"A Cheerful Noise"
Saturday 4th October 2025

Explore the lost music of the village church 1700-1850

Old St George's Church, Esher, Surrey

Scroll down for the music list and scores.

St George's Church Esher is Grade 1 listed, and dates largely from the Tudor period. It was one of the few anglican churches built during Reformation times.
Queen Victoria once worshipped here.
By the 1850s it was too small for the growing town and a new parish church for Esher was built nearby. As a result it escaped the Victorian 'modernisation' project and retains such distinctive pre-Victorian features as its three-decker pulpit and gallery.
This makes it a perfect setting for us to explore the vibrant and exhilarating music of those earlier times, known today as 'west gallery'.



This is going to be an event with a difference - we will be forming a small orchestra as well as a choir. In Georgian times, few country churches had organs, and so local musicians played for church services. Some of you have already indicated that you can play an instrument, so we are going to go for it. Using the form below, you can register as a singer or an instrument player. Any string, woodwind, or brass acoustic instrument is welcome, especially anything early. If you prefer, you may send me an email with this information.
On the day we shall also try to ensure that any instrument player who also would like to do some singing has a chance to do so.

Click here to book.

Programme

What will we sing?

We will sing the hymns, metrical psalmody, and anthems composed during the period approximately from 1700-1850 for parish and country churches. It is often referred to as 'west gallery' because the village band and choir were frequently located in a gallery at the west end of the church. This repertoire was quite different from 'cathedral music', and encompassed a wide variety of styles and sophistication. Some of the tunes have survived and you will recognise a number of them, although we will sing them with the colourful grace notes and embellishments that later hymnbooks often excluded. Most of all, this music is emotionally very direct - whether exuberant or poignant, it expresses itself vigorously and is exhilarating to sing. It is also largely quite straightforward, having been written for the amateur musicians of the time. Yet this tradition has produced some of the most stirring music in the English church repertoire, and we shall spend the day getting to know and enjoy it.

Who can take part?

This will appeal to anyone used to singing four part sacred music in a choir. There is no audition, and you do not need to be an expert sight reader, but you do need to be able to read music well enough to learn your part in advance. Scores and rehearsal videos will be posted at the bottom of this page.

Booking details and form

The cost is £44 per person (whether singing, playing or both) and includes the music book, and all tea, coffee and refreshments.
There is an optional two-course carvery lunch in The Bear next door, inculding a glass of wine or soft drink, and tea or coffee, for £45.
Alternatively you can purchase something lighter for lunch in The Bear, or in local shops, or bring your own lunch to eat in the church.

To book, click here and fill out the booking form online, repeating for each person. You will receive by a return an email with payment instructions. Please review our Terms and Conditions at the bottom of this page before booking.

What do I wear?

On this occasion the dress code is casual.

Can I bring a partner or a friend?

Yes, a non-singing/non-playing friend or partner who would like to attend and take part in the refreshments (exc. lunch) may do so, paying a reduced charge of £5. They may also purchase the carvery lunch option.

Travel and Accommodation

The address of the church is St George's Church, Esher Park Ave, Esher KT10 9PX.
There is a car park close by, and buses from Esher or Walton-on-Thames station. Esher is just on the edge of the Oyster zone, and some buses accept Oyster, others not. We will publish detailed travel information nearer the time. For those who require accommodation, the Bear public house beside the church has a number of rooms, and there is a Travelodge, a Premier Inn, and other options in the general area.

If you would like to know about future events like this send me an email at phil@withcheerfulvoice.org.uk.

Music files and some practice videos

You will receive a printed book on the day. To access the scores in advance for your practice , click on 'Scores' to download a single PDF with all the vocal scores for each section.
Many of these pieces are fairly simple and do not require our usual full set of rehearsal videos, but I have produced them in some cases.
Some of these pieces were produced as 'virtual' performances during lockdown (and some of you will have taken part in them). I have put the link as these too are good for practice as they show the score for singing along.

INSTRUMENT PLAYERS: You need to download and print the set of four scores (see below) that differ from the vocal score -see below - plus your desired extracted part for the anthem.

If you use an iPad and the music reader app forScore you can download the vocal score book as a set list including the pdfs.