It was Midsummer’s Day and, as part of an annual tradition, tea, coffee, and cakes were served in the garden at St Ethelwold’s House. The sun shone.
It was also World Music Day, and several musicians from Make Music Abingdon were in the garden playing and improvising. The sun shone.
At St Helen Church last night there was a organ recital by Peter Foster who played six pieces from The Birth of the Saviour (Symphonic Meditations) by Olivier Messiaen.
The organist was helped by somebody turning the pages and by David Pope, who introduced each piece.
The recital was instead of the 5:30 Sunday Evening Service, and there was a good turnout. It began and ended with a prayer written by Olivier Messiaen. He believed in expressing his faith through music and words.
Even though the music was written way back in 1935, it sounded new and exciting. You didn’t need to know about the technicalities. There were repetitive themes, like the angels or the wise men or the shepherds. Sometimes it was sustained and hypnotic. Other times, the organ rang out like St Helen’s bells.
After the final prayer, when the formal service was finished, people applauded the music.
On the way out there was a collection towards new lights at St Helens. St Helens not only need replacement lights but also a replacement rector, now Rev. Dr. Charles Miller has retired.
This week, St Helen’s Church has been a hub of activity as local schools bring in large groups of students for their Carol Concerts. These gatherings attract up to 700 young people at a time, filling the church with all the additional chairs.
The services are primarily led by the schools’ own chaplains or teachers and St Helen’s staff play a supportive role. The majority of the organisational work, including managing the large groups of children, is handled by the school staff. On Monday was the Abingdon Prep School Carol Concert; on Tuesday Our Lady’s Abingdon Carol Concerts (there were two); today, Thursday, the Manor Prep School has a day of Concerts; and tomorrow is the Abingdon School Carol Service.
It will then be the end of term for all these schools, which are not in the state sector. The state schools have another week to go. Their carol concerts are next week.
One unique aspect of St Helen’s preparations is the Jesse Tree, a Christmas tree that depicts the lineage of Jesus Christ. Each day, additional figures are added to the tree.
An Arcadian Christmas Concert is at St Helens Church on Saturday. The Arcadian Singers are a student-run chamber choir based in Oxford.
Abingdon Town Council’s Music in the Park event was on Saturday. 1500 tickets had been sold online before the event, and the sunny afternoon increased the crowd, with people paying at the gates and enjoying some music in the late summer sun.
The event had a wide selection of caterers and a bar. There were inflatables and other activities for children. The early bands were Kaptain Kuppa, Zaia, and Superloose.
At 3 p.m., Hope and Glory performed songs from groups like Madness and the Specials, which got people dancing.
The Zoots kicked off their set at 5:30 pm, performing a selection of fun and upbeat songs from the 1960s.
The crowd was up on their feet, dancing and singing along. The Zoots then went off and came back in 1970’s gear for music from the 1970s.
The headline band, The Wurzels, have been performing since 1966, with a changing cast of musicians. Two of the current members were part of the band when they had their two-week run at the top of the charts with “Combine Harvester” in 1974.
The crowd around the stage included Wurzels fans, some of whom knew the words to every song. Among others, they played their hits: “I Am a Cider Drinker,” “The Combine Harvester,” and “Blackbird.”
I recorded three short snatches for anybody who missed the event and is curious.