Gift Aid Envelopes realised £835.50 which should result in an additional £166.00 for the Appeal.Thank you to everyone who participated in this initiative.
I am most grateful to all collectors, the churches of Tisbury, Swallowcliffe and Ansty, and all the shops, offices, schools, pubs, garage and the Dental Centre who allowed collections to be made on their premises, and to Tisbury Garage for acting as the Depot for the distribution of collecting trays and boxes.
I am particularly grateful to the people of Tisbury and District who gave so generously to this most worthy cause.
On behalf of the Poppy Appeal thank you all very much indeed.
Hank BowenHonorary Organiser The Poppy Appeal Tisbury and District
SHAFTESBURY & GILLINGHAM UNIVERSITY OF THE THIRD AGE
PRESS RELEASE / EDITORIAL:04.12.08
It was exactly a year ago, almost to the day, that Jonathan Weekes was the visiting speaker at SGU3A’s December meeting.He so enthralled his audience with his Blast from the Past- a fascinating and witty insight into European musical instruments dating from the Middle Ages – that he was invited to return twelve months later to give us his Blast from the Past – Part 2.We were not disappointed.In fact, Jonathan’s extensive knowledge of medieval musical instruments and his expertise in demonstrating each in turn, combined with his wonderful sense of the ridiculous, was just what the doctor ordered for members and guests on a rawwinter’s day.Firstly, we were introduced to the low, mournful sound made by a Horn taken from a Highland cattle, then to the one note only, resembling a ship’s fog horn, produced by the Conch Shell (the spiral shell of large shellfish), before moving on to the renaissance Cornett, a difficult instrument to play but a very versatile one, said to mimic the human voice.By 1520 the Cornett player was the most highly paidmember of the orchestra.Then came the Trumpet of which many were made during the Middle Ages although the straight trumpet dates back even further, to 1500 BC. One was even found in the tomb of the Egyptian pharaoh, Tutankhamun.Originally, the trumpet was played using the mouth only to produce the different musical notes, but this led to the medieval Slide Trumpet, the forerunner to the trombone, whereby the mouth piece moved in and out to change the notes.By 1480, the Sackbutt with its double slider had arrived, and by 1550 the Trombone made its appearance in orchestras.String instruments were next and these date back to the Lyre, an ancient instrument like a small U-shaped harp, with just one string, played with a plectrum and accompanying the voice.Later on, these were played using a bow, from which the Violin results, and the Harp too is an extension of the early Lyre.By the 12th century, the Lute had come to Europe from the Arab world where Damascus was the centre.This was a guitar-like instrument with a long neck and pear-shaped body which could be plucked or bowed. Some of the earliest love songs in the Middle Ages were played using a Lute.We learned too about the Psaltery, another ancient, medieval instrument, which, like the Dulcimer, was plucked or hit with a hammer.In time, the Psaltery led to the Harpsichord, while the Dulcimer was the forerunner to the Piano.
The meeting ended on another musical note when the SGU3A Singing Group entertained us to some Christmas carols with the audience being invited to join in.
The first meeting in 2009 will take place on Thursday, 8th January (and NOT on the lst) at 10.00 a.m. in Shaftesbury Christian Centre when one of the members, Rodney Atwood, will talk about Rudyard Kipling and Field-Marshal Lord Roberts.
For further information about SGU3A, please go to www.sgu3a.org.uk and for membership details, please contact Eileen Westbrook on 01747 826207 after 7.00 p.m.
The FOCUS magazine with local news and Events is published monthly and available at local churches, Post Offices and by subscription. Please contact our Parish Office Tel: 01747 871697 for further details.
