Preliminary Concerts, 1954-1955
Although these performances in 1954 and 1955 are usually considered to pre-date the existence of Bath Cantata Group as a recognised choir, they were clearly precursors of what was to follow.
December 1954: (Concert Venue not Recorded)
Conductor: Beresford King-Smith
J.S.Bach: Cantata No 152: Tritt auf die Glaubensbahn
J.S.Bach: Cantata No 82: Ich habe Genug
J.S.Bach: Cantata No 13: Meine Seufzer, Meine Thränen
All items were sung by: Jill Fowles, Mary Garland, Bill Coltart, Beresford King-Smith
Trinity Sunday 1955: The Tower House, Kelston.
A group of friends met to sing madrigals and to read through Palestrina's "Missa Papae Marcelli".
This group subsequently became the nucleus of the BATH CANTATA GROUP,
which performed the concerts in the lists from 1956 onwards.
————— 1956 ————--
7 January 1956: Kelston
(Conducted by Beresford King-Smith, except for Cantata No. 58, which was conducted by Herrick Hayes)
Buxtehude: Cantata: Alles was ihr tut
Bach: Klavier Concerto in F major Philip Gammon*
Bach: Cantata No.58: Ach Gott, wie manches
Chilcot: Klavier Concerto in C major Donald James*
Bach: Cantata No.39: Give the hungry man
Schumann: Dichterliebe
(also 2 Warlock carols and various other items)
Singers: The soloists were: Jill Fowles, Mary Garland, Jennifer Richard, Bill Coltart, Beresford King-Smith.
The Choir consisted of Margaret Griffiths, Nora Gee, Grace Brice, Betty Powell, Brian Newman, Angus Kinloch, James Richard.
29 September 1956: Christ Church, Julian Road
Conductor: Beresford King-Smith
Works by J.S.Bach:
Cantata No.61: Come Redeemer of our race
Chorale Prelude: Nun komm der Heiden Heiland
Motet: Jesu, Priceless treasure
Chorale Prelude: Christ lag in Todesbanden
Cantata No.4: Christ lay in Death's dark prison
Soloists: Jill Fowles, Alexander Youngman, William Coltart, John Smith*, Tom Wanless*,
Beryl Hopkins*, John Moss*
————— 1957 ————--
2 February 1957: The Octagon, Milsom Street
Conductor: Beresford King-Smith
16th and 17th Century music by Gibbons, Holborne, Farnaby, Philips, Dowland,
Byrd, Vautor, Janequin , Banchieri, Ferrabosco, Coprario, Blow.
7 April 1957: St Peter's, Twerton
Conductors: Beresford King-Smith & Thomas Wanless
J.S. Bach: Cantata No.18
Jill Fowles, Michael Allard, William Coltart
Schütz: Motet: Also hat Gott die Welt geliebt
Schütz: St Luke Passion
Michael Allard, Beresford King-Smith, Brian Newman, L.G. Griffen.
21 September 1957: St John the Baptist, Bathwick
Guest Conductor: Sidney Sager
W.A.Mozart: Regina coeli
J.S.Bach: Violin Concerto in E major
Merle-Mary Barnes*
M. Praetorius: How bright and fair the Morning-star
W.A.Mozart: Divertimento
Soloists: Jane Hingeley, Joan McKay, Jill Fowles, Winifred Sansbury,
Brian Newman, David Johnston, Beresford King-Smith, William Coltart,
Stephen Nye*, Stanley Pearce*, Tom Wanless*, Honor Gümbel
————— 1958 ————--
9 March 1958: Kingswood School Chapel
Conductor: Beresford King-Smith
Music not listed; probably similar to that on 12 March, omitting Sarum Consort items.
12 March 1958: Bath Abbey
Conductor: Beresford King-Smith
(with the Sarum Consort, directed by Hamish Preston)
Cantata Group and the Consort performed some items separately, and others together.
Music by Byrd, Schütz, J.S.Bach, S.S.Wesley, Battishill, Brahms, Howells, Vaughan Williams, Purcell.
(the Sarum Consort provided soloists for the Purcell: O sing unto the Lord.)
25 October 1958: The Octagon, Milsom Street
Guest Conductor: Reginald Redman
C.Monteverdi; Orfeo
Singers: Jennifer Greenwood, Cyril Royall, Hamish Preston, Edward Hain, Margaert Griffiths, Gabriel Olive, William Coltart, Jill Fowles, Joan McKay, Beresford King-Smith, Shiels Hingeley, Anthony Nott, Alexander Youngman, David Campbell, Cyril Royall, David Johnston
————— 1959 ————--
3, 4, 5 and 6 May 1959: St John's Chapel Courtyard
Conductor: Beresford King-Smith
(Bath Drama Club presented a Masquerade, with music by Bath Cantata Group)
9 May 1959: St Stephen's, Lansdown
Conductor: Beresford King-Smith
Music by J. Mundy; G.P.Telemann; D. Buxtehude; and J.S. Bach (violin Concerto in A major; Cantata No.56; Cantata No.68).
Soloists: Jill Fowles, John Shirley-Quirk, Ellen Martin* (violin)
5 December 1959: Walcot Parish Church
Conductor: Beresford King-Smith
(With the Monk Ensemble of Cornets and Sackbutts) Guest Conductor: Dr. K.W. Stanton (**)
Music by Andrea Gabrieli, Giovanni Gabrieli, Nicolai Zielenski,
and H.Schütz: Fili me, Absalon** and Ricercare**
The Instrumental Ensemble included Nathalie Dolmetsch
Although these performances in 1954 and 1955 are usually considered to pre-date the existence of Bath Cantata Group as a recognised choir, they were clearly precursors of what was to follow.
December 1954: (Concert Venue not Recorded)
Conductor: Beresford King-Smith
J.S.Bach: Cantata No 152: Tritt auf die Glaubensbahn
J.S.Bach: Cantata No 82: Ich habe Genug
J.S.Bach: Cantata No 13: Meine Seufzer, Meine Thränen
All items were sung by: Jill Fowles, Mary Garland, Bill Coltart, Beresford King-Smith
Trinity Sunday 1955: The Tower House, Kelston.
A group of friends met to sing madrigals and to read through Palestrina's "Missa Papae Marcelli".
This group subsequently became the nucleus of the BATH CANTATA GROUP,
which performed the concerts in the lists from 1956 onwards.
————— 1956 ————--
7 January 1956: Kelston
(Conducted by Beresford King-Smith, except for Cantata No. 58, which was conducted by Herrick Hayes)
Buxtehude: Cantata: Alles was ihr tut
Bach: Klavier Concerto in F major Philip Gammon*
Bach: Cantata No.58: Ach Gott, wie manches
Chilcot: Klavier Concerto in C major Donald James*
Bach: Cantata No.39: Give the hungry man
Schumann: Dichterliebe
(also 2 Warlock carols and various other items)
Singers: The soloists were: Jill Fowles, Mary Garland, Jennifer Richard, Bill Coltart, Beresford King-Smith.
The Choir consisted of Margaret Griffiths, Nora Gee, Grace Brice, Betty Powell, Brian Newman, Angus Kinloch, James Richard.
29 September 1956: Christ Church, Julian Road
Conductor: Beresford King-Smith
Works by J.S.Bach:
Cantata No.61: Come Redeemer of our race
Chorale Prelude: Nun komm der Heiden Heiland
Motet: Jesu, Priceless treasure
Chorale Prelude: Christ lag in Todesbanden
Cantata No.4: Christ lay in Death's dark prison
Soloists: Jill Fowles, Alexander Youngman, William Coltart, John Smith*, Tom Wanless*,
Beryl Hopkins*, John Moss*
————— 1957 ————--
2 February 1957: The Octagon, Milsom Street
Conductor: Beresford King-Smith
16th and 17th Century music by Gibbons, Holborne, Farnaby, Philips, Dowland,
Byrd, Vautor, Janequin , Banchieri, Ferrabosco, Coprario, Blow.
7 April 1957: St Peter's, Twerton
Conductors: Beresford King-Smith & Thomas Wanless
J.S. Bach: Cantata No.18
Jill Fowles, Michael Allard, William Coltart
Schütz: Motet: Also hat Gott die Welt geliebt
Schütz: St Luke Passion
Michael Allard, Beresford King-Smith, Brian Newman, L.G. Griffen.
21 September 1957: St John the Baptist, Bathwick
Guest Conductor: Sidney Sager
W.A.Mozart: Regina coeli
J.S.Bach: Violin Concerto in E major
Merle-Mary Barnes*
M. Praetorius: How bright and fair the Morning-star
W.A.Mozart: Divertimento
Soloists: Jane Hingeley, Joan McKay, Jill Fowles, Winifred Sansbury,
Brian Newman, David Johnston, Beresford King-Smith, William Coltart,
Stephen Nye*, Stanley Pearce*, Tom Wanless*, Honor Gümbel
————— 1958 ————--
9 March 1958: Kingswood School Chapel
Conductor: Beresford King-Smith
Music not listed; probably similar to that on 12 March, omitting Sarum Consort items.
12 March 1958: Bath Abbey
Conductor: Beresford King-Smith
(with the Sarum Consort, directed by Hamish Preston)
Cantata Group and the Consort performed some items separately, and others together.
Music by Byrd, Schütz, J.S.Bach, S.S.Wesley, Battishill, Brahms, Howells, Vaughan Williams, Purcell.
(the Sarum Consort provided soloists for the Purcell: O sing unto the Lord.)
25 October 1958: The Octagon, Milsom Street
Guest Conductor: Reginald Redman
C.Monteverdi; Orfeo
Singers: Jennifer Greenwood, Cyril Royall, Hamish Preston, Edward Hain, Margaert Griffiths, Gabriel Olive, William Coltart, Jill Fowles, Joan McKay, Beresford King-Smith, Shiels Hingeley, Anthony Nott, Alexander Youngman, David Campbell, Cyril Royall, David Johnston
————— 1959 ————--
3, 4, 5 and 6 May 1959: St John's Chapel Courtyard
Conductor: Beresford King-Smith
(Bath Drama Club presented a Masquerade, with music by Bath Cantata Group)
9 May 1959: St Stephen's, Lansdown
Conductor: Beresford King-Smith
Music by J. Mundy; G.P.Telemann; D. Buxtehude; and J.S. Bach (violin Concerto in A major; Cantata No.56; Cantata No.68).
Soloists: Jill Fowles, John Shirley-Quirk, Ellen Martin* (violin)
5 December 1959: Walcot Parish Church
Conductor: Beresford King-Smith
(With the Monk Ensemble of Cornets and Sackbutts) Guest Conductor: Dr. K.W. Stanton (**)
Music by Andrea Gabrieli, Giovanni Gabrieli, Nicolai Zielenski,
and H.Schütz: Fili me, Absalon** and Ricercare**
The Instrumental Ensemble included Nathalie Dolmetsch
