Concerts and events draw attention to Gardiner's life, and the legacy of folk songs that he collected in Hampshire and left for us to enjoy.

NEWS

A DATE FOR YOUR DIARY
"CONCERT OF SEA SONGS"
Saturday, 6th October, 2012
at Groundlings Theatre, Kent Street, Portsmouth.
Featuring: Tim Radford and The Portsmouth Shanty Men

Bob Askew, of the Hampshire Songs Group, is organising this concert which will include sea songs and shanties collected in Hampshire by George Gardiner.

Further information will be added here in due course

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"SONGS IN THE FOREST"
Saturday, 12th November, 2011 at Emery Down, New Forest.
Featured: Geoff Jerram, Tim Radford and The Askew Sisters

Afternoon:
EXHIBITION OF PERIOD PHOTOGRAPHS in Emery Down Village Hall.
CAROLS WORKSHOP based on Carols collected in the New Forest by George Gardiner.
This was run by The Madding Crowd and took place in Christ Church, Emery Down.

Evening:
CONCERT OF FOLK SONGS in Christ Church, Emery Down
featured Geoff Jerram, Tim Radford and The Askew Sisters.

The events were recorded for posterity.

SONGS IN THE FOREST WAS VERY WELL SUPPORTED.
THE CONCERT WAS A SELL OUT.
A PAGE FEATURING PHOTOGRAPHS AND AUDIO WILL BE ADDED SOON.

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EVERSLEY CAROLS
Saturday, 12th November, 2011
at Amery Hill School, Alton and. St Lawrence Church, Alton

It was unfortunate that this was the same day as Songs in the Forest. It was reported that it was an excellent Day. There were 150 singers and 10 musicians.
It was hosted by Alton Community Choir. Carolyn Robson directed. Sarah Morgan, Nonny Tabbush, Anna Tabbush and Eddie Upton each ran a section. Paul Hutchinson organised the musicians. There was a performance in the church of all six carols at the end of the afternoon with interspersed readings from Gilbert White and a local Headmaster in 1860.
Eversley carols were noted down by Rose Yeomans, who lived in the village, about the same time that Gardiner was collecting. Some of the parts were arranged by Roger Watson, some by Anna, some by Sarah etc. People came from as far away as Lewes.
The events were recorded and a CD is planned for future release.

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A DATABASE OF TUNES TO SONGS COLLECTED IN HAMPSHIRE
Thanks to the superb Take6 website George Gardiner's original song texts, musical notation, notebooks and correspondence can be accessed very easily.
I am working towards a listening database of the tunes to be available on Hampshire Voices.
Each tune will be playable via the usual web audio formats and will be cross referenced using the relevant Take6 reference number. This will enable those who might wish to learn a song but cannot read the musical notation (like me) to view a song on the Take6 website and listen to the tune on the Hampshire Voices database.
With over 1200 songs collected by George Gardiner and the addition of the songs collected by Bob Copper and many others, building the tunes database will be a huge task and a long job.

If you can read music and would be willing to play tunes from the Gardiner Collection on the Take6 website for the Hampshire Voices tunes database, please get in touch. I would be very pleased to hear from you: hampshiretunes@forest-tracks.co.uk

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FRED OSMAN - Biographical info added 3.11.10 Click here
I hope to add thumbnail portraits of other singers, where we have similar information in the future.

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A HAMPSHIRE COLLECTION
Gwilym Davies has updated and revised his book, A Hampshire Collection. It now includes some new material, and songs and tunes from the Paul Marsh collection
It has 17 songs, 8 tunes and a mummers play, all collected in the field by Gwilym and Carol Davies or Paul Marsh from traditional performers. These are set out in legible form with musical notation, background notes and photographs of some of the informants, plus woodcut illustrations.

For more information on A Hampshire Collection please click here

Gwilym was interviewed on BBC Radio Solent on 20.1.11 about this book.
The interview is no longer on BBC iPlayer but it can still be heard by clicking here
(By kind permission of BBC Radio Solent.)

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HAMPSHIRE SONGS CONCERT
at Petersfield Community Centre. Saturday, 18th September, 2010
Featured: Pitchpole Jack and guests Haden and John Dodd, Paul Marsh and Jo and Simon Harmer; Tangle; Anne Winter and Anna Baldwin.

Put on by the Hampshire Songs Group, the concert featured a variety of songs collected from all over Hampshire, but focused on Petersfield and the surrounding area.

To see videos of the concert, and read a review, etc. click here

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THE SONG GOES ON...
Limited Edition Double CD of Evening Concert at Twyford
It has been decided that the DAT recording of the concert that was part of the George Gardiner Centenary weekend is worthy of issue and Forest Tracks will produce a limited edition of 100 x 2 CD-R sets, plus an illustrated accompanying booklet.
Each and every performer who took part will have a gratis copy. The remainder will be sold both through the FT website and in Twyford Post Office.

This is still in production, but we hope the finished CDs will be available soon.

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