephenPhillips, Tenor; Nick Morris, Bass; the choir was accompanied by the Opus String Quartet,and our ever-dependable Organist friend Robin Bell. The conductor of course was BobTait, whose life-long association with the Church added further historical savour to awonderful occasion.

Laura Margaret is making a very welcome return to sing in the 2017 Annual Concertperformance. Which brings us nicely up to date. None of the present singers were in theoriginal choir, but a few have been members since quite early days, and have taken partmany times in Handel’s great oratorio. Most of the other great works of the choralrepertoire have been performed by FFC over the years, but Messiah holds a special placein our musical affections, and 2017 brings us full circle in a most satisfying way.

Bob Tait retires, conducting Falkirk Festival Chorus in Handel’s Messiah as he did at thatfirst performance in 1974, and in the same venue, now Falkirk Trinity Church, but stillthe “Faw Kirk”.

We owe a huge debt of gratitude to Bob, and to his wife Christine, our Accompanist, forthe pleasure of music-making for over forty years, and we hope the performance on14 May will be a fitting farewell, giving expression to the love and respect in which wehold them.