WGMA Website Update History
March, 2021
 South West Quires' Day has been CANCELLED for this month but the usual venue has been rebooked for 2nd October, 2021 - see Calendar page
West Gallery ZOOM Spring Sing - The Chiltern West Gallery Quire invite you to a Zoom Sing on Saturday, 10th April, 2021 - see Calendar page
Mid-Shires' Quires' Day ZOOM Sing - Immanuel's Ground Quire invite you to a Zoom Sing on Saturday, 24th April, 2021 - see Calendar page
Parson Woodforde's Diaries - An article by Alan Seymour from our Newsletter in 2006 now online
- see under Literary References
Another WGMA Zoom Sing-along! Sat April 17th - see Calendar page
Article on William Knapp updated HERE
December, 2020
30th ANNIVERSARY MEETING - About 100 members of the WGMA met on Zoom on 30th December and sang and played along with recordings made at the 20th anniversary meeting in Ironbridge in May 2010. The entire meeting, lasting about 1hour 45minutes, was recorded and was available on YouTube but was removed on 8th January. It provided a good opportunity for WGMA members and friends to listen to the recordings made ten years ago and perhaps see many familiar faces from West Gallery choirs all over the country. Our chairman, Mike Bailey, was MC for the occasion and was ably supported by Christina Pritchard(co-host) and John (co-host) & Christine Burke; Charlotte Bailey did all the admin. The Zoom facilities were provided by Diane Kingston.
PS: Copies of the "Gold Book" - "Let our Joys be Known", containing the music in score and information about the WG Quires who contributed examples of their music to it, are available for purchase - more details HERE
NEW BOOK - Music-making in the Hertfordshire Parish, 1760–1870
by Maggie Kilbey
More details can be found HERE
March, 2020
March, 2020
Events are being Cancelled due to concerns about the coronavirus pandemic
Please check the Calendar webpage HERE
March 16th, 2020
March 16th, 2020
A Booking Form for the Autumn Singing Weekend in Retford in November
can now be downloaded from HERE
More details for this event can be found HERE
January 2020
PLEASE NOTE that the WGMA's Discussion Form, which has been out of action for a short while, has been found a new home HERE
Unfortunately old forum members will need to reapply to become "subscribers", although no payment is required.
Adance Notice of WGMA's Autumn Singing Weekend - more details HERE
December 2019
November 2019
September 2019
May 2019
Don't forget the WGMA's Singing Day and AGM - more details HERE
There you can also find a Copy of the Trustees Annual Report for 2018.
April 2019
NEW BOOK - The Divine Companion
Henry Playford’s 1722 Compilation of One, Two, and Three Part Music.
Edited for modern choirs by Francis Roads. More details HERE
March 2019
February 2019
Samuel Wakely Revisited - additional notes on this Dorset composer HERE.
Sidmouth Autumn Weekend is now FULLY BOOKED. A waiting list has been started.
December 2018
November 2018
WGMA Autumn Seaside Singing Weekend - to be held in November, 2019 at Sidmouth, Devon. Flyer with details and a Booking Form can be found HERE
SouthWest Quires' Day, March 2019 - booking form available HERE.
October 2018
London Gallery Quire Open Rehearsal - Wednesday 14th November - More information HERE
May 2018
March 2018
February 2018
The FIRST Annual General Meeting of the WGMA as a registered charity will take place on Saturday, 12th May, 2018 during a one-day West Gallery workshop hosted by the Amber Valley Quire. The venue will be the Royal School for the Deaf, Derby, DE22 3BH.
Full details of how to book for this free workshop event will be included in the Spring edition of West Gallery newsletter.
NEW Reminiscences of "An Old Chorister" - Daniel Burton, an Oxfordshire singer and cellist - added to the Literary Resources HERE.
January 2018
SAD NEWS - Rollo Woods died on 29th January.
There will be a Thanksgiving Service on Friday 9th February at 12noon in Swanage URC.
You can read a tribute from his grandson on Facebook HERE
December 2017
NEW CD - A Cheerful Noise : London Gallery Quire. More details HERE.
NEW painting added to the Art Gallery HERE.
October 2017
August 2017
Three Quires' Day no.50, October 2017 - booking form available.
July 2017
WGMA Autumn Weekend, October 2017 - booking form available.
June 2017
April 2017
Good Singing Still, Second edition, now available. More information HERE.
March 2017
WGMA Spring Weekend, April 2017, has been CANCELLED.
December 2016
WGMA Spring Weekend, April 2017 - booking form.
Sing Warwick!, February 2017 - details and booking form.
November 2016
Madding Crowd House Party, Febuary 2017 - more details with a booking form.
October 2016
Research Meeting no.5, January 2017 - more details.
August 2016
July 2016
June 2016
Booking Form for the WGMA Autumn Weekend at Portland, Dorset, now available.
February 2016
Details of and links to facsimiles of music collections pubished by John Smith of Lavington, Wiltshire - HERE
Booking Forms for Three Quires' Day at Lewes.
January 2016
Booking Form for the WGMA Spring Weekend at Swanwick, Derbyshire.
July 2015
Details of music, timings, etc, for participants in the Weatherbury Quire "Start the Week" concert at Sidmouth Folk Festival can be found HERE
Painting of "Halifax Church Choir" (1796) added to WG Art Gallery; is it authentic? See HERE
June 2015
Booking Form for the WGMA Autumn Weekend at Hoddesdon, Herts.
January 2015
December 2014
November 2014
Report on Northern Three Quires' Day at Rivington Unitarian Chapel, near Bolton, Lancashire.
Facsimle of 1708 edition of New Version of the Psalms with Music - more details with sample pages HERE
September 2014
Booking Form for the Wessex Carols Day, Dorset.
June 2014
Booking Form for the WGMA Autumn Weekend in Portland, Dorset.
February 2014
December 2013
November 2013
Advanced Notice of Research Meeting - see Calendar Page
Advanced Notice of WGMA weekends in 2014 - in May and October
August 2013
Details of FIRST Beckenham West Gallery Singing Day with Flyer and Booking form.
Details and Booking form for the Wessex Carol Day in November.
July 2013
May 2013
Reminiscences of an Oxfordshire Singer and cellist, ca.1870 HERE
February 2013
Booking Form for WGMA Spring Weekend at Swanwick, Derbyshire.
June 2012
January 2012
Reminiscences of Long Preston, Yorkshire, added to the literary references in the Resources section HERE - Thanks to David Welch.
September 2011
Reminiscences of Ingleton, Yorkshire, added to the literary references in the Resources section HERE - Thanks to Paul Guppy.
June 2011
May 2011
March 2011
January 2011
More 'Contemporary' literary references added to the Resources section HERE - Thanks to Francis Roads.
November 2010
Makeover of site; new colour sheme; all pages now open in master page; improved navigation between Resource pages; Praise & Glory page moved HERE
January 2010
A re-organisation of the site, chiefly renaming of files and folders - you may need to check your bookmarks. Please advise webmaster of any dead links.
More literary references from American sources HERE
A new page of contemporary paintings and engravings of West Gallery choirs, both singers and instrumentalists HERE
November 2009
A host of references to WG music in early to mid-19th century Newspapers, kindly supplied by Fyn Titford-Mock.
Find out what the papers say HERE
October 2009
October 2009
Music for WGMA weekend at Kington, Herefordshire, October 2009, was posted.
September 2009
Your Voices Raise - West Gallery favourites from the repertoire of London Gallery Quire. See details HERE
July 2009
Never on Sunday - Marches, Dances, Song Tunes and Party Pieces. See details HERE
May 2009
January 2009
WGMA Members: Voting on the Constitution change
204 votes cast (as at 29 Jan) = 46.9% of the membership.
Nobody has voted against. We need 75% to carry ie ca.another 100
Please send in your votes. There is no time limit.
Lost the voting slip? Send any piece of paper with a vote for/against, name in capitals, and signature.
November 2008
NEW DVD from Purbeck Village Quire - details HERE
New literary quotes added to Resources Pages HERE
October 2008
Music for WGMA weekend at London Colney, October 2008, made available.
May 2008
Music for WGMA weekend at Ironbridge, May 2008, made available.
September 2007
June 2007
March 2007
February 2007
December 2006
December 2006
November 2006
October 2006
September 2006
June 2006
April 2006
March 2006
February 2006
January 2006
Booking form and details for May WGMA weekend at Bishops Cleeve, Gloucestershire added.
December 2005
November 2005
MP3 files added to Resources pages - from CDs by Gladly Solemn Sound, Madding Crowd and Vital Spark.
October 2005
New Articles added:
Rules for Singers and Uriah Davenport and the Psalm Singers of Rushton, Staffordshire
Image and music files added to article The Musicians of Rossendale
Reports on a Trafalgar Day Concert in 2000 and Rollo Woods' 80th Birthday.
Gallery of Pictures from the WGMA weekend meeting at Ironbridge including music files.
New Articles added: Reports on Jane Austen Fayre and Mid-Shires Quires' Day
September 2005
A makeover of the site with some sections rearranged as follows:
Details of the Association moved to a new 'About Us' page.
Rules of the Association moved from 'Articles' page and linked to the 'About Us' page.
Pictures collected together in a 'Picture Gallery' page.
Choir details have been reduced to brief descriptions and contact details as an increasing number of choirs have their own websites - links are given where known.
The WGMA discussion forum and the WGMA mailing list details have been moved to the 'Links' page
The Index to West Gallery, the quarterly Newsletter has been updated to issue no.35 (Autumn 2005) and can be accessed from the 'Publications' page.
Organisations page has been subsumed into the 'Links' Page.
Village Carols now has its own domain name and can be found HERE
Articles - New articles have been added - William Knapp and Rev David Everard Ford. More articles to follow.
The resources pages from Tony Singleton's website have been included in this site under 'Resources'.
These include books about the West Galley Period, anthologies of music, and recordings, as well a selection of literary references to the subject.
The inclusion of this page which will be updated whenever significant change occurs.
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