Thank you to everyone who was involved with our Christmas CD A Parish Christmas over the past few weeks. I wanted to mark my first Christmas as Director of Music by doing something special, and so recording a CD with the choir and music group was a natural choice for me, as recording is what I do most of the time in my professional life.
I’m sure the choir found it an unique experience, as on this occasion the recording was done in perhaps an unfamiliar way. In order to provide maximum flexibility for the editing process, and therefore the final product, each piece was recorded in sections and then pieced together later in the computer. This enabled me to change at will not just the format of the song, but also the musical accompaniment.
Most of the tracks should be familiar to everyone, and apart from the a capella pieces (i.e. just voices, no instruments), they all have new arrangements, and we even have the first recording of a new carol written by 15 year old Lara Acott called Let Stars Shine. The majority of the recording took place in church after choir practice on the Thursday 28th November, aided by David Stoves who helped engineer the recording in church, and then all the editing was done at home during the following week, along with a stream of people coming to the house to record various extra bits – Hedley Kay and his guitar, Claire Price, Martin West on guitar, Lara Acott came and sang and played flute, and even Chris Stagg came along during his lunch hour and recorded some bass guitar!
Special thanks to 11year-old Sarah Chambers for her excellent cover design, and also Ginny Eaton, Sue Parrot and Ros Corteen for helping with the duplication, packing and distribution.
Tracks on the CD are: -
| 1 Sussex Carol | 6 Let Stars Shine ** |
| 2 O Little Town of Bethlehem | 7 O Little One Sweet |
| 3 Coventry Carol | 8 Rocking |
| 4 Song for Mary * | 9 Sussex Carol (reprise) |
| 5 Torches |
* written and performed by Hedley Kay **written and performed by Lara Acott
The CD can be purchased from me or though any member of the choir and music group - £7 + P&P, with profits going to the Choir and Church Funds - sold out. David Oliver
Images not to scale.
