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LUCY ETHELDRED BROADWOOD (1858 - 1929) was both folksong collector and researcher, composer, singer and poet.
Lucy was born on 9th August 1858 in Melrose, Scotland , the youngest of the nine surviving children of Henry Fowler Broadwood and his wife Julianna Maria. The family led a comfortable upper middle class existence, its money and family estate in Lyne, Surrey, being derived from their successful London-based piano manufacturing business. Having grown up in a such a household it was probably inevitable that Lucy would be musically inclined, and she was performing in public as a singer and pianist in her late teens and twenties. Thanks to the early example provided by her uncle, the Rev John Broadwood, who had published what is now regarded as the first true collection of English folksongs with both words and matching tunes in 1847, and a chance meeting with the artist, Heywood Sumner (who had himself published a small collection of folksongs) at a social gathering in the 1880’s, she started to collect folksongs herself, and set off on the path on which she eventually became the lynchpin around which many of the celebrated folksong collectors and Classical English school composers of the early 20th century revolved, and from whom they sought advice and support.
The year 2008 marked the 150th anniversary of Lucy's birth, and Listen and You Shall Hear has been produced in order to celebrate this important event. It commemorates Lucy's life and work and is intended to highlight both her importance to the folksong and early 20th Century Classical English music movements, and the traditional musical heritage which she helped to preserve for future generations.
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The show is performed by two people – Irene Shettle (narrator and vocalist) and Ralph Jordan (accompanist – using Maccann duet concertina, guitar and bouzouki), and consists of a mix of spoken word (drawn from Lucy Broadwood’s diaries, correspondence and printed works) and tunes and song (collected either by Lucy or, in a couple of cases, her friends and fellow collectors). As currently presented it consists of two halves, both approximately 50 minutes in length, with an interval. This could, however, be varied according to the requirements of the event or venue (subject to prior agreement).
A similar talk, presented by Irene and approximately 70 minutes in length, is also available. It includes several unaccompanied song illustrations, and can also be varied in length or content to suit requirements. It has already been successfully presented on a number of occasions, most recently at Sidmouth and Whitby Folk weeks in 2008, and to various local history groups in Surrey.
Further details of both performers can be found below.
For further information regarding "Listen and You Shall Hear", or to book it in 2009 or beyond, please contact Irene Shettle on 01483 572392, or email her at ireneshettle@hotmail.com
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Show Endorsements
"I must write to thank you properly for such a splendid evening’s
entertainment on 11 September. Your concert of words and music celebrating the life and achievements of Lucy Broadwood was a huge success and greatly enjoyed by everyone who attended. It was clearly based on thorough research through her wonderful diaries, letters and writings and will, I am sure, continue to be very popular with audiences interested in learning more about her life, network of friendships and the importance of the
Broadwood family for the history of music.
English folk song is, I think, an important historical source in its own
right: it captures the spirit of country life in a way that ‘ordinary’ documentary evidence rarely can. ‘The Green Mossy Banks of the Lea’ was
just one of the many songs that my grandfather, who lived for over ninety
years within poaching distance of Capel, sang with his friends in the pub
and with family at home and the phrases in these songs and intonation of
his voice carried through into his everyday speech, his letters to me and
his gardening diaries which I have recently inherited. Lucy and her fellow
collectors realised this and their work had, as you know, an important
impact on English music. Your lively and inspirational concert ......
was a fitting tribute to their achievement."
Julian Pooley - Team Leader, Heritage Public Services, Surrey History Centre, Woking, Surrey
"I must give my congratulations to Irene and Ralphie for an excellent evening. I would strongly recommend this mixture of a talk about Lucy Broadwood with ....excellent singing and accompaniment of her songs,put over in an honest and amusing way.I feared initially that the evening would be a bit heavy for my taste,but far from it.It was very enjoyable and I would recommend this for any Folk Club."
Alan Day
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THE PERFORMERS
IRENE SHETTLE has lived in Guildford, Surrey, for most of her life. She cannot remember a time when she has not sung, and has been a member of many choirs since childhood, most notably the Guildford Choral Society, with whom she has made a number of recordings of works by Vaughan Williams and Holst for Hyperion Records as part of the semi-chorus, and recordings for BBC Radio, and TV.
Since childhood she has also had a life long passion for English traditional song and music, although she only started performing in public in the mid-1990's, initially as part of a harmony duo, but subsequently as an unaccompanied solo singer.
In 2000 she won the highly regarded song competition at the National Folk Music Festival, and then went on to receive tuition and guidance from Eddie Upton and Shirley Collins at Folk South West's "In the Tradition" Easter schools in Bath in 2001 and 2002.She is an experienced performer of unaccompanied traditional song, and in recent years she has performed at festivals, and in concerts in Surrey and Sussex. She is currently one of the resident singers at the Music Institute Folk Club in Guildford, Surrey
Irene is conducting research into the life and work of Lucy Broadwood and, as a result of her research, she began to give public talks on Lucy's life and work in November 2006. She is also currently the Section Editor for Lucy and John Broadwood for the Folkopedia (organised under the supervision of the English Folk Dance and Song Society)
.. .. .. .. What is absolutely evident … is your love and respect for the material…your singing is honest and full of integrity.. both rare qualities. (You have) a naturally lovely voice that is eminently suitable for the songs you sing………
Shirley Collins, singer, collector and writer
Irene...combines a life-long love of traditional music with a beautiful voice to deliver spellbinding performances of the finest jewels from the folk song repertoire.
Lawrence Heath - Electric Voices promoter
Your talk went down extremely well and your knowledge and enthusiasm were very impressive"
Jan Todd, Guildford Institute of the University of Surrey (re "Listen and You Shall Hear" talk) 2006
Your Lucy talk was really good - both informative and enjoyable. ....very well paced.
Chris Brown, about the Sidmouth talk
Website: http://www.myspace.com/ireneshettle
RALPH JORDAN
is a Londoner and a highly talented multi-instrumentalist (MacCann duet concertina, bouzouki, cittern, guitar, keyboards) principally known for his work as an accompanist of the highest order. He has an extremely impressive musical track record.
He began playing duet concertina and performing on the folk scene in the 1970's, and over the years has been a member of many groups, and worked with well known names in the folk world too numerous to list here in their entirety. Worthy of mention amongst them are Packie Byrne, Silas (his partnership with James Patterson), Crows (with Patterson, Mick Ryan, and Jon Burge), the iconoclastic Eric (with Nigel Chippindale and Colin Thompson), work with Penny Hop, Martyn Wyndham- Read, and John Tams; a stint in more recent years as an honorary Fraser Sister on tour with Fi Fraser and Jo Freya, and, more currently, his partnership with James Patterson again, and John Dipper (as Patterson Jordan Dipper), and his work with the new superstar band Housewives' Choice (itself made up of a galaxy of inhabitants from many previous "name" bands) which has been causing a stir at festivals around the UK in 2007.
He is a useful man to have around as, wearing his other hats, he has provided PA for many illustrious names and bands, and, in a previous existence, held down a BBC job as sound engineer/studio manager - or, as he has been known to term it "audio butler" - for many years, working with the likes of Andy Kershaw, John Peel (and Terry Wogan).
His name appears on many CDs as performer ( either in his own right, or as guest artist) or sound engineer/producer. His most recent recording as main artist is the highly acclaimed "Flat Earth", recorded by Patterson Jordan Dipper for WildGoose Records
Patterson Jordan Dipper .........All incredible solo performers in their own right the trio have a talent for arrangement with which I would challenge the harshest of reviewers to find fault. …They consistently deliver beautifully crafted performances.
Living Tradition Magazine
Patterson Jordan and Dipper - what the world has
been waiting for
Fiona Talkington - BBC Radio 3
Ralph Jordan ... guitar, bouzouki, cittern, duet concertina, bass guitar, mandolin and Hammond organ (is there anything this man can't play?)
Chris Beamont - Folkwrite
Almost worth getting out of bed for
Bystander at "Flat Earth" launch party
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