Chapel

TOC H AT DOR KNAP

Late at night in the blinding rain on the 6th April four Peterites, N. R. Barton, D. E. Coulson, W. Mitchell, and J. H. Sykes, trudged several miles in an uphill direction to a Toc H hostel with no certainty of a bed.

Having been offered a lift we arrived a day before the course was due to start. The aim of the course was to do work in turning an old farmhouse into an up-to-date Conference Centre. All this work was to be done by a dozen Public and Grammar school boys with six instructors from all over the "Empire", who mixed us in very thoroughly.

Our daily routine consisted of work in the morning, various arranged activities in the afternoons, and discussions in the evening.

As the house was nearly finished, the bulk of the work consisted of clearing the grounds of trees : chopping, uprooting, and levelling. Though the work was hard, a real improvement could be seen by the end of the week.

The afternoon activities included visits to Stratford-on-Avon, tea at Captain Spencer-Churchill's to see his Art Gallery, a talk from "Tubby" Clayton, the founder padre of Toc H, and various walks around the countryside.

In the evenings our discussions ranged from Education to the Colour Problem.

On 14th April we split up early in the morning determined on hitch-hiking back : two of us, however, were less successful than the others, arriving back in York at 12-30, having completed the last lap by train. N.R.B.

THE CHOIR

There were three prominent events during the Summer Term, the first being a visit to Ripon on 9th June for a choirs festival, organised by the Royal School of Church Music, which several school choirs from the North of England attended. The service of Evensong was preceded by a most necessary practice, at which the many choirs were blended into a large one by Mr. Waine. Music sung at Ripon Cathedral included :-

Sing we merrily—Batten. How dear are thy counsels—Crotch. Evening Hymn—Balf our Gardiner. Ireland in F (Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis).

Only four days later came the annual outing to Scarborough, a more light-hearted event enjoyed by all the Choir, as for the first time for some years every member was able to attend. We were graced by some glorious summer weather, which enticed almost everyone into the bathing pool, and a most satisfying meal followed at Ye Olde Ivy House.

On Sunday, 24th July, came the culminating service of the School year, the Commemoration Service. A new and very modern anthem, "Let us now praise famous men" by Sowerby, was presented, after a great deal of rehearsing had been necessary to accustom the Choir to the many discords contained in it. The service ended with a rousing performance of "Te Deum Laudamus" by Stanford.

The following music was sung in Chapel during the term :-

This joyful Eastertide—Old Dutch. Sing we merrily—Batten. Come Holy Ghost—Attwood. Evening Hymn—Gardiner. How dear are thy counsels—Crotch. 0 come ye servants—Tye. Give us the wings of faith—Bullock. Let thy merciful ears—Weelkes. Rejoice in the Lord alway—Purcell. Let us now praise famous men—Sowerby. Stanford in B flat (Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis). Merbecke—Darke in F (Communion Service). Ireland in F. (Te Deum). Stanford in B flat (Te Deum).

The treble situation became increasingly precarious with one or two trebles having to leave when their voices broke. The few remaining next term will, however, be strengthened by several newcomers, and as most of the lower voices are staying on, the Choir should be as good as ever.

The most notable amongst the leavers are M. Precious and Kendall, who have sung the tenor and bass solos respectively for the last few years. Their services will be badly missed. Only one alto (J. M. Smith) and two other basses (J. R. Precious and White) are leaving, so a good foundation will be still present next term.

Finally, a word of thanks is due to the librarians who have re- catalogued the Choir Library, in addition to their usual jobs.

J.A.S.

"OASIS"

In the words of the Editor, "it would appear that 'Oasis' is here to stay". It is certainly good to know that there is sufficient support for this magazine, for it makes an effective and much-needed counterpart to "The Peterite". I admit that I felt a little sceptical when I read, again in the Editorial, that there is no dearth of original material at its disposal, having seen some of the notices appealing for contributions which looked rather anguished. But perhaps these contributions are like the week's work : they come in at the last possible moment.

As in the past two issues I liked the immediate effect of the magazine. The cover is gay and striking and the format and printing excellent. I am not sure at whose door to lay my criticism of "Le 33

Saveur" (sic) : somehow six very curious mistakes have crept in; a pity, because the poem is refreshingly different.

The illustrations, some of which accompanied a poem or piece of prose, were good. I felt, though, that there was insufficient variety, and that this aspect of the magazine has not been exploited as fully as it might.

The contents are very well varied. We start with something dear to the schoolboy's heart—the findings of a gallup poll—and finish with a description of the first few moments of consciousness on a Tuesday morning. Other items include an apparently authoritative but to me almost incomprehensible description of a Sunday in Beatnik language, a fantasia for typewriter and a peep at Ascot. There is a good balance between prose and verse this year, as also between serious and comic, and the usual spread of contributors from Shells to Upper Sixth.

What with Beatniks, Teds, a juke box, the British workman— admirably succinct, this—and a shrewd comment entitled "Life", the world is still very much with us. But the occasional fantasy is there, too, to provide an antidote, and this is further evidence of a good balance.

All in all, the Editors and advisers are to be congratulated on this issue. Let us hope that "Oasis" will continue to flourish, however arid its environment.

HOUSE SINGING COMPETITIONS

The 1960 House Singing Competitions will be remembered in School history as being unique. They were the first to be held in the new Memorial Hall, but they were held before it had been granted its full complement of curtains and fittings. It was not surprising, therefore, that to some it seemed as if the hall were over-resonant.

From the point of view of the competitors, the hall was undoubtedly helpful. It was particularly helpful to the trebles, and the Houses with a clear treble line profited in the marking. Temple had the best balanced part song, John Peel, with fearless trebles and a splendid ensemble, though they did not score such a gain over The Rise as their paper strength would have led one to expect. The Rise trebles were equally hard-working and had keen support from the other voices : singing largely from memory they made the words of their song, Turmut-hoeing, tell. Queen's ran them close, but their well-rehearsed Roberton arrangement, The Mavis, had not quite the abandon of the other two. School House and The Manor had both been rather ambitious in their choices (Full Fathom Five and Little David, play on yo' harp) and both had to be penalised, School House for intonation in a notoriously difficult passage, and The Manor for indistinct words. The Grove part song was also rather uneven.

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