Bringing you reports on what has been and news of what’s to come!
But First…Staffing News
We are delighted to announce that Jannine Parry will be joining the Trust as part time Operations Manager from early December. Jannine joins us at an exciting time as we start to think about celebrations for EATMT at 25 years and as we start to actively grow our Board of Trustees.
Hello EATMT, I would like to introduce myself to you all and express my excitement in my new role. I am a prolific Morris Dancer, perpetual vegetable grower, lover of nature and folk music. I am looking forward to meeting you all at an event soon and I am excited to be able to help guide and grow the trust into its next era.
Reports on Summer 2024 Events
Mo Allum with Doreen West
Traditional Music Day 2024 – Playlists (EATMT YouTube Channel)
We have had a run of fantastic events this summer – we hope you managed to get to at least one of them! There are reports now online for Stepdance Day, our time at FolkEast and the recent Traditional Music Day. They join the list of reports found on our PAST Events 2024 page. As ever, EATMT is grateful for all of the help from its volunteers who have enabled each event to take place and run so efficiently.
Our next event
Our next event is the first of two planned Sunday Afternoon of Music, Song and Dance events. Following on from our popular events last year in Walsham le Willows, we are delighted to announce that we have been awarded funding from the Norfolk Community Foundation and its Sheila Ann Day fund. Sunday 17th November at Garboldisham Village Hall is the first of these Norfolk based events, with another planned in March 2025. Huge thanks to Jan Robinson for agreeing to co-ordinate this event once again and to Shirley Harry for agreeing to MC the afternoon. It’s a free event but we hope you’ll make a donation on entry, buy a raffle ticket and partake in a spot of afternoon tea and cake. Come along and watch/listen or come along and take part. If you want to guarantee a performance spot, email us: info@eatmt.org.uk.
2025 Events:
Sunday 23rd March – Garboldisham Sunday Afternoon of Music, Song and Dance;
Saturday 27th September – Traditional Music Day
MORE EVENTS TO FOLLOW
New Articles
We are delighted to be able to add 3 new articles to the website which we hope you enjoy reading. They are
Dancing Davies’ Boots and the Repair Shop by Fiona Davies
It’s a Small World – with contributions from Carol Kirkup and Pat Wells
The Devil’s Box in the East – Chris Holderness‘ recent article on Traditional Fiddle Playing in Norfolk and Suffolk
Blyth Voices – 2nd Edition – out soon!
Blyth Voices, which was originally published in 2003, and republished in 2008, has been our best-selling book, treasured by both singers and people with an interest in our local traditions, and referred to by researchers and writers worldwide.
The book brings together the songs collected by Ralph Vaughan Williams and George Butterworth in Southwold in 1910, mainly from within the fishing community, and particularly from three brothers, William, Robert and Ben Hurr.
It was originally produced as part of the EATMT Blyth Valley Voices project, but over the last twenty one years, author Katie Howson has continued to research this topic and has discovered many new sources casting a fresh light on the matter – and a “new” song – and even another singing brother!
Thanks to the hugely successful Vaughan Williams Folk project which was run June 2022 to December 2023, we have been able to work on a new edition incorporating Katie’s later research.
This new revised edition
- includes the extra song
- reconsiders the role played by George Butterworth, Vaughan Williams’ colleague and companion on this trip
- delves into how the song collectors came to know about the Southwold singers
- contains updated information, biographies and references
Katie has been assisted in checking over the finer details of text and scores for this new edition by our indefatigable proofreader Judy Smith, whilst the ever helpful Alan Helsdon has worked on interpreting Vaughan Williams’ famously illegible score and handwriting on the previously unpublished song.
We hope to have the new book available for sale leading up to Christmas. Watch this space!
You may also like to know that Katie is giving an online talk on some different aspects of this subject for the EFDSS Library Lectures series on 11th March 2025. This talk (‘Up from Sea, Up from Town’) will – although focussed on traditional singing – also consider the relationship between the local fishing community and the wider circle of middle class artists, musicians and writers who enjoyed visiting the town in the early 20th century. For more details visit: English Folk Dance and Song Society – Library Lectures 2025
Handmade Music
Don’t miss out on this book, that was published in August. Described by Steve Roud, Author of Folk Song in England as “an excellent book that puts the singers and musicians at centre stage”. Megan Wisdom hails from Suffolk and has worked closely with Katie Howson on late husband John’s Suffolk collection.
Instruments for Sale
Over the summer we have added a couple more items to our sales listings. Head over to the Instruments for Sale Page for more details.
Thanks
As ever, we are not able to achieve any of this work without the support of volunteers and various organisations – local and national. We are also indebted to our ‘Friends’ who support us through the Trust’s membership scheme. Thank you everyone who has taken time to contribute to another successful year. A particular thanks from Alex Bartholomew who is moving on to new pastures after 23 years of working for the Trust. Thank you for your support, guidance and friendship!