Spalding is set to host an atmospheric evening of historic song and storytelling when the Greenwood Quire performs A Winter’s Tale at Broad Street Methodist Church.
The South Lincolnshire choir has been invited by the Spalding Gentlemen’s Society to present the special concert, which will explore the music and traditions of 19th-century rural England.
A journey into England’s musical past
The performance is built around the words of Thomas Hardy and festive traditional tunes associated with West Gallery musicians. The programme will draw on historic characters, their work and the music of Sunday worship to recreate a communal winter world from an earlier period.
West Gallery music was traditionally performed by local musicians in churches and chapels, before organs and harmoniums became widespread. The concert is intended to give audiences in Spalding an opportunity to hear that musical tradition brought to life through voices and period-inspired performance.
The organisers say the music has survived through books and manuscripts assembled by composers and collectors during the 18th and 19th centuries. Archive records and contemporary accounts will help shape the presentation, connecting the songs with the daily life and beliefs of historic communities.
When and where is the concert?
- Event: A Winter’s Tale
- Performers: The Greenwood Quire
- Venue: Broad Street Methodist Church, Spalding
- Date: Friday, October 23
- Time: 7.30pm
- Entry: £5 per person
Sharon Hoult, from the Spalding Gentlemen’s Society, described the event as a chance to experience music that would once have been heard in local churches and chapels before the introduction of organs and harmoniums.
The society’s spokesman said the evening would take audiences into “the communal winter world of 19th-century rural England”, with the historic setting reflected through the instruments, voices and music of the people.
For people looking for an unusual night of live music in Spalding, the concert offers a programme focused on heritage rather than contemporary repertoire. Its combination of Hardy’s writing, traditional seasonal tunes and archive-based material is intended to create an evening that connects music with the work, worship and everyday experiences of earlier rural communities.
The performance begins at 7.30pm on Friday, October 23, at Broad Street Methodist Church. Admission is £5 per person.