A free Christmas Concert by the South London Singers at Beckenham Methodist Church, London on Saturday 13th December 2025

A free Christmas Concert by the South London Singers

Add to my Calendar 13-12-2025 19:00 13-12-2025 21:00 36 A free Christmas Concert by the South London Singers We are delighted to invite you to attend our free Christmas Concert! We want to welcome the whole community to our concert this Christmas, so we have decided to make tickets for this concert free as in the last two years. However, please do reserve your place to avoid disappointment. Do this by going to our online box office. If you are able to afford to give a donation towards our event costs and would like to do so, you can do this either in advance at the box office website or on the door by cash or card. Doors will open at 6:30 pm, and the concert will start at 7pm. The main work this time will be the much-loved ‘Fantasia on Christmas Carols’ by Ralph Vaughan Williams written in 1912. As the basis for the piece, he picks three of the sort of traditional songs recorded during the movement to collect traditional folk songs which built up speed during the early years of the 20th Century. Vaughan Williams was a keen participant in this process along with many others including Cecil Sharp and the Folk Song Society. Later, he would use many folk songs in his compositions. He begins with ‘The Truth From Above’ (sometimes referred to as the ‘Herefordshire Carol’ though many other versions exist elsewhere) which tells some of the story of the creation of Adam and Eve, the problems resulting from their eating the forbidden fruit and the promise to redeem mankind by the birth of Christ. Next, from Somerset, he chooses the lively ‘Come All You Worthy Gentlemen’ which includes some of the iconic features of the Christmas story such as Christ lying in a manger and the Virgin Mary at prayer. ‘The Sussex Carol’ brings the angels into the story and joy at the news that humankind can be free of sin. In the last part of the Fantasia, while the choir are still enjoying singing reprises of the Sussex Carol, the soloist brings in the final verse of the of ‘Come All You Worthy’ so all are wished a happy new year ‘both now and evermore, amen.’ The work rises and falls in tempo and volume as it tells the story. It starts and ends quietly (if you think the choir have gone on strike, the final marking is ‘pppp’!) The S.L.S. will also be including a number of shorter carols including Herbert Howells’ beautiful setting of ‘A Spotless Rose’, a setting of words which may date back as far as the 14th Century. This poem makes analogy between, on the one hand, a perfect rose bud borne by a strong root, flowering in the cold, and Christ and the Virgin Mary on the other. It also relates the birth to Isiah’s prediction of this occurrence. This carol was written in 1919. According to the composer he had just been staring out of his window at trains being shunted and was somehow inspired to produce this piece. Despite this strange connection, the result is much admired especially the last few quiet bars which end with an unexpected sequence of chords. Needless to say, amongst other items by the choir, there will also be opportunities for the audience to join in (loudly!) Beckenham Methodist Church, London DD/MM/YYYY

Details

Beckenham Methodist Church
Bromley Road
Beckenham
London
BR3 5JE
England

Saturday 13th December 2025
7:00 PM

Tickets

Prices: Free but donations welcome
Book Tickets

Programme

Ralph Vaughan Williams – Fantasia on Christmas Carols
Herbert Howells – A spotless rose

Performers

Jack Stone – Accompanist
Christopher Braime – Conductor

South London Singers

Programme Note

We are delighted to invite you to attend our free Christmas Concert! We want to welcome the whole community to our concert this Christmas, so we have decided to make tickets for this concert free as in the last two years. However, please do reserve your place to avoid disappointment. Do this by going to our online box office.

If you are able to afford to give a donation towards our event costs and would like to do so, you can do this either in advance at the box office website or on the door by cash or card.

Doors will open at 6:30 pm, and the concert will start at 7pm.

The main work this time will be the much-loved ‘Fantasia on Christmas Carols’ by Ralph Vaughan Williams written in 1912. As the basis for the piece, he picks three of the sort of traditional songs recorded during the movement to collect traditional folk songs which built up speed during the early years of the 20th Century. Vaughan Williams was a keen participant in this process along with many others including Cecil Sharp and the Folk Song Society. Later, he would use many folk songs in his compositions.

He begins with ‘The Truth From Above’ (sometimes referred to as the ‘Herefordshire Carol’ though many other versions exist elsewhere) which tells some of the story of the creation of Adam and Eve, the problems resulting from their eating the forbidden fruit and the promise to redeem mankind by the birth of Christ. Next, from Somerset, he chooses the lively ‘Come All You Worthy Gentlemen’ which includes some of the iconic features of the Christmas story such as Christ lying in a manger and the Virgin Mary at prayer. ‘The Sussex Carol’ brings the angels into the story and joy at the news that humankind can be free of sin. In the last part of the Fantasia, while the choir are still enjoying singing reprises of the Sussex Carol, the soloist brings in the final verse of the of ‘Come All You Worthy’ so all are wished a happy new year ‘both now and evermore, amen.’ The work rises and falls in tempo and volume as it tells the story. It starts and ends quietly (if you think the choir have gone on strike, the final marking is ‘pppp’!)

The S.L.S. will also be including a number of shorter carols including Herbert Howells’ beautiful setting of ‘A Spotless Rose’, a setting of words which may date back as far as the 14th Century. This poem makes analogy between, on the one hand, a perfect rose bud borne by a strong root, flowering in the cold, and Christ and the Virgin Mary on the other. It also relates the birth to Isiah’s prediction of this occurrence. This carol was written in 1919. According to the composer he had just been staring out of his window at trains being shunted and was somehow inspired to produce this piece. Despite this strange connection, the result is much admired especially the last few quiet bars which end with an unexpected sequence of chords.

Needless to say, amongst other items by the choir, there will also be opportunities for the audience to join in (loudly!)

A free Christmas Concert by the South London Singers

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