Choral Singing in Wherwell - reflection of centuries of singing in the village.

Choral Singing in Wherwell – reflection of centuries of singing in the village.
Written by David Wright, with thanks to Phyllis and Denis Harding

As the Wherwell Singers celebrate ten years of music making, it is timely to consider the centuries of choral singing that have taken place in the village. Inevitably the church and Abbey played considerable roles in the choral music tradition where music was an integral part of services and religious celebrations. Indeed, Wherwell Abbey made a notable contribution to Mediaeval music with the setting of two polyphonic Marian antiphons – Sancta Maria non est tibi similis and Sancta Maria virgo intercede – that formed part of the Wherwell cartulary, drawn up in response to the second outbreak of plague in 1361.

Over the centuries, the church, chapel and school all contributed to the rich musical life of the village. In his book, Wherwell and Chilbolton: Personal Memories and a Little History, Percy Trodd noted the ‘abundance of musical talent’ in the 1920s, particularly with the Wherwell Choral Society. The Society was proud to receive a banner in 1928 for their participation in the Winchester Music Festival at the Guildhall, Winchester.

Inevitably the way music has been performed has changed considerably over the years. Phyllis Harding joined the church choir in the late 1940s and recalled how under Revd. Russell-Chapman the men had to sit on one side of the choir stalls and the boys on the other with the girls seated on the front two pews, with absolutely no mixing of choristers permitted.

Since the 1940s, the success of the choir has been dependent on the dedication and enthusiasm of notable individuals within Wherwell. In the late 1960s, Lady Orde became a driving force behind the church choir, sourcing music and ensuring services were fully sung, including psalters, anthems and the Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis. Special music was provided for services at Christmas, Easter and Harvest, with favourites including spirituals and When the green blade riseth. Lady Orde even arranged for the choir book-rests – still used by the Wherwell Singers for occasional services – to be made by the forge in the village. Mary Makin took over responsibilities from Lady Orde, before passing on the running of the choir to Hillary Thrupp. By this time the choir had progressively become a school choir, with chocolate bars provided as an incentive for attendance at the Thursday evening rehearsals. Phyllis Harding assisted with the choir for much of this time, running the school choir for eleven years before it finally closed. Wherwell ceased to have a choir until the Wherwell Singers was formed in 2006.

Choral music didn’t always centre on the church, of course, and other institutions have provided musical entertainment over the years. In the 1950s, the Women’s Institute successfully staged an ambitious complete performance of Hiawatha’s Wedding Feast over three nights in the Wherwell village hall. In 2012, Wherwell Priory hosted the Wherwell Pageant: A Celebration of Wherwell Abbey in Words and Music 984 – 2012 AD, directed by Revd. Prof June Boyce-Tillman from the University of Winchester.

No church choir is complete without its organist, and Wherwell has seen many gifted and, at times, idiosyncratic organists. Of note was Willy Smith who, although completely blind, was able to use all the stops and knew the tunes and harmonies to all the hymns. Denis Harding, himself a boy chorister for the school choir (see photo, back row, far right), often helped the organist by pumping the church organ before it went electric in the late 1940s. He recalled how organist Christine Prangley would wait to the end of the sermon before giving the organ a kick to signal to Denis to start.

As you sit back and listen to the music performed tonight, take a moment to think of the many voices that have sung on and around this site for over a thousand years.