Songs of Earth, Sky & Story
Sunday 17 May,
On Sunday 17 May, Napier’s Octavius Choir will present a slightly unusual concert in Waiapu Cathedral – a programme of part‑songs. This concert programme will trace the evolution of the part‑song from its roots in folk songs through the richness of Renaissance and Romantic styles to the diverse soundscapes of contemporary music.
Part-songs first appeared in Great Britain in the 1800s. They grew out of an older type of song called a glee – a song that uses words about everyday life or non-religious topics and usually sung by more than one singer. Written for multiple voice parts and usually sung unaccompanied, part-songs offer choral music in which text and harmony combine perfectly. There is usually one main tune (the melody) sung by the soprano or tenor; the other singers use harmonies that support the melody. The rise in popularity of part songs during the 1900s was connected to the enormous growth of choral societies in Britain.
The programme is presented in several sections. First, folk songs and playful nursery tales like ‘Bobby Shaftoe’, ‘Sing a Song of Sixpence’ and ‘The Owl and the Pussy Cat’ are sung in clever new arrangements. Then Songs of the Renaissance era express the universal emotions of love and loss in Pearsall’s ‘Lay a Garland’, Edward Elgar’s ‘My Love Dwelt in a Northern Land’ and a beautiful arrangement of Christina Rossetti’s poem ‘Remember’.
Reflections on nature, light and the human spirit are universal themes for choral composers and the choir has chosen wonderful songs by composers from America – Eric Whittaker, Morten Lauridsen and Frank Ticheli – and Anglo-Irish Charles Villier Stanford.
Contemporary compositions by New Zealand musicians David Hamilton and Stephen Lange complete the concert, before the choir ends with what has become its theme song, Gerald Finzi’s ‘My Spirit Sang All Day’ . Singing is what the members of Octavius love to do whenever they can and they all sing in other Hawke’s Bay choirs, while some work as professional musicians or music teachers.
Who is Octavius?
Octavius was established by Anthony Tattersall in 2017 as a small choir of twelve voices, named after the similar chamber choir which he led for many years in England before moving to New Zealand. The group sings music of all styles and genres, from sacred to secular, classical to contemporary, performing concerts in Hawke’s Bay throughout the year.
