The London and Southampton Railway was first proposed in 1831 and the bill approved by Parliament in 1834 at a cost of £900,000. The section between Basingstoke and Winchester opened on 11 May 1840 – and was the final part of the London and Southampton Railway to be completed. Prior to its construction, all of the traffic between London and Southampton was carried by eight stage coaches, four wagons per week, and one barge weekly on the Basingstoke Canal!
The London and Southampton Railway was first proposed in 1831 and the bill approved by Parliament in 1834 at a cost of £900,000. The section between Basingstoke and Winchester opened on 11 May 1840 – and was the final part of the London and Southampton Railway to be completed. Prior to its construction, all of the traffic between London and Southampton was carried by eight stage coaches, four wagons per week, and one barge weekly on the Basingstoke Canal!
The London and Southampton Railway was first proposed in 1831 and the bill approved by Parliament in 1834 at a cost of £900,000. The section between Basingstoke and Winchester opened on 11 May 1840 – and was the final part of the London and Southampton Railway to be completed. Prior to its construction, all of the traffic between London and Southampton was carried by eight stage coaches, four wagons per week, and one barge weekly on the Basingstoke Canal!
CIRCLESONG
Saturday 25thMarch 2023 7.30pm
New College Hall, College Walk, Winchester SO23 9NF
THE DEVER SINGERS are joining forces this Spring for a multi-choir performance of Circlesong which promises to be a heart-warming and immersive experience. Together with the Hampshire County Youth Choir, the Southampton Choral Society and Barton Peveril Sixth Form College Choir, we will be singing accompanied by the Hampshire Music Services County Wind Ensembles and Percussionists and our own director of the Dever Singers, Ben Cooper on piano.
Bob Chilcott, the composer of Circlesong, grew up from a child chorister at King’s College Cambridge to a Tenor role in the King’s Singers and is now a full-time composer. Although written in the 21st century by an English composer, the work is drawn from age-old poetry and songs from the First Nations of North America: Native American Indian tribes and the Inuit of Canada. Translated into lyrical, yet simple English, the work explores the various ages of man from birth, through childhood and adulthood to extreme old age and death – the circle of life. Indigenous peoples can teach us a lot about caring for our World and respecting Nature – the Land, Plants, Trees and Animals as well as an interdependence on each other.
Chilcott’s introduction and explanation of the work identifies the importance of the CIRCLE as a recurrent theme in the poetry and its resonances in all our lives: it is the shape of our World, our Sun and our Moon. It symbolises Day and Night and the cyclical pattern of the Seasons. In music, the written symbols of the circular noteheads come to life in SOUND. Chilcott describes choral singing as a great leveller, with people of different ages, races, backgrounds and social status and beliefs coming together, blending their voices and expressing their unity through music.
So do join us for an uplifting musical evening. Tickets are available via the QR code on the accompanying poster, or directly at https://shop.hants.gov.uk/collections/hampshire-music-service
and even on the door although, with 150 or so on the stage each bringing relatives and friends, there may not be many left by the night itself!
The Dever Singers are a community choir drawn from all around the Dever Valley. We warmly welcome new members without audition. Some come with a love of singing, some just wanting to give it a try or to make new friends, but all are welcome. Rehearsals are held at 8pm on Thursday evenings at either St. Margaret’s church, South Wonston (Winter months) or St. Mary’s church, Micheldever (Spring and Autumn) and Ruth Ironton can be contacted for further
information: ruthironton@gmail.com 01962 774817, 07784967464,