77
M
usic
On Saturday 15th October about 70 musicians of all
ages joined together for a joint Birkdale/SHS/Sheffield
Music Academy Gabrieli Workshop. On this unique
occasion we rehearsed and subsequently performed
Giovanni Gabrieli’s early Baroque masterpiece ‘In
Ecclesiis’ almost from scratch.
Most of the instrumentalists were Birkdalians and had
already looked at the music on a couple of occasions
beforehand, something very necessary as it features
difficult rhythms and metre changes. With soprano and
alto saxophones (standing in for the original cornetti),
trombones, organ, Baroque guitar and double bass
being played by Birkdale pupils and staff, joined by
three violas and two cellos from the Academy, the
band produced a tight, vibrant, powerful, rich and
exciting sound.
The singers were split into two choirs, and enjoyed
participating in the dramatic call-and-response writing
which was such an integral feature of the music written
by Gabrieli and his contemporaries for church services
in St Mark’s Venice, where singers and instrumentalists
would be spaced around the building in a variety of
different galleries.
Even though the performance time was a mere seven
minutes, the musicians found they required every
second of the rehearsal time to learn the notes and
become accustomed to the unfamiliar style and its
inherent difficulties. Ably and enthusiastically led by
singing teacher Peter Taylor, and assisted by other
music staff from all three organisations, everyone
rose to the occasion and delivered a memorable and
engaging performance which was appreciated by a
small audience of parents.
The whole experience was most worthwhile, and we
look forward to similar future events.
Prep Music Festival
Our adjudicator for the annual Festival of Music and
Performing Arts this year was Ian Roberts, a former
organist at Chester Cathedral, who is now Director of
Music at St John’s Church, Ranmoor. As February drew
to a close and March came into view, we heard 169
performances of music and poetry performed over
three consecutive culturally-crammed days given by
boys and girls aged from 5 to 11 years from Birkdale,
Ashdell, Sheffield High and Westbourne Schools.
It is always a delight to welcome our young guests each
year to share in the highlight of our musical year here at
Birkdale Prep School. This year it became a particularly
pleasurable possibility to feature family connections
in our second concert, where twenty-seven boys and
girls were invited to share the performance platform
alongside their brothers and sisters. As always, the
concerts were very successful and most of the boys
who took part in the adjudications were able to feature
in one of the two evening performances.
My thanks go to all the boys and girls who took part,
but particular congratulations this year go to Anirudh
Mohanamurali, Charles Wigfull and Finlay Barnett
in the Prep department, and to Patrick Owen in Pre-
Prep, for their outstanding contributions during the
adjudications and concerts. We are looking forward
with eager anticipation to the seventeenth festival
next year!
Gabrieli Workshop
