Music Appreciation
Do you enjoy listening to and talking about music? If you do the Music Appreciation group is the group for you.
About Us
The majority of the music we play is classical, however, we are also pleased to listen to music of any genre; Jazz, Theatre and Film, American Songbook, Rock, Blues, Soul, Country and Western and even Pop music from the 50's to the present day all make their appearances.
There will be some pieces or styles of music that you would not normally consider to be your thing, but that's the idea, to come along and listen to the unfamiliar along with the well known. Who knows, you might find that you enjoy the music you would normally shy away from as much as you do your usual listening fare.
Give us a try, we don't bite.
At some meetings members will have been invited or have volunteered to put together and present their own programmes on themes of their choice. For other meetings members are asked to bring in a selection of cds with suggestions of which tracks they would like played (we have own micro hifi cd/cassette player).
We meet on the 2nd Monday of the month between 2pm and 4pm at the Old Grammarians Club, 46 Oxford Street. Wellingborough, NN8 4JH.
There is a levy of £3 per head to cover the cost of room hire, tea, coffee and biscuits.
If having read this far you are still interested, please contact the group leader, Peter Bodycomb via the following phone number 01933-677528,
otherwise his details can be found on the Interest Group Contacts link on the Groups page.
Coming Up
April Yours's Truly
May Jo' turn.
June TBA
What We've Been Listening To
8th April 2024. My selection this month included Scharwenka's Piano Concerto No 4, Beethoven's Symphony No 7 and Bach Cello Suite No 6. Lotte Lenya sang a couple of Kurt Weill's songs; Surabaya Johnny and Mack the Knife. I also played Mahler songs, Nina Simone and a Haydn String Quartet.
11th March 2024. Pat's idea was for members to request pieces of music for her to find and download off of the internet. An eclectic selection was the result. Classical was represented by Dvorak's "Song to the Moon" from Rusulka, the toccata from Widor's 5th Organ Symphony, Brahms' Hungarian Dance No5 and "Wiliam Tell Overture" by Rossini. Jazz came in the form of Duke Ellington's "Sugar Rum Cherry" and Art Tatum playing "Tiger Rag" and "Humoresque". Popular by Sammy Davis Jr with "Mr Bojangles", "Petit Fleur" by Monty Sunshine and Pentangle's "Light Flight". There were some oddities with Roy Hudd singing the music hall song "'Arry, 'Arry, 'Arry", the Marx Brothers with "Lydia, the Tattooed Lady" and the monologue "Brahn Boots" by Stanley Holloway.
9th January 2024. Had a most enjoyable meal. No time for any music afterwards.
11th December 2023. A wide range of seasonal music, both sacred and secular, was enjoyed by all.
13th November 2023. Mary presented a selection of her favourite music. This ranged from Seroni's music hall number "Ain't it Grand to be Blooming Well Dead" and George Formby's "Leaning On A Lamppost" to Beethoven's "Ode To Joy" and a Chopin Polonaise. We also heard from Judy Garland, Charles Trenet, Edith Piaf, John Lennon, and Cleo Laine. Tchaikovsky, Ralph Vaughan Williams and Elgar also made appearances. A great selection.
9th October 2023.. David programme this mon included a selection of songs and arias from the 3 Tenors and excerpts from Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker Suite. We also heard from Enya, Doris Day, Johnny Cash, Conway Twitty, Duke Ellington and Jimmy Rogers. A nice varied and enjoyable selection.
11th September2023. Josie's choices included Miles Davis, Peggy Lee, Bix Beiderbecke and Johnny Dankworth with Cleo Laine. We also heard from Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake and Nutcracker, Mozart's Horn Concerto and Einer Kleiner Nachtmusic. We ended with a favourite singer of Josie's, Ottilie Patterson with Chris Barber's Jazz band.
14th August 2023. Jo presented a wide range of music from the "Grand March" from Verdi's Aida to Jim Reeves with "Moonlight and Roses". We also had music of the British Isles such as a Clog Dance and Finnegan's Wake. Chopin, Beethoven, Corelli, Dukas and Hummel also put in appearances.
10th July 2023. Josephine gave us an eclectic range of music that included excepts from Les Mis, some Scottish songs, and John Williams playing the classical guitar in pieces by Rodrigo and Albeniz. We also heard a Chopin waltz, Vivaldi's "Autumn", and excerpts from Verdi's opera "Nabucco". Charlie Parker reminisced about "April In Paris" and the blues singer, Ted Hawkins, sang "Blowing In The Wind".
12th June 2023. Pat's programme was based around her "Family Favourites" and began Kastelanetz's version of "With a Song in my Heart", the theme tune to the popular "Sunday Dinner" request show of the 1960's and 70's. An alphabetical theme also ran through her programme. Alfie Boe, Beethoven, Bing Crosby, the Dolly Suite, Elgar and Fandango by John Williams led the way. The Pearl Fishers, "Soldiers of the Queen", Swan Lake, Teddy Bears' Picnic, Widor's Toccata, and Zadoc the Priest" brung up the rear.
May 2023. Our Coronation themed meeting. We heard Walton's "Crown Imperial" and Elgar's "Imperial March". Other royalty related pieces included "Then One of Us will be a Queen" from the Gondoliers, ABBA's "Dancing Queen", Handel's "Water Music" and "The Arrival of the Queen of Sheba". Tommy Steele gave us his rendition of "The King's New Clothes" and we finished with a rousing "Rule Britannia"
April 2023. My theme this month was that of Love. For Easter God's love was represented by "I Know That My Redeemer Liveth" and the constant nature of love by "As Time Goes By". "Somethings Coming" was for the prospect of love, and "Orange Coloured Sky" for love at first sight. "Makin' Whoopee" was for the passion of and then love betrayed. I finished with "Make Someone Happy" and "Ridin' High" to represent what love should be all about; happiness and joy!
March 2023. John's first time selection was an eclectic mix of styles and genres. It ranged from Simon and Garfunkel's "Bridge Over Troubled Water", the Bee Gees with "Every Day I Have To Cry", Jamie Callum's "Pointless Nostalgic", to Bach's "Jesu Joy Of Mans' Desiring", Johann Strauss Snr's "Radetzki March", Mussorgski's "Pictures At An Exhibition", Handel's "Zadok The Priest", a Vivaldi Recorder Concerto, Verdi's "Rigoletto", the Prelude to Charpentier's "Te Deum" and for something different "Longford Lanes" from Celtic Rhythm.
February 2023. Chris gave us a selection of his favourite music. This included "Thanks For The Memory" from Bob Hope and Shirley Ross, "The Way We Were" from Gladys Knight and a couple of music hall songs from Julie Andrews. We also heard from Flanders and Swann, Fascinating Aida, Dawn Upshaw and Ella Fitzgerald. We also enjoyed excerpts from symphonies by Haydn and Sibelius.
January 2023. Members brought along a selection of music including some Christmas themed as as we had to cancel our December meeting.
October 2022. Linda presented two pieces by Malcom Arnold; "Padstow Lifeboat" and "A Grand, Grand Overture" alongside music hall songs such as Flanagan and Allen's "Are You Having Any Fun", Lesley Saroni's "Waiting for Katy", Joe Brown with "When I'm Cleaning Windows", and Julie Andrews with "Don't Go In The Lions' Cage Tonight Mother". We also heard Bing Crosby and Rosmary Clooney in "It Takes Two To Tango", Gracie Fields with a melody of songs from "Oklahoma". We caught Tommy Steele "Singing The Blues", the Comedy Harmonists "Whispering", Dolly Parton with her "Potential New Boyfriend", and finally George Burns with "As Time Goes By". And Oh yes! Haydn's Clock Symphony also made an appearance. Needless to say, a most enjoyable afternoon.
September 2022. David's theme was "Around the World". We began in the USA with songs from the musicals Singing In The Rain and West Side Story. Then to Central South America with Orinoco Flow and pan pipes. Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker provided dances from Russia, Arabia and China. A lament was sung for the Child Deportees to Australia. Eddie Calvert's Zambezi was our African interlude. Then the Warsaw Concerto, the Merry Widow in Vienna then to Naples for Funiculi - Funicula. The Bridges of Paris, Granada, Galway Girl and finally Around the World with Gracie Fields.
August 2022. Jo's theme was Dance. We heard minuets, gigues and hornpipes from the Renaissance to the Regency periods. We also had Waltz of the flowers from Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker and Tangos, Cha Chas, Rumbas and various English country dances. A very nice selection of music.
July 2022. Pat's presentation was on the theme of Dance Through The Ages. We began with the early forms such as the Farandole (Bizet's L'Arlesienne) and Pavane (Foure's) through the Baroque with a Gigue (Pachabel's Canon) and a Gavotte (Lully) to the Regency with a Polonaise (Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin) and a Quadrille. We entered the mid 19th century with the Can Can (Offenbach's Orpheus In The Underworld and Mazurka (Delibes' Coppelia) The 20th century brought us Ragtime with Scot Joplin, a Foxtrot (You Make Me Feel So Young, Sinatra), a Tango (What Lola Wants Lola Gets, Sarah Vaughan), a Swing (Begin The Beguine, Artie Shaw) and Tap (Stepping Out With My Baby). We finished with Pat's currently favourite Waltz, Strauss's Wine, Women and Song. Aa afternoon everyone enjoyed.