London Welsh Male Voice Choir
Côr Meibion Cymry Llundain
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London Welsh Male Voice Choir Côr Meibion Cymry Llundain |
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1. The Wonder Of You : Baker Knight We will be singing this song for the first time at St John's Smith Square in June. We will be singing an arrangement by Alwyn Humphreys. The Wonder of You was written by Baker Knight an American singer and songwriter who currently lives in his home town of Birmingham Alabama. Baker Knight is a prolific songwriter and performer and you can learn more about him on his web site http://www.bakerknight.com where there a several songs to download. Following a recent personal communication with Baker Knight, below are in his own words the story behind the writing of' The Wonder Of You ' "When I first started writing "The Wonder of You" it was actually a spiritual search. I was ill at the time and on a visit back home where I wound up in the hospital with an ulcer. It was a search for the Deity that would always be kind and forgiving toward me no matter what the conditions. I can't say it was written directly to God, but I was searching for Him. It was, however, Elvis Presley who had a big hit with 'The Wonder Of You' reaching number one in the UK charts on the 1st August 1970 for 6 weeks with a re-entry to number 47 in 1971. Baker Knight has sadly died of natural cases at age 72. He is survived by his daughter, Tuesday Knight, an actress who lives in Studio City, a brother, Robert; sister, Nonie and son Thomas Baker Knight, a veterinarian and taxidermist of Pensacola, Fla. 2. The Rose : Amanda McBroom The song 'The Rose' was written by Amanda McBroom who has been called ' the greatest cabaret performer of her generation, an urban poet who writes like an angel and has a voice to match'. The song was made famous by Bette Middler in the 1979 film of the same name. The story of the tragic life of a self destructive female rock star, modeled
after Janis Joplin. The London Welsh Male Voice Choir often sing The Rose in concert, Listen to a short extract sung by the Choir The Rose 3. The Humming Chorus : Puccini Madama Butterfly is the story of a fifteen-year-old Japanese girl, Cio-Cio San (Butterfly), who is sold in marriage to Lt. Pinkerton, a United States naval officer. Butterfly truly loves her husband, but Pinkerton takes the marriage contract lightly. He returns to his own country to marry "an American girl," as he had always intended. "The Humming Chorus" accompanies a scene in which Butterfly (dressed in her wedding gown), her maid, and a boy (her son by Pinkerton), await Pinkerton's return. They peer through holes in a paper wall. The maid and the boy soon fall asleep, but Butterfly maintains her vigil, standing silent and motionless. By cleverly using no words, since none may be appropriate, this music is immediately calming yet in its subtle way, foreboding, hinting of Cio Cio San’s imminent misery. As we wait in our seats in anticipation for Pinkerton's arrival, we are confronted with the knowledge of Butterfly's innocent passions and that her entire world is built on her only hope - one which we know will be dashed at daybreak. To listen to an interesting version of the Humming Chorus follow this link to the Fan Site of Peter Jackson. The sound Track of the film Heavenly Creatures features the Humming Chorus plus much more interesting music. Peter Jackson is well known as the director of the Lord of the Rings Trilogy. Heavenly Creatures is another of his films based in New Zealand
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