Here’s a heart-warming local story which, to quote a line from Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, really shows how ‘music is the food of love’ and the impact it can have on people facing dark times.
It’s also topical that l quote the Bard, because this story involves one of his well-known love songs.
You see a Bath-based choir are releasing an album of original music, recorded at Prior Park Chapel, which includes the words of Sonnet 18 and it is dedicated to two of their long-standing choir members who have been battling with stage 4 cancer.
Matt Finch is the Musical Director of the Horizons Choir and is also a Bath-based composer. This is the story he sent me.
“At the beginning of the year, a member of Bath-based Horizons Choir was told he needed to go into hospital for very invasive treatment for his life-threatening cancer. He and his wife are founder members of the choir and are very much still in love. In fact, they were childhood sweethearts from the age of 16.
Barry originally was diagnosed with stage 4 terminal cancer at the tail end of COVID in 2021, and they both missed their singing in choirs dreadfully, but managed to keep involved by singing online and supporting online concerts by the Horizons Musical Director, and then came and joined Horizons in September 2022.
I heard the news that Barry was going into hospital for major surgery, and that they were desperately going to miss their weekly sing with the choir, so I decided to write a special composition for the choir to sing, dedicating it to “Barry and Jackie”, in the hope that when they both returned to the choir, after recovery, they could also join in their special song.
It was clear from their individual text messages to me that they were really going to miss choir rehearsals. They were both obviously worried about the physical and mental well-being of each other and that they were very much still in love with each other. I wanted to give them something special to look forward to on their return to choir.
So I googled ‘What’s the most romantic poem ever written?’ and ‘Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day? ‘ by Shakespeare was the top result.”
Matt composed the song the very next morning, recorded all the parts himself and sent a copy to the choir, and Barry and Jackie.
“There were many touching messages shared on the choir’s WhatsApp about the song, but most special of all was a photo of them both standing outside their hospital room. On the bare wall of the corridor behind them both was just one simple poster containing the words of Shakespeare sonnet used in their song.
The choir continued to learn the song and, when Barry was recovering at home and still unable to come to choir, they went to his house to sing their song outside in the street for them both.”
Six months later Barry is now recovering well, and Jackie and Barry have sung the song with the choir at a number of concerts. Most recently they sang on a recording of their song and other compositions by Matt in Prior Park Chapel. The album is called “Serenades of Harmony” and will be released very soon.
Matt will be playing this new choir album for the first time, and sharing this particular story, on Monday 22nd July in The Roper Theatre Bath at 7:45pm in a free event open to all.
In between each piece, Matt will be giving a description of how and why each piece was composed. The album will then be on sale through the choir website http://www.HorizonsChoir.com and eventually onto Spotify.
Here is a recording of their song.
In a Facebook post Jackie wrote “Come and join us. Matthew Finch is awesome and we have grown so much under his direction. This song was written for Barry and I, and performed for us on the darkest of days and on many joyous days since . So proud that I am part of this journey and am safe in your hands Mr Finch”
Barry also wrote: “We are both very proud of our choir and the music we sing. This is of course all down to Matt and it is fair to say that the spirit and embracing support that we have continued to receive from Matt and our Choir family would be at the very least a massive understatement.”
