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A century of song
They started out as a glee club and now they are excited at the prospect of singing for their centenary. Bill Bridge reports on the story of Steeton Male Voice Choir.
When you have twice had the privilege of performing in the Last Post ceremony at Ypres, as well as singing at venues like Cologne Cathedral and the Royal Albert Hall, the prospect of a concert at Bradford's St George's Hall may not appear much of a test of nerve.
The 78 members of the Steeton Male Voice Choir will not share that view. Next Saturday, the red-blazered ranks whose base is a village between Keighley and Skipton will need to be at their very best. They will be representing not just themselves but the generations who have gone before as the choir celebrates its centenary with a concert in which they will be joined by male voice choirs from Worcester, Kendal and Nelson as well as solo artists and the YBS Band.
It promises to be a feast of music worthy of the occasion, a celebration far beyond the imagination of a group of 17 members of the Steeton Club and Institute who, at the annual meeting on Monday, February 3, 1908, asked the committee "to consider the proposal to form a glee party in connection with the Institute".
The gentlemen of the committee duly debated the issue and later that same evening agreed to the proposal, adding the backing of a grant of 1 for the purchase of music. A newspaper cutting of the time notes: "The party will take
the form of a male voice glee party and will be limited to 16 members". What became of the unfortunate 17th member of those who sought approval to sing is not known.
At the group's first practice, on Monday, March 23, 1908, Hume Wrathall, a well-known choir conductor in the Keighley area, accepted an invitation to take the baton and their first public performance, at the Institute on May 13, "created quite a good impression".
Progress was rapid. A social evening in St Stephen's Schoolroom that October attracted 180 villagers and the organisation's funds were considerably improved, not least, perhaps, because "dancing was indulged in" to again quote the Keighley News. By the time the first annual meeting arrived in January 1909, members were told their Glee Club was "making good progress".
Give or take a few minor skirmishes, that progress has been maintained from that day to this.
Singing was suspended during both World Wars and there was a slight local difficulty in the mid-Seventies. Len Wilson, now the general secretary of the choir and the longest-serving member but then a relative newcomer, recalls: "I remember a concert at Bracken Bank Community Centre when we could muster only 18 men on stage. It was a difficult period. Arthur Wilson wanted to retire as conductor and there was a small group who wanted to change the ethos of the choir, to become a little social group.
"The choir had become slack and attendance at rehearsal erratic. Eventually it came to a bust-up and they lost.
"The four leaders left us and since then we have been bucking the trend as far as male voice choirs is concerned. A number of choirs are struggling for members these days and some have gone out of existence.
"We still manage to attract new members although we have recently lost two men, who decided to return home, one to Redcar, the other to Wales. We have only one born-and-bred Steetoner in the choir – John Hargreaves – but there are a couple more who have moved into the village. We draw members from Keighley, Skipton, a good number from Ilkley and, for some reason, a sizeable contingent for Wilsden, near Bradford.
"We have several members in their eighties – I am 80 myself – and the youngest is Tom van der Gucht, who is in his mid-twenties and lives in Shipley, although he is originally from Holland."
A retired headmaster at the primary school in East Morton, where he still lives and sings in the choir of St Luke's Church, Mr Wilson is learning the words to a new song in the choir's repertoire. "I shudder to think how many songs I know," he says, listing among his favourites When I Survey the Wondrous Cross, the Lord's Prayer and, rather lighter, My Love is Like a Red Red Rose and Softly As I Leave You.
The conductor decides which songs are to be sung on a particular night and for the centenary concert they will be singing across a broad spectrum, from Welsh hymns to spirituals and songs from the shows.
The choir will also be paying their first visit to Ireland this year having already toured Germany, Belgium and Holland as well as performing regularly in Wales and the south west of England. In addition to their concerts, the choir sends groups of three dozen or so to entertain residents in care homes and has also performed and given workshops in schools in the region.
They were regular contenders in competitions for many years, but that form of singing seems to have lost its appeal. "We were regulars in classes for choirs over 40 strong at the Blackpool Festival," says Mr Wilson. "There would be 15 or so choirs competing in the early Eighties but the last time we went, about eight years ago, we were the only ones there and had to sing against the adjudicator, who awards you
first place if you reach the required standard.
"Some people still feel you get sharpened up singing in competitions. They may be right, but we compete in very few festivals these days, choral classes have declined as other choirs have lost interest."
Steeton have made seven recordings, the first of them on vinyl over 20 years ago, and there is a steady flow of sales. "We had one young lady from Wales contact us," said Mr Wilson. "Her grandfather had just died and his favourite song was Ilkla Moor Baht'at which they wanted to play at his funeral. We sent her a CD with the song on it and had a nice letter back thanking us – and ordering another CD."
Their next CD will be a recording of the centenary concert.
With membership figures high and the buzz created by the centenary promoting widespread interest in the choir, it seems Steeton's future is assured and Mr Wilson is confident that more will follow the trend set by those 17 villagers a century ago who simply wanted to sing together.
Tickets for the centenary concert on April 26 are available from Mr Wilson on 01274 569870 or the Box Office at St George's Hall, Bradford.
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Saturday 26 May 2012
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