ALL ABOUT ARMISTICE CANTATA
This is a brilliant production of words, music and images to commemorate the Centenary of the end of WW1. It has been created by the Golden-Oldies Charity in collaboration with pupils and staff at Thornhill Primary School, Cardiff. It is available to all primary schools as an information pack across South West England and Wales to purchase for £50 (including postage and packaging) It contains the following resources to enable your school to make it part of your WW1 commemoration.
Listen to this beautiful song from Armistice Cantata
Son of Mine
This is one of the songs composed by the children of Thornhill Primary School and sung by them. A CD has just been recorded of the Armistice Cantata Songs featuring the Thornhill Primary School Choir. It will be available in July - watch this space for more details.
Son of Mine
This is one of the songs composed by the children of Thornhill Primary School and sung by them. A CD has just been recorded of the Armistice Cantata Songs featuring the Thornhill Primary School Choir. It will be available in July - watch this space for more details.
Armistice Cantata was launched at Chapter Arts, Cardiff on Friday November 10th. The first performance by children from Thornhill Primary School was in front of an invited audience. Children from Rhydypenau Primary School and sang our two WW1 Medley's. The pictures above were all taken on the day of the launch.
Your information pack contains:
1. A CD of backing tracks
2. A second CD containing the following:
i. PDFs of the sheet music /scores – melody line with chord symbols and the original lyrics. Schools may use this to create their own accompaniment rather than use the backing tracks if they wish.
ii. PDFs of a simple piano accompaniment score for each song – for schools wishing to accompany with a piano.
iii. Additional SA and SAB vocal scores for two of the songs - for schools wishing to involve a local “Goldies” group or a local adult choir
iv. Word sheets for all the songs, and the narrative between each song/scene – this can be amended to “localise” the production to the area / community where it is performed.
v. A Powerpoint presentation for use as a backdrop to the production – this can also be amended.
3. Hard copies of all resources on the second CD
How to order your Armistice Cantata Pack?
HERE is a pdf of the order form for you to complete and return to the office of the Golden-Oldies Charity. It contains full information and also gives you the option of organising Armistice Cantata in English or Welsh.
If you have any questions please email Grenville Jones, the founder of the Goldies Charity on:
grenville@ourmemories.org.uk
How was it created?
The Golden-Oldies charity founder Grenville Jones established a creative team and, led by Claire Holcombe and Emyr Wynne Jones, pupils and staff of Thornhill Primary School, Cardiff were presented with an instrumental version of a selection of songs that were popular between 1914 and 1918. Other members of the team were Elizabeth Berry, Deputy Head at Thornhill and Alwyn Humphreys MBE, a Trustee of the Golden-Oldies Charity who is recognised as one of the leading choral directors in Wales.
The initial challenge for the pupils was to research WW1 from their local perspective, visiting local museums and researching archives. This then led to the creation of new lyrics for these popular tunes from 100 years ago. Working with Emyr Wynne Jones the school identified 21 children from Years 4 and 5 (their names appear above the songs), and made available their music co-ordinator Claire Holcombe to work with these children. The final production is a credit to Claire, Thornhill Primary School and everyone involved in this project.
The talented young people also wrote the narrative, which was presented in the first performance by a group of older people who attend the schools Goldies Cymru Sing&Smile session. The sessions involved some of the children setting the scene for each song by taking out WW1 memorabilia from a box and then explaining the significance.
How do you perform and localise your Armistice Cantata?
During the months leading up to November 2018, in many countries, the focus will be on how the final months of WW1 can be commemorated. As those who served and gave their lives are no longer with us, what could be more appropriate than to encourage the children of today to acknowledge and understand how - 100 years ago – people from their local community shaped the world in which we now live.
2018 schools across England and Wales will want to commemorate the end of WW1, and we offer the Armistice Cantata as one way of doing this. Many schools may want their pupils to research WW1 as part of the curriculum, and to look at it from a local perspective. Armistice Cantata is a flexible resource that can be performed in its original form, or adapted in many ways to reflect local circumstances. Other projects can be found – including WW1 medleys and guidance notes can be found on this website.
Your information pack contains:
1. A CD of backing tracks
2. A second CD containing the following:
i. PDFs of the sheet music /scores – melody line with chord symbols and the original lyrics. Schools may use this to create their own accompaniment rather than use the backing tracks if they wish.
ii. PDFs of a simple piano accompaniment score for each song – for schools wishing to accompany with a piano.
iii. Additional SA and SAB vocal scores for two of the songs - for schools wishing to involve a local “Goldies” group or a local adult choir
iv. Word sheets for all the songs, and the narrative between each song/scene – this can be amended to “localise” the production to the area / community where it is performed.
v. A Powerpoint presentation for use as a backdrop to the production – this can also be amended.
3. Hard copies of all resources on the second CD
How to order your Armistice Cantata Pack?
HERE is a pdf of the order form for you to complete and return to the office of the Golden-Oldies Charity. It contains full information and also gives you the option of organising Armistice Cantata in English or Welsh.
If you have any questions please email Grenville Jones, the founder of the Goldies Charity on:
grenville@ourmemories.org.uk
How was it created?
The Golden-Oldies charity founder Grenville Jones established a creative team and, led by Claire Holcombe and Emyr Wynne Jones, pupils and staff of Thornhill Primary School, Cardiff were presented with an instrumental version of a selection of songs that were popular between 1914 and 1918. Other members of the team were Elizabeth Berry, Deputy Head at Thornhill and Alwyn Humphreys MBE, a Trustee of the Golden-Oldies Charity who is recognised as one of the leading choral directors in Wales.
The initial challenge for the pupils was to research WW1 from their local perspective, visiting local museums and researching archives. This then led to the creation of new lyrics for these popular tunes from 100 years ago. Working with Emyr Wynne Jones the school identified 21 children from Years 4 and 5 (their names appear above the songs), and made available their music co-ordinator Claire Holcombe to work with these children. The final production is a credit to Claire, Thornhill Primary School and everyone involved in this project.
The talented young people also wrote the narrative, which was presented in the first performance by a group of older people who attend the schools Goldies Cymru Sing&Smile session. The sessions involved some of the children setting the scene for each song by taking out WW1 memorabilia from a box and then explaining the significance.
How do you perform and localise your Armistice Cantata?
During the months leading up to November 2018, in many countries, the focus will be on how the final months of WW1 can be commemorated. As those who served and gave their lives are no longer with us, what could be more appropriate than to encourage the children of today to acknowledge and understand how - 100 years ago – people from their local community shaped the world in which we now live.
2018 schools across England and Wales will want to commemorate the end of WW1, and we offer the Armistice Cantata as one way of doing this. Many schools may want their pupils to research WW1 as part of the curriculum, and to look at it from a local perspective. Armistice Cantata is a flexible resource that can be performed in its original form, or adapted in many ways to reflect local circumstances. Other projects can be found – including WW1 medleys and guidance notes can be found on this website.
- ARMISTICE CANTATA can be performed as a formal choral production, or as a musical with acting and movement.
- Schools can involve their local “Goldies” group/ grandparents /local British Legion members and/or other community groups in the preparation and performance.
- Some or all of the narrative introducing the songs can be adapted to reflect a local story.
- Some or all of the words to one or more of the songs can be rewritten to reflect a local story.
- Other songs, created or selected by a school, can be inserted or added to the production.
- The Powerpoint backdrop can also be amended to create an alternative and more locally relevant presentation.
- Schools in Wales may wish to mix and match the Welsh and English songs and narrative to create a fully bilingual production.
