The Church Choir

Church Choir at History exhibition

click Celebrations for Lacey Green Church 150 years event

From the Parish Magazine September 1905.

The adult members of the choir spent the afternoon of Tuesday September 19th, at the Vicarage, and before and after tea enjoyed tennis and other games.

1929. report by Rosemary Mortham. As a small child, Phillis Adams, born in 1924, used to sit in the choir stalls with her parents Min & Fred Adams at evensong.  They had previously attended the Methodist Chapel and Phyllis can remember that they had very good outings and picnics in the field opposite, where there was a pond.

1944 The Church Choir in WW2. Doug Tilbury recalls the Church Choir.

When I joined the church choir, aged 10, it consisted mainly of men and boys.    Those I can remember were:-  

Choir leader was Reverend Steward.

Basses;    Harry Barefoot, John Randall, Mr. Hussey

Tenors;    Fred Adams, Mr. Millward from Windmill Farm, Fred Harbour from Loosley Row, Mr.“Razzor” Adams and Harold Williams (later to become the organist).

Ladies;    Mrs Flo. Gurney, headmistress Lacey Green, Min Adams, Phyllis Dell (nee Adams), Maggie Saunders (wife of Cecil) and Miss Hopton, headmistress Speen.

Basses sat in the back pew on the right, with the boys in front of them.   Ladies sat in the back left pew, but Revd. Steward preferred a choir of men and boys.   During war time, a few ladies were permitted.  

New boys aged about 10, like myself and Fred Harbour, had a practise at the vicarage on Wednesday during the school lunch hour, to practice scales and hymns for the next Sunday.  Practise for the senior choir was on Sunday evening after evensong from 7.00 to 8.00 pm.   The organist at this time was Nancy Hawes who had been a pupil teacher at the school.   It was she who taught Harold Williams, Phyllis Dell and some other local children to play the piano.   She lived in a tin shack in Church Lane, and kept a bad tempered parrot.

Choir robes were black cassocks and white surplices.   Boys had to wear ruffs.

Regular services were Holy Communion held at 8.00 a.m. and 7.00 a.m. on Festival Days (Easter, Christmas, Whitsun and Harvest).   Sung Eucharist was at 11 a.m. (Matins 10.00 a.m. on the 3^rd  Sunday of each month).    Sunday School was at 2.30.p.m. and Evensong at 6.00p.m. so junior choristers spent most of the day in church.

Commonly used anthems were:- This Joyful Eastertide, Come Holy Ghost, Jesu Joy of Man’s Desiring, the most memorable was the Olympic Anthem – Non Nobis Domine, which Cecil Saunders taught to the 400 boys at Mill End School.   The sound was terrific.

THE CHURCH CHOIR IN 1953                        by Rosemary Mortham

THE MUSICAL VICAR

My brother Andy Oliver, joined the church choir about 1953.   At that time the choir was entirely made up of men and boys, led by Reverend Steward.  He was very musical and trained the choir himself.   The organist was Harold Williams.   Sadly Harold suffered from epilepsy, and would occasionally have a fit while playing the organ.   To this day the organ has the switch to one side, so that the electricity could be turned off if he fell across the keyboard.

THE TRAIN SET IN THE ATTIC

There were quite a number of boys in the choir.  One of the attractions was being able to play with the train set in the vicarage attic.    Choir practice was on Sunday evenings in the church.    They were no longer paid.   Andy was never really interested in singing, so the family was really surprised when he managed to sing a solo one Christmas.  He had extra coaching from the vicar after school.    When his voice broke, Andy stopped singing in the choir, although he remained a server for several years.

THE MINI – CHOIR

Girls weren’t allowed in the choir, so my father and I, who both had strong voices, used to form a sort of mini choir in the congregation.   Nancy Hawes would occasionally join us at evensong, but she would only sing one verse, really powerfully and well.   When she stopped the rest of the congregation would be thrown into confusion, and it would take several verses before they could get going again.   When I remember her she was a very eccentric old lady in a tatty old black hat, but she must have been quite a talented young woman.

HARVEST FESTIVAL

At this time the biggest service of the year was Harvest Festival.    All the seats in the church, including those in the balcony, would be full, and extra seating was put into the aisle.   Local farmers and gardeners would bring baskets of produce to be blest.

WOOD REPLACES VESTRY CURTAIN

My father, Andrew Oliver had his firm make veneered wooden panels, and he arranged for a wooden vestry to replace the old curtained one.   To his annoyance, he could not get a Faculty to allow this to be soundproofed.   Originally the panels were of dark oak, but this was later stripped to give a lighter effect to match the new pews.   Above the door is a shield with a marquetry swan, originally made for Wycombe Wanderers Football Club.

The Reverend Steward retired in 1968, leaving an all male choir, which really was unsuitable for the church services and the choir shrank.

In 1974 in preparation Julia Beaumont and Madeline Cleaver initiated the revitalisation of the choir in preparation for the150th anniversary in 1975.

click 1975 Church 150 years for the celebration details