Previous Meetings

Meeting on Sunday 9th November at the Lucy Sanderson Hall, Tweed Terrace, Galashiels at 3:00pm

There was a pronounced Baroque theme at last Sunday afternoon’s Clef Club meeting starting with the German-English based J C Pepusch’s (1667-1752) Trio Sonata in F performed by the pleasing combination of Marjorie Wright (violin), Dorothea Hall (recorder) and Iain MacFadyen (piano). The often over looked Romantic composer Edwin York Bowen’s (1884-1961) Sonata for two Flutes came next with John Harris and Simon McCann playing all three movements for perhaps the first time in the Borders and displaying an easy mastery of the piece’s distinctive textures and rich harmonies. Back to the Baroque with Elspeth McVeigh (mezzo-soprano) accompanied by Jim Letham (piano) delivering in wonderfully emotional tones the aria Qual nave smarrita from G F Handel’s first opera Radamisto, followed by Cleopatra’s seductive V’adoro, pupille from Giulio Cesare. Then more early Handel with the four movement  Sonata Op 2 No 8 delivered in a relaxed conversational mode by Heidi Goodship (flute), Robert Fraser (violin) and Iain MacFadyen (piano).

A twentieth century interlude followed the tea break with Dorothea and Iain playing Czech composer Bokuslav Martinu’s 1957 Divertimento for two Alto Recorders. With Iain switching to the Tenor recorder the duo continued with German-American Paul Hindemith’s Stucke for Alto and Tenor with its fine dance like final movement. As a bonus Iain and Dorothea finished up with two short movements from Michael Tippett’s Four Inventions. Stuart Gordon (jazz guitar) then took the stage with his electric acoustic guitar and prepared backing track to deliver Yes guitarist Steve Howe’s flamenco influenced Mood for a Day. More fluid playing followed with American Pat Metheny’s jazz based James before Stuart rounded off his set with the multi guitar sounding Karate from the Brazilian composer Egberto Gismonte. It seemed fitting that flautists John Harris and Simon McCann then finished a full afternoon’s music at pace with the four movements of the Sonata in G Major for two flutes from the most prolific Baroque composer of them all – G P Telemann. The Clef Club meets again at the Lucy Sanderson Hall on Sunday 21st December at 3.00pm with a Christmas themed programme. All welcome. 

Meeting on Saturday 4th October at the Lucy Sanderson Hall, Tweed Terrace, Galashiels at 7:30pm

James Letham (piano) began the 99th session of the Galashiels Clef Club with two of his own pieces from his Week of Birthdays, namely the gentle and slightly melancholy Friday’s Child and the more up beat and carefree Sunday’s Child. This was followed by Ignaz Pleyel (1757-1831) the Austrian born French composer and friend of Handel’s Duet for Two Violins (Marjorie Wright and Robert Fraser) with a piano accompaniment by Friedrich Hermann (1828-1967) played by Sue Wilson.

There was a pleasing contrast between the celebratory tone of the first movement Allegro moderato and the more stately second, Tempo di Menuetto. For her Clef Club debut, Elspeth McVeigh (voice) sang a cappella the intensely moving aria Alma oppressa de sorte crudele (Soul oppressed by cruel fate) from Vivaldi’s 1732 opera La fida Ninba (the faithful nymph). John Wood (classical guitar) then played a selection (Prelude, Trilogy, Impromptu and Berceuse) from Peter Nuttall’s Twelve Inventions for Solo Guitar (1984), and rounded off his contribution with Venezuelan Antonio Lauro’s (1917-1986) fast moving Andreina. Jim Letham returned to book-end the evening with a lively selection of 20th century piano pieces including two folk melodies by leading Polish composer Witold Lutoslawski’s(1913-994) – his discordant The Shepherd Girl and the hectic The Grove; Norman Dello Joio’s heart felt Prayer of the Matador; Mark Tanner’s The Wit and Wisdom of the Night – played as instructed “with chutzpah”, and finally Malcolm Arnold’s musical portrait of a swashbuckling pirate – The Buccaneer. The Clef Club returns to the Lucy Sanderson Hall on Sunday 9th November at 3.00pm. All welcome!

Meeting on Saturday 25th April at the Lucy Sanderson Hall, Tweed Terrace, Galashiels at 7:30pm

The 2024/25 session of the Clef Club ended last Saturday evening with a brief AGM attended by 19 members. Nancy Muir, the President, began by expressing her sadness at the passing of our piping member Gordon Campbell. She went on to commend the variety of music offered in the session from Spanish songs to unusual pairings of instruments such as clarinet, violin and piano, and finished by commending Jim Letham on his willingness to accompany all comers.

Meeting on Saturday 15th March at the Lucy Sanderson Hall, Tweed Terrace, Galashiels at 7:30pm

Sue Wilson (piano) set Saturday’s Clef Club in motion with her Five Minor (as in key) Theme Tunes from both large and small screens. She began with John Williams beautiful though melancholic theme from Schindler’s List and then lightened the mood with Henry Mancini’s Pink Panther theme. Theodore Shapiro’s wonderfully discordant introduction to the thriller Severance came next followed by Hannes De Maeyer’s climactic Professor T theme. Sue rounded her imaginative set off with David Arnold’s music hall flavoured theme from Good Omens. Anne MacFadyen (soprano) accompanied by Iain MacFadyen (piano) next performed three bird themed songs beginning with Se Equivoco La Paloma (the dove was mistaken) a setting by Argentinian composer Carlos Guastavino of a Rafael Alberti poem. Also in Spanish (helpfully paraphrased by Anne) was Joaquin Rodrigo’s Cancion del Cucu with an accompaniment full of bird trills. Anne concluded her set with American Composer Celius Dougherty’s haunting setting of Robert Frost’s tongue in cheek poem A Minor Bird. Robert Fraser (viola) closed the first half on more familiar ground with a relaxed and resonant rendition of J S Bach’s Suite No1 for solo cello edited for solo viola by Simon Rowland-Jones.

Ian MacFadyen (alto saxophone) returned after the interval, this time with Jim Letham (piano), to perform Ravel’s rather misleadingly named Pavane pour une infante defunte as arranged by Baltimore composer Ralph Martino. The combination of instruments boosted by the fine acoustic gave the piece an almost dream like quality. Stuart Gordon (jazz guitar) rounded off the evening with a fine rendition of three jazz standards – the much covered Cole Porter Night and Day, the Charlie Mingus 1959 elegy for saxophonist Lester Young, Goodbye Pork Pie Hat, and These Foolish Things by Englishmen Holt Marvell and Jack Strachey. Stuart then added a bonus track composition of his own, Slip Below the Surface – complete with backing track and vocals.  The Clef Club will host a free concert in the Lucy Sanderson hall show-casing the talents of Trinity Laban violin students on Tuesday 1st of April at 7.30pm. Next Club meeting is on Saturday 26th of April also at 7.30pm. All welcome! 

Meeting on Sunday 9th February at the Lucy Sanderson Hall, Tweed Terrace, Galashiels at 3:00pm

The February gathering of the Galashiels Clef Club got off to a pleasant start in the form of Scottish composer William McGibbon’s (1690-1756) four movement Sonata No 5 in G Major performed by Robert Fraser (violin), Iain MacFadyen (piano) and – making a welcome return on flute – Heidi Goodship. The combination and layering of instruments worked particularly well with the more optimistic in the audience even detecting a hint of Spring in the second movement Allegro. A self-confessed fan of French classical music, Jim Letham (piano), began his set with a Study in A by the only 19th century woman Professor of Piano at the Paris Conservatoire – Louise Farrenc (1804-1875). The more familiar Gymnopedie No 1 came next inspired according to Erik Satie it’s sartorially eccentric composer by athletes depicted on Greek antique vases. Jim finished with two expressionist pieces by Gabriel Grovlez (1879-1944) Les Marionnettes featuring the antics of Pierrot and Harlequin and Chanson du chasseur conjuring up the thrills of the hunt. Rounding off the first half, Dorothea Hall (recorder) and John Wood (classical guitar) presented a collection of short pieces from the 16th to the 20th centuries including Fernando Sor’s Duo in A Major ; Tielman Susato’s Entre Du Fol; a Romance by Marin Marais, an Air by Henry Purcell and finishing up with Gabriel Faure’s haunting Pavane – Dorothea selecting from a range of recorders to suit each piece.

Meeting on Sunday 22nd December at the Lucy Sanderson Hall, Tweed Terrace, Galashiels at 3:00pm

A quartet of Dorothea Hall (recorder) Simon McCann and John Harris (flutes) and Jim Letham (continuo) brought the first half to an end with Georg Philipp Telemann’s (1681-1767) Quartet in D minor – a piece the composer predicted would bring him ‘glory’ someday. Throughout the four movements – Andante, Vivace, Largo and Allegro the various themes seemed to pass around effortlessly between the different instruments.

Fortified with punch and mince pies, Robert Fraser (violin) launched into four pieces by the Aberdeenshire born fiddler and composer James Scott Skinner (1843-1927). Robert began with the haunting Corgarff Castle before moving on to two more upbeat strathspeys and reels namely Davey Taylor and The Bride’s Reel and The Smith’s a Gallant Fireman and the reel Angus Campbell. Slowing the tempo down again Jim Letham (piano) presented two soothing pieces – the prolific American Dennis Alexander’s (b. 1947) All is Calm and Gabriel Grovlez’s (1879-1944) harmonically beautiful Petites Litanies de Jesus. Simon McCann and John Harris (flutes) returned with a spirited rendition of Louis-Francois-Philippe Drouet’s (1792-1873) Duo concertant for 2 flutes. In three movements this piece was composed originally by Drouet (the Paganini of the flute) for the 8 key flute. Rounding off the afternoon Stuart Gordon (jazz guitar) started with the string stretching Sandu  by trumpeter and composer Clifford Brown (1930-56); followed this with a laid back version of the Disney sound track number Some Day my Prince with Come (Frank Churchill/Larry Morey) and, adding seasonal jingles as appropriate, finished with Antonio Forcione’s Super Latino (1992). The Clef Club resumes on Sunday 9th of February in the Lucy Sanderson Hall at 3.00pm. All Welcome.

Meeting on Sunday 17th November at the Lucy Sanderson Hall, Tweed Terrace, Galashiels at 3:00pm

Sue Wilson (piano) began last Sunday’s Clef Club meeting with three pieces from a recent remembrance service – Tomaso Albinoni’s filmic Adagio in G minor (largely the work we now know of the 20th century musicologist Remo Giazotto), a Henry Purcell Almand and the million selling Wiltshire born composer and organist, Caleb Simper’s (1856 – 1942) Solemn Voluntary. On an altogether cheerier note Sue concluded with the Sioux Falls born George Botsford’s (1874-1949) Black and White Rag. What Nancy Muir (soprano) accompanied by Jim Letham (piano), might have lost of her schoolgirl range she made up for with panache and energy in her renditions of Gilbert and Sullivan’s The Sun whose Rays are all Ablaze (Mikado) and, (with some supporting lines from Anne MacFadyen), the very hummable Poor Wandering One (Pirates of Penzance)..  Iain MacFadyen (clarinet) followed with perhaps the most well-known work for unaccompanied clarinet – Stravinsky’s first piece from his Three Pieces for Solo Clarinet. Both Mozart and Brahms had been inspired to write for the instrument on hearing the leading clarinetists of their day and so too was Weber who wrote Iain’s second piece, the Clarinet Concerto (2nd movement – Adagio ma non troppe) for the clarinetist Heinrich Barmann in 1811. Jim Letham (piano) accompanied Iain in this wonderfully atmospheric piece.

After a pancake break the club were treated to An Eriskay Love Lilt as arranged by the Scottish composer and suffragist Marjory Kennedy-Fraser and sung in Gaelic by ex Braw Lass Gwen Mabon (soprano). The Birds, a rather haunting piece by English composer and organist Alec Rowley (1892 – 1958) followed and Gwen rounded off her set with a real night club presentation of Jerome Kern’s Bill from Showboat. Jim Letham (piano) introduced his programme with two snippets of the Armenian composer Aram Khatchaturian’s (1903-1978) best known works before playing three of the same composer’s Pictures of Childhood – the pleasingly mournful Scherzo, the story-like A Little Song and The Little Horse with its appropriate trotting rhythm. Robert Fraser (viola) then gave an even-paced and highly melodic performance of Two Bourrees from the Suite no. 3 for solo cello by J S Bach as arranged by Simon Rowland-Jones. Nancy Muir and Jim Letham brought the afternoon to a rousing conclusion with one more piece from Gilbert and Sullivan – namely Scena from HMS Pinafore. The Clef Club meets again at the Lucy Sanderson Hall on Sunday 22nd December at 3.00pm.  All welcome.

Meeting on Saturday19th October at the Lucy Sanderson Hall, Tweed Terrace, Galashiels at 7:30pm

Anne MacFadyen (soprano) accompanied by husband Iain (piano) began a pleasingly varied Clef Club meeting last Saturday with Frank Sinatra’s Tender Trap hit Love and Money. This set the scene for a relaxed and skilful romp through Gilbert and Sullivan’s take on love from When a Merry Maiden Marries (Gondoliers), through The Sun Whose Rays (Mikado) to Happy Young Heart (Sorcerer) with Aline looking forward to tying the knot with Alexis.  Swapping piano for alto recorder Iain joined Dorothea Hall (alto recorder) and Jim Letham (keyboard harpsichord) to tackle J S Bach’s demanding four movement Trio Sonata in B flat originally for two flutes and continuo. The result was a rich melodic interweaving of the instruments with lots of warm sustained notes.

The second half opened with the welcome return to performing of Ann Owen (violin) and Marjorie Wright (violin). Accompanied by Jim Letham (piano) they gave a spirited rendition of Dmitri Shostakovich’s Five Pieces for 2 violins and piano as arranged by L Atovmyan – a stylistically varied piece which as well as a folksy Prelude and an unusual Elegy  included a Gavotte, Waltz and Polka. Starting with the curiously named Strathspey – The Shakins o’ the Pocky (pocket) by P Milne and J Scott Skinner, Robert Fraser (violin) launched into a set of Scottish folk tunes which included three hornpipes – James Hill’s The Newcastle Hornpipe, W B Laybourn’s Princess Beatrice, and the traditional The Firth House before reaching an exciting climax with the Scott Skinner reel – Mrs Forbes Leith. Accompanied by backing tracks on a blue-tooth speaker, Stuart Gordon (jazz guitar) brought the evening to a close with finger perfect renditions of three jazz standards – Miles Davis’s energetic Four, Thelonius Monk’s muted and quirky Straight No Chaser and most fittingly J Mercer’s much covered French flavoured Autumn Leaves.  The Clef Club meets again on Sunday 17th November at 3.00 pm in the Lucy Sanderson Hall. All welcome! 

Meeting on Saturday 21st September at the Lucy Sanderson Hall, Tweed Terrace, Galashiels at 7:30pm

Nancy Muir (soprano) accompanied by Jim Letham (piano) opened the 98th session of the Galashiels Clef Club with two contrasting songs on the theme of love. The first, Er, der Herrlichste von allen from Robert Schumann’s opus 42 has the singer in longing tones in thrall to a “most glorious” man and willing to sacrifice her own desire to his happiness. At the other end of the spectrum, Henry Purcell has Dido in her lament When I am laid in earth preparing to take her own life as she watches her lover Aeneas return to Rome. Continuing this rather sombre mood Jim Letham (piano) demonstrated Chopin’s amazing harmonies in his opus 28 minor key Preludes numbers 6, 7 and 20, throwing in number 4 a short happier interlude in A major. John Wood (classical guitar) then played a set of short pieces by the blind Irish harper Turlough O’Caloran (1670-1738) namely – O’Caloran’s Welcome; Mrs Bermingham’s Second Air; Planxty Drew; Squire Wood’s Lamentation and O’Caloran’s Farewell to Music – most of which were new to club members.

After the interval Jim Letham devoted his second set to the music of the seldom mentioned but influential Czech composer, Zdenko Fibich (1850 – 1900). From the 376 piano pieces Fibich composed Jim gave us Impressions a very modern sounding work owing its insistent rhythm perhaps to Fibich’s fascination with railways, and the composer’s best known piece Poem in a typically romantic style. Continuing the Czech theme Robert Fraser (violin) and Caroline Adam (piano) played Dvorak’s Sonatina for Violin and Piano. This delightful and varied piece in four movements was written in America to develop the composer’s childrens’ musical ability and the influence of negro spirituals was brought out clearly at various stages.

The Clef Club meets again at the Lucy Sanderson Hall on Saturday October 19th at 7.30pm. All welcome.

Meeting on Saturday 16th March at the Lucy Sanderson Hall, Tweed Terrace, Galashiels at 7:30pm

The March meeting of the Galashiels Clef Club last Saturday evening started with a Spanish flavour. John Wood (classical guitar) played the popular Spanish Romance (Anon) and Argentine composer Ariel Ramirez’ Balada para Martin Fierro and Anne MacFadyen (soprano) accompanied on piano by Ian MacFadyen followed this with three love songs (complete with plot outlines) by Joaquin Rodrigo, the very poignant Adela and the more upbeat En Jerez de la Frontera and De Ronda. The love theme continued with ten year old Mairi-Suzanne Campbell (trumpet), accompanied by Ian McFadyen, confidently introducing and delivering a heart-warming rendition of James Horner’s Titanic tune My Heart will go on. Tackling a grand piano for the first time and having a bit of a stretch to reach the pedals Darren Tan (9) delivered his Grade 4 pieces, Handel’s Allegro, Tchaikovsky’s The New Doll and the saloon bar rhythms of Florence Price’s Ticklin’ Toes, with precision and considerable panache. The eternally young Jim Letham (piano) rounded off the first half on a seasonal note with the achingly beautiful Raindrop Prelude by Chopin and the less well known Rain Carousel from Manfred Schmitz’s Rainbow Preludes – featuring the extended use of the pedal.

Dorothea Hall (recorder) and Jim Letham (piano) got the second half off to an energetic start with the film composer Malcolm Arnold’s somewhat atypical Sonatina for recorder and piano in three distinctive movements – one fickle, one funereal and the final rondo positively chirpy. Picking up on this optimistic mood, Nancy Muir (soprano) gave a cheerful rendition of Handel’s Spring is coming from the opera Ottone before contrasting this with Die Nacht, one of Richard Strauss’ art songs tinged with night fears.  Jim Letham then returned with the Prelude in F Minor from Bach’s well tempered clavier and followed this with the Bach styled, jazz flavoured Prelude by the Dutch composer Gerard Hengeveld (1910 – 2001). Accompanied again by Ian MacFadyen on piano and by her dad Gordon Campbell on the chanter, Mairi-Suzanne returned with a refreshingly different rendition of Ulrich Roever and Michael Korb’s Highland Cathedral. Gordon Campbell (small pipes) then rounded the evening off with a March, Strathspey and Reel and in honour of St Patrick’s Day a medley of Irish tunes starting with The Ass in the Graveyard. 

At 3pm on Sunday 31st (Easter Sunday) in the Lucy Sanderson Hall, the Clef Club will host a concert by violin students from Trinity Laban College, Greenwich.  Entry by donation – all welcome.

Meeting on Sunday 14th January at the Lucy Sanderson Hall, Tweed Terrace, Galashiels at 3:00pm

Robert Fraser (violin) and Nancy Muir (piano) began last Sunday’s meeting with a lively rendition of Handel’s uncopyrighted Sonata no.3 in F with its four contrasting movements. Margaret Dick (piano) then applied a wonderfully light touch to the bouree from Bach’s English Suite. She followed this with the mystical sounding Petites Litanes de Jesus by the French composer and conductor Gabriel Grovlez (1879-1944) and rounded off with a Chopin Mazurka. Robert Fraser returned with three modern Scots fiddle tunes – The First Snow, a waltz by Charles Soane; Cape Spear, a strathspey by Muriel Johnstone and The Lilt of Stanley, a twostep by Bert Murray. Staying with the fiddle tradition John Wood (classical guitar) rounded off the first half with guitarist Neil Smith’s Niel Gow’s Shadow – a tribute to the 18th century Scots musical legend. 

Back in classical mode Nancy Muir (piano) opened the second half with the second movement, adagio cantabile, of Beethoven’s Pathetique Sonata no 8. In what was probably a first for the club, Gordon Campbell played a wonderfully informative set on the Chamber pipes. To highlight the hall’s acoustics, Gordon first played Finbar Furey’s haunting The Lonesome Boatman (1969) on a penny whistle and followed this with a medley of Burns tunes – A Man’s a Man for a’that, Rantin rovin Robin and My Love she’s but a Lassie yet on the mouth blown chamber pipes. Gordon then changed to the bellow blown Scottish small pipes before rounding off on the flow pipes again with The March to Speyrule; The Athole Highlander’s Farewell to Loch Katrine;

The Ewie wi’ the Crookit Horn and Sandy Cameron’s Reel. In a delightful coda Gordon was joined by his son Armel for a chanter duet version of Mairi’s Wedding. Extending the Scottish theme Nancy Muir (soprano) accompanied on the piano by Jim Letham, rounded the evening off with a heart felt version of Ye Banks and Braes and an upbeat rendering of Whistle an I’ll come to ye, my Lad. The clef Club reconvenes in the Lucy Sanderson Hall at 3pm on Sunday the 11th of February.

Meeting on Saturday 10th December at the Lucy Sanderson Hall, Tweed Terrace, Galashiels at 7:30pm

Interspersing musical items with communal carols and reinforced at the interval with mulled wine and mince pies, the Clef Club fully embraced the spirit of Christmas at their meeting last Saturday.  Stuart Gordon (jazz guitar) ably backed by pre-prepared computer tracks got the meeting off at real pace with a virtuosic rendering of Chick Corea’s Spain. Hoagy Carmichael and Stuart Garrell’s melodic Georgia on my Mind  followed at a more relaxed pace and Stuart concluded his set with Django Reinhardt’s rythmically infectious version of Douglas Furber and Philip Braham’s Limehouse Blues. Robert Fraser (violin) came next with a delightful selection of four folk based tunes from Iain Fraser’s Book of Canadian Tunes, namely The Westphalia Waltz; John A Cameron’s Jig; Churning Butter and The Avon Breakdown. Nancy Muir (soprano) accompanied by Jim Letham (piano) rounded off the first half of the meeting with stylistically very different but Christmas themed numbers – John Ireland’s wistfully melodic The Holy Boy and the coloratura aria Rejoice Greatly from Handel’s Messiah which Nancy rendered with complete confidence.

In the second half Jim Letham (piano) opened with French composer Pierre Villette’s (1926-1998) lullaby Berceuse a Christel and followed that with his own five beat to the bar lullaby Weihnachtskind Wiegenlied written for Christmas baby Annika Rosen complete with quotes from Still the Night. Book ending the evening with more jazz Jim finished with pianist and composer Christopher Norton’s quirky and demanding pieces Turkey in the Straw and Black Sheep of the Family. The Clef Club’s next meeting is on Sunday January 14th at 3pm in the Lucy Sanderson Hall.  All welcome.

Meeting on Sunday 12th November at the Lucy Sanderson Hall, Tweed Terrace, Galashiels at 3:00pm

Dorothea Hall (recorder), Robert Fraser (violin) and Jim Letham (piano) got the Clef Club’s first Sunday meeting off to a graceful start with William McGibbon’s (1690-1756) four movement Trio Sonata in G major . The influence of contemporary Italian  composers such as Corelli could clearly be heard, particularly in the violin part. Continuing with the baroque John Harris (flute) and Simon McCann (flute) utilised the Lucy Sanderson Hall’s acoustics to great effect in their rendition of W F Bach’s (JS’s eldest son) Duet for 2 flutes in E flat Major with its three quite distinctive movements. Anne MacFadyen (soprano) accompanied by Ian MacFadyen (piano) introduced an element of humour and finely judged animation to Worton David and George Arthur’s 1910 music hall parody I Want to Sing in Opera. They followed this with Faites-lui Mes Aveux a mournful love song from Charles Gounod’s hit opera Faust complete with appropriate gestures. Slipping effortlessly from French to Italian Anne and Ian concluded their set with the quizzical Non So Piu Cosa Son from Mozart’s Marriage of Figaro.

Interacting inventively with pre-recorded tracks on his laptop Stuart Gordon (jazz guitar) opened the second half with The Meters New Orleans flavoured funk instrumental classic of 1969, Cissy Strut. Then came These Foolish Things by Strachey, Link and Marvell originally one of Eric Maschwitz’s (a.k.a. Holt Marvell) ‘Mayfair’ songs along with A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square, but recorded by a host of greats including Ella Fitzgerald and Bryan Ferry. Moving from the whimsical to calypso Stuart finished with the jazz saxophonist Sonny Rollins’ St Thomas – another song with deep roots stretching back from Bahamian folksong Sponger Money to The Lincolnshire Poacher. The flute duo of John Harris and Simon McCann returned to round off the evening with Cividale – a duo in three untitled movements by French flautist and composer Raymond Guiot. Named apparently after a small town in South West Italy, the piece particularly in the final movement incorporated elements from jazz.  The Clef Club’s Christmas meeting takes place in the Lucy Sanderson Hall on Saturday 9th December at 7.30pm to which all are welcome.

Meeting on Saturday 21st October 2023 at the Lucy Sanderson Hall, Tweed Terrace, Galashiels at 7:30pm

On her 96th birthday Margaret Dick (piano) opened the second meeting of the Clef Club with J S Bach’s Cantata No. 68 playing from sheet music her father had bought for sixpence before the war. Margaret followed this with A Slow Dance by R Vaughan-Williams and by way of contrast finished with the stirring tones of Jeremiah Clarke’s Trumpet Tune and Air. Through six short pieces, Dorothea Hall (recorders) and John Wood (classical guitar) then illustrated the transition from the Renaissance to the Baroque. They began on the 400th anniversary of his death with William Bird’s Sellinger’s Round moving on to an Alaman by Orlando Gibbons, a Gavotte by French violinist Francis Caroubel, Henry Purcell’s If Love’s a Sweet Passion and ending up unsurprisingly with one of J S Bach’s 18 Little Preludes and the same composer’s Gavotte from the French Suite No. 5.

Contending at times with a rather ominous groaning from one of the pedals James Letham (piano) presented a delightfully varied set of his own compositions starting with Waltz for Kathy and the dynamically diverse Tango. He followed this with the wistful and slightly sombre Malato Stufo (Italian for sick fed up!) composed in the depths of lockdown and rounded off with two mood compositions for young people – Happy and Thoughtful, and a toe-tap defying Jazz Waltz. The second half of the evening was devoted to a single work – Mozart’s revolutionary Trio for Clarinet, Viola and Piano K498 skillfully and enthusiastically played by Ian MacFadyen (clarinet), Robert Fraser (viola) and Caroline Adam (piano). Composed in 1786 in three movements and nicknamed Kegelstatt (skittle alley), the trio was the first written for this combination of instruments and helped popularize the newly invented clarinet. The sound interplay between the instruments made for very satisfying listening. The Clef Club meets again on Sunday 12th November at 3.00pm in the Lucy Sanderson Hall.  All welcome.

Meeting on Saturday 16th September 2023 at the Lucy Sanderson Hall, Tweed Terrace, Galashiels at 7:30pm

The Clef Club began its ninety-seventh year with a stylish albeit unseasonal rendering by Caroline Adam (piano) and Robert Fraser (violin) of Beethoven’s highly listenable “Spring” Sonata. Jim Letham (piano) then introduced the club to another German composer, Manfred Schmitz (1939-2014), with three short wonderfully mystical sounding tone pictures from the latter’s Rainbow Preludes – When the Rain Song begins, At Sunset and Little Elegy. Extending the German theme but hitting the seasonal button, club president, Nancy Muir (soprano) accompanied by Jim Letham, concluded the first half of the programme with a poignant take on “September” from Richard Strauss’s Four Last Songs.

The president invited Greg Harradine (piano) a locally based composer to open the second half. Greg began with one of his own compositions, Nocturne for Whitman, a heart felt and dynamically exciting evocation of star-gazing, and followed this with Nocturne No 4 by contemporary American composer Bethany Wakim. Arcadian Air, Greg’s final and original contribution, was a remarkably successful theme and variation attempt to mimic in music the working processes of local lino-cut artist Tom Davidson. A more comical mood was then introduced with Nancy Muir and Anne MacFadyen (soprano) duetting as Countess Almaviva and Susanna her maid and accompanied by Jim Letham in Sull’aria -che soave zeffiretto from Mozart’s Marriage of Figaro. With his fiddler’s hat on Robert Fraser returned with four tunes from Iain Fraser’s Book of Canadian Fiddle Tunes – Lou Sullivan’s Breakdown and Blackberry Quadrille from the Canadian Atlantic coast and Mazurka and Bandura Waltz from the Ukrainian community in Canada – a Bandura being the zither/lute like national instrument of Ukraine. Returning to our own side of the Atlantic, Nancy, Anne and Jim rounded the evening off with a spirited rendition of Mhairi’s Wedding as arranged by Brian Bonsor.

The Clef Club will reconvene in the Lucy Sanderson Hall on Saturday 21st October at 7.30. All welcome. Queries to John Wood (01835 822143).

Meeting on Saturday 22nd April 2023 at the Lucy Sanderson Hall, Tweed Terrace, Galashiels at 7:30pm

The final meeting of the Clef Club for this 96th session took place last Saturday evening with a brief AGM followed by a full and largely piano based musical evening. Outgoing President, Dorothea Hall reflected on the difficulties the Covid years had presented for the club but emphasised the heartening involvement of the Borders School of Music, St Mary’s Music School and the Trinity Laban violin students in recent meetings of the club. Margaret Dick (piano), a club stalwart, began the musical section of the evening with three of Beethoven’s more reflective Bagatelles. John Wood (classical guitar) followed with three nostalgic pieces – Lennon and McCartney’s Yesterday, the traditional Will ye go Lassie go? and the Argentinian Jose Luis Merlin’s Evocacion from his Suite del Recuerdo to the ‘Disappeared’.

After the interval Mhairi Middleton (piano) resumed with two delightful miniatures from the late romantic period – the Russian Vladimir Rebikov’s Valse Miniature and the Finnish Oskar Merikanto’s Summer Evening’s Idyll. Mhairi contrasted these with the work of two contemporary Canadian composers – Andrea Neustaeter’s lyrical November Fire and Andrea Dow’s Celtic flavoured Keera’s Theme. Robert Fraser (violin) and Caroline Adam (piano) then took us back to the late classical period with Schubert’s Sonatina Op.137 No. 3. which they rendered in a pacy and beautifully balanced manner. Karen Moore (piano) rounded off the evening with a whimsical take on Debussy’s impressionist gem – The Little Shepherd from the Children’s Corner Suite and a masterly performance of Chopin’s famous Nocturne Op.9 No.2. As an encore Karen successfully delivered Haydn’s demanding Sonata 19 in D Major. The Clef Club will return to the Lucy Sanderson Hall in September when they hope to welcome instrumentalists and singers young and old.

Meeting on Saturday 18th March 2023 at the Lucy Sanderson Hall, Tweed Terrace, Galashiels at 7:30pm

Margaret Dick (piano) and Robert Fraser (violin) commenced last Saturday’s meeting of the Clef Club with Beethoven’s popular Minuet in G. They followed this with French composer Ambrose Thomas’ Gavotte from the opera Mignon and rounded off with an upbeat version of Percy Grainger’s Country Garden – the first piece Margaret’s father had played to her. Ethan Hall (14) then presented his piano programme for upcoming Grade 8 exams starting with a haunting rendition of S Coleridge-Taylor’s gospel infused Impromptu No 2 in B Minor. Ethan then displayed a mastery of the intricacies of J S Bach’s Prelude and Fugue in B Flat before finishing in style with Isaac Albeniz’s flamenco inspired Rumares de La Caleta (Murmours from the small beach). The focus then shifted to the rich echoing tones of the saxophone in the hands of two pupils from St Mary’s Music School. Accompanied by her tutor  Rob Hall on piano, third year pupil Michelle Huang displayed the lyrical side of the saxophone in her skilful rendition of the middle Andante Espressivo movement of Ronald Binge’s Concerto for Alto Saxophone. Again accompanied by Rob Hall, sixth year pupil John Hall gave a confident  and spirited performance of jazz guitarist Pat Metheny’s Minuano (Six-Eight) ushering in the interval on a joyous note.

A trio of saxophones  – John Hall and Michelle Huang (Alto) and Rob Hall (Tenor) began the second half with a modern and fun take on Handel’s Allemande arranged by Claire Thomsett which they followed with Benjamin Godard’s Ballade arranged by Rainford. The trio finished their set with Peter Davies’ Two Miniatures – the dreamy Ballade a Trois and the fun and self explanatory Sax, Riffs and Soul.  This led nicely in to the jazzy final and “spontaneous” offering of the evening from Stuart Gordon (Guitar) and Rob Hall (piano) consisting of Miles Davis’ Down and Pat Metheny’s James with its sliding introductory guitar solo. The Clef Club will be hosting a special free concert of violin students from Trinity Laban Conservatoire and students from the Border School of Music on Tuesday 11th April in the Lucy Sanderson Hall at 19.30 pm. Phone 01835 822143 to book a seat. Last club meeting and AGM for this session will be on 22nd April to which all are welcome.

Meeting on Sunday 19th February 2023 at the Lucy Sanderson Hall, Tweed Terrace, Galashiels at 3pm

Vice-president Jane McCaul warmly welcomed three piano students from the Borders School of Music to last Sunday’s meeting of the Clef Club. The flute duo John Harris and Simon McCann accompanied by Jim Letham (piano) began a full afternoon’s programme with the lively Valse de Fleurs by the Modena born flautist and composer Ernesto Kohler.  Margaret Dick (piano) followed with one of Chopin’s 57 mazurkas and the Slow Dance and Rondo from Vaughan Williams’ Suite of Six Pieces. Margaret recalled seeing the latter composer at a concert in Manchester. Robert Fraser (violin) and Caroline Adam (piano) then played Schumann’s Three Romances bringing out the distinctive character of each piece. Erinn Scott (piano) a second year student at the BSM, accompanied by her tutor Matt Bramhall, then gave a flawless performance of Thomas F Dunhill’s humorous The Bambino Dances and John Kinross’ gypsy flavoured Hungarian Dance.

Nancy Muir (soprano) and Jim Letham (piano) resumed after a short interval with two expertly delivered love songs – Love’s Philosophy by Hove born Roger Quilter with words by Shelley and G Martini’s better known one hit wonder Plaisir d’amour. BSM and Higher Music student Ellie Johnston (piano) then gave a skillful rendition of South Korean composer Yiruma’s melodic YouTube hit River Flows in You. Mollie Trewartha (piano) accompanied by tutor Matt (piano) then gave a spirited performance of Julie Knarr Hague’s Waltz in D and provided a confident accompaniment to Charlotte Bramhall’s (vocal) moving rendition of Adele’s Hello. Bookending the afternoon the flute duo John and Simon once again accompanied by Jim Letham on piano made light of flute virtuoso Franz Doppler’s technically challenging Andante and Rondo (1870) to end proceedings on an upbeat note.

The Clef Club’s next meeting in the Lucy Sanderson Hall is on Saturday 18th March at 7.30pm. All welcome!

Meeting on Saturday 21st January 2023

Unfortunately, the planned January meeting had to be cancelled.

Meeting on Saturday 10th December 2022 at the Lucy Sanderson Hall, Tweed Terrace, Galashiels at 7:30pm

Stuart Gordon and Andy MacCallum (acoustic/electric guitars) got the Clef Club’s Christmas meet off to a lively start with Kenny Dorham’s Blue Bossa and the Thelonious Monk twelve bar blues standard Blue Monk. Swapping the lead and rhythm roles throughout Stuart and Andy followed this with two gypsy jazz numbers – Bossa Dorado and Django Reinhardt’s Duke and Dukie – on either side of Dizzie Gillespie’s demanding A Night in Tunisia – this last apparently composed on the bottom of a garbage can.  Robert Fraser (violin) then provided a change of mood and scene with an eclectic set of four modern Scots Fiddle tunes including the air The Valley of Deeside by Hugh Melvin of Banchory and Ian Crichton of Stornaway’s reel The Men from Inverary. Even closer to home Robert finished with three tunes by Paul Chamberlain of Bowden including The Eildon Hills waltz and The Bowden Burn jig.

Fortified with mulled wine and mince pies the second half got under way with Nancy Muir (vocal and piano) giving a pleasing rendition of two songs from the era of the First World War – John Ireland’s The Holy Boy and (in the original German) Max Reger’s Maria Wiegenlied. The Tweed Quartet of Marjorie Wright (violin), Ann Owen (violin), Robert Fraser (viola) and Karen Moore (cello) rounded the evening off with a humorously arranged set of five Christmas carols. 

The next meeting of the Clef Club takes place at the Lucy Sanderson Hall at 7.30 pm on January 21st.  Vocalist and instrumentalists of all ages and abilities welcome.

Meeting on Sunday 20 November 2022 at the Lucy Sanderson Hall, Tweed Terrace, Galashiels, at 3 pm

Mhairi Middleton (piano) set the tone for the Clef Club’s first ever Sunday afternoon meet with a robust performance of the first movement of Haydn’s Sonata in F.  She followed this with three more elegiac sounding contemporary pieces – Borislava Taneva’s Autumn Mood, Rebikov’s Feuille D’Automne and Gareth Balch’s What to do When it Rains.  A quartet of Marjorie Wright (violin), Ann Owen (violin), Robert Fraser (viola) and Karen Moore (cello) then explored the transition from the Renaissance to the Baroque with arrangements by David Gwilt of Mrs Nicholson’s Minuet, Paven and Galliard, followed by Giles Farnaby’s distinctive almost searching His Humour. Anne MacFadyen (vocal) accompanied by Iain MacFadyen (piano) brought the first half to a tearful close with a beautiful rendition of Adela from Joaquin Rodrigo’s Twelve Spanish Songs.

Iain MacFadyen (clarinet) and Jim Letham (piano) resumed after the interval with two gentle pieces, Carol and Forlana, from Gerald Finzi’s Five Bagatelles.  Accompanied this time by Stuart Gordon (acoustic guitar) Iain continued with Scottish Fiddler Niel Gow’s Lament for the death of his second wife. Using the full range of her voice with ease Nancy Muir (Soprano) accompanied by Jim Letham (piano) brought the afternoon to a wonderful climax with the fourteen year old Mozart’s four part solo motet Exultate Jubilate.

Meeting on Saturday 22 October 2022 at the Lucy Sanderson Hall, Tweed Terrace, Galashiels, at 7.30 pm

Margaret Dick (piano), a member for over forty years, began the October meeting of the Clef Club with a stately rendition of Purcell’s Trumpet Tune and Air, and proceeded to span the centuries with a Beethoven Bagatelle and a Chopin Mazurka. John Harris and Simon McCann (flutes) brought the sequence into the 20th century with what was probably the Borders’ premier of the challenging but rewarding Canonic Sonatina by Paul Hindemith. Caroline Adam (piano) and Robert Fraser (viola) followed this with Vivaldi’s four movement Sonata F.XIV no. 3 with its grand almost sinister opening largo.

Staying in the Baroque, Dorothea Hall (recorder), Kenneth Hall (keyboard) and, in his club debut, Neil Bell (cello) introduced club members to the Flemish composer Jean Baptiste Loeillet ‘de Ghent’ (1688-1720) and one of his delightfully melodic trio sonatas. Jim Letham (piano) rounded off the first half with two of his own compositions, “Friday”, and then “Per Margherita”, a tasteful tribute to a long-standing member, which provided the context for cake and refreshment at the interval.

A change of instruments and mood ushered in the second half with Andy MacCallum (acoustic guitar) taking the lead backed by Stuart Gordon (electric guitar) in Errol Garner’s 1954 classic Misty. Alternating roles, the duo rendered Art Blakey’s Moanin, the Django Reinhardt influenced Bossa Dorado, and Chick Corea’s Spain in a stylish and suitably laid-back manner. John and Simon (flutes) returned with a mellow version of Telemann’s Sonata in E minor and Caroline. Robert Fraser (violin) and Caroline Adam (piano) rounded off the evening with three short and almost filmic sounding pieces – Bagatelle, Berceuse and Cavatina – by the Cheshire born John Ireland.

Meeting on Saturday 24 September 2022 at the Lucy Sanderson Hall, Tweed Terrace, Galashiels, at 7.30 pm

The ninety-sixth annual session of the Clef Club got off to a creative start with Jim Letham (piano) presenting four original pieces composed during lockdown including the moving La Perdita (Loss) and the more light-hearted Piccolo Desiderio (Little Wish) – the latter based on a snatch of ring-tone. The focus then moved back to the Baroque with Margaret Dick (piano) and Robert Fraser (violin) presenting Arcangelo Corelli’s Sonata opus 5 no. 10 in five beautifully melodic and contrasting movements.

After a refreshment break a quartet led by Marjorie Wright (violin) and featuring Ann Owen (violin), Robert Fraser (viola) and Karen Moore (cello) tackled the sixteen year old Mozart’s three movement Milanese string quartet no.3 K156 with great gusto. Dorothea Hall (recorders) and John Wood (guitar) then travelled back to the Renaissance to perform seven dances from Tielman Susato’s Danserye (1551) with Dorothea deploying a range of recorders to suit each piece. Book-ending an entertaining evening Jim Letham returned with a selection from his own A Week of Birthdays including the playful Monday’s Child, the deliberately melancholic Wednesday’s Child and finishing with an energetic Thursday’s Child, who, judging from the tempo, clearly had far to go!

Meeting on Saturday 30 April 2022 at the Lucy Sanderson Hall, Tweed Terrace, Galashiels, at 7.30pm

The Clef Club concluded its 2021/22 session last Saturday. In front of a healthy audience Margaret Dick (piano) and Robert Fraser (violin) started proceedings with a melodic rendering of Correlli’s Sonata Opus 5 No. 8 in E minor. John Wood followed this with five short Renaissance pieces on classical guitar: Anon (Italian) – Senza Titolo; Robert Johnson – Alman; Francis Poulenc – Sarabande; and John Dowland – Lady Hammond’s Alman.
Next, duetting on the piano, Margaret Lang and Jim Letham completed the first half in spirited style with Grieg’s Norwegian Dance No 2 and Faure’s Berceuse from his Dolly Suite.
Over savoury and sweet snacks and appropriate beverages, the AGM was conducted in short order with President Dorothea Hall reporting on the stop/start nature of the previous two sessions, and commending the efforts of the club committee in keeping in touch with the membership during this period. In a short vote of thanks Elizabeth Fraser paid fitting tribute to the President’s strong leadership in the time of Covid.
The second half got off to a lively start with an acoustic guitar set by Stuart Gordon with his guest Andy MacCallum providing a delightful and distinctive Gypsy Jazz flavour to the French wartime classic J’attendrai, Reinhardt/Grappelli’s Minor Swing, and the ever popular Mr Sandman.

Meeting on Saturday 26 March 2022 at the Lucy Sanderson Hall, Tweed Terrace, Galashiels, at 7.30pm

Regrettably the Committee had no option but to cancel this Meeting at very short notice due to the number of performers developing or having contact with Covid in the days before the Meeting. 

Meeting on Saturday 26 February 2022 at the Lucy Sanderson Hall, Tweed Terrace, Galashiels, at 7.30pm

Marjorie Wright (violin), Robert Fraser (violin) and James Letham (piano) got the meeting off to an upbeat start with the Italian style Sonata No 4 in G Minor, (Adagio, Scherzo, Largo, Allegro) by the 18th century Scottish composer and violinist William McGibbon.
Margaret Dick followed on, ably proving that in Beethoven’s hands the three piano Bagatelles she played were anything but ‘trifles’.
Nancy Muir, accompanied by James Letham, treated the different aspects of love with a well chosen and charmingly performed selection of songs: Schumann – Er, der Herrlichste von allen; Grieg – Ich liebe dich; Mozart – Porgi amor; and Edward German – Waltz Song from Tom Jones.
After the tea-break, in recognition of the war in Ukraine, James Letham played a piano piece called Lullaby by the Ukrainian composer Rheinhold Gliere.

Next Mhairi Middleton, an accomplished pianist, explained how she had made excellent use of the covid lockdown by learning to play a generations-old family violin. Accompanied by James Letham, she demonstrated her mastery of three grade pieces: Traditional – Jasmine Flower; Anna Dryer-Beers – Jeremiah’s Waltz; Christopher Norton – Up the Mountain. She then played three original solo pieces of her own composition based on the antics of Custard, her family’s Cocker Spaniel puppy: Atharraich (Gaelic for “change“); The Chewed Slipper; and Custard’s Capers.
Concluding the evening, Robert Fraser and Caroline Adam played Shostakovich’s quirky, rhythmic and highly amusing Album Pieces for violin and piano – 1 Little March; 2 Barrel Organ; 3 Elegy; 4 Dance; 5 Spring Waltz; 6 The Clockwork Doll; 7 Romance.

The Clef Club concluded its 2021/22 session last Saturday. In front of a healthy audience Margaret Dick (piano) and Robert Fraser (violin) started proceedings with a melodic rendering of Correlli’s Sonata Opus 5 No. 8 in E minor. John Wood followed this with five short Renaissance pieces on classical guitar: Anon (Italian) – Senza Titolo; Robert Johnson – Alman; Francis Poulenc – Sarabande; and John Dowland – Lady Hammond’s Alman.
Next, duetting on the piano, Margaret Lang and Jim Letham completed the first half in spirited style with Grieg’s Norwegian Dance No 2 and Faure’s Berceuse from his Dolly Suite.
Over savoury and sweet snacks and appropriate beverages, the AGM was conducted in short order with President Dorothea Hall reporting on the stop/start nature of the previous two sessions, and commending the efforts of the club committee in keeping in touch with the membership during this period. In a short vote of thanks Elizabeth Fraser paid fitting tribute to the President’s strong leadership in the time of Covid.
The second half got off to a lively start with an acoustic guitar set by Stuart Gordon with his guest Andy MacCallum providing a delightful and distinctive Gypsy Jazz flavour to the French wartime classic J’attendrai, Reinhardt/Grappelli’s Minor Swing, and the ever popular Mr Sandman.
Robert Fraser extended the feel-good mood with a set of tunes on the fiddle: Bow Brig, a march by William Mcpherson; Mr. Bobbie, a jig by Bert Murray; The Brumley Brae, a reel by William Mcpherson; and The Earl of Crawford’s Reel, by Peter Milne. In tribute to Margaret Lang who was moving away from the area, Jim Letham finished the evening with his own piano composition, Farewell Walz.Report on March meeting 

Meeting on Saturday 11 December 2021 at the Lucy Sanderson Hall, Tweed Terrace, Galashiels, at 7.30pm

Seeking perhaps to divert thoughts from the omicron crisis, Jim Letham (piano) opened the programme with Robert Schumann’s (1810-1856) quintessentially romantic and hauntingly beautiful Traumerei (a dream or reverie) from the composer’s Kinderszenen – a set of 13 solo piano pieces. Jim reinforced the mood with contemporary Kansan composer and music educator Dennis Alexander’s (1947) All is Calm.
Dorothea (recorder) and Kenneth Hall (piano) followed with a spirited rendition of the theme and three variations from Italian baroque composer and oboist Guiseppe Samartini’s Sonata in G. Patronised by Prince Frederick of Ales, Samartini spent much of his profession career in London playing at one stage in Handel’s orchestra.
Margaret Dick (piano) returned to a late romantic mode with French composer Gabriel Grovlez’s (1879-1944) moving Petite Litanies de Jesus – the eighth of eight movements in his suite L’Almanach aux Images. Grovlez, who studied with Faure at the Paris Conservatoire, was taught piano at a very early age by his mother – the daughter of one of Chopin’s pupils. Robert Schumann’s Cradle Song came next and Margaret concluded with the very melodic number one of Felix Mendelssohn’s (1809-1847) Six Christmas Pieces – written as Christmas presents for various young members of a family Mendelssohn and his wife stayed with on their visit to London in 1842.
Donning festive attire and distributing chocolate largesse to winners, Jim Letham returned to the piano with a Spot the Tune session using New Zealand born Christopher Norton’s jazz improvisations on well-known tunes. After a short masked but still rousing carol singing interlude, the evening concluded with Alison Gordon’s hot punch (with extra brandy) and mince pies!

Meeting on Saturday 13 November 2021 at the Lucy Sanderson Hall, Tweed Terrace, Galashiels, at 7.30pm

The Clef Club commenced its ninety-fifth year, after an extensive ‘covid’ break, with a Trio Sonata in Bm, the third from a set of six sonatas by the Glasgow born William McGibbon (1690-1756). The players, Robert Fraser and Marjorie Wright (violins) and Jim Letham (piano), performed the three movements a largo, an allegro and a minuet which provided a representative flavour of McGibbon’s style, one thought by contemporaries to be influenced by Corelli, Handel and Purcell among others.
John Wood (classical guitar) then performed three romantic albeit chronologically separate pieces consisting of a Study in Bb by Fernando Sor (1778-1839), the Love Theme from Cinema Paradiso (1988) by Andrea and Ennio Morricone and Julia Florida by the Paraguayan guitarist/composer Agustin Barrios Mangore (1885-1944). The club was then privileged to hear a world premiere of Rob Hall’s Reflection and Celebration, a haunting yet forward looking piece written for and performed flawlessly by Dorothea Hall on recorder. The reflective first half seemed to this onlooker at least to blend in superbly with the pastoral murals behind the performer. Quite clearly following in the family musical tradition, Ethan Hall (12), performed his Grade 6 piano pieces from memory and with great verve bringing out the dance rhythm of Chopin’s Majurka in G minor (Op. 67 No.2) and positively relishing the Martha Mier’s foot-tapping Opening Night Jazz. Ethan completed the set with the technically demanding Allegro from Mozart’s Sonata in Eb (k.282).

Dorothea Hall (recorder) and Kenneth Hall (piano) brought the evening to a fitting close with a Trio Sonata by Daniel Purcell (1664-1717), thought to be the younger brother or cousin of Henry Purcell. Judging from this lively performance with its beautiful finale, Daniel has indeed been unfairly overshadowed by his more famous relative.

Clef Club 95th Season 2021-22:

We regret to record that the first Clef Club Meeting of the 21/22 season planned for 18 September 2021 had to be cancelled at short notice because repairs to the floor of the Lucy Sanderson Hall were not completed in time.

Unfortunately, the next Meeting planned for 16 October also had to be cancelled at very short notice because the hall was still not ready.