By Hester Goodsell, ex-BBCM student (and mother of Eva Sophia, class of September 2022)

Singing in the Rain
“I'm singin' in the rain, just singin' in the rain
What a glorious feeling I'm happy again”

This year’s annual workshop of the Bela Bartok Centre for Musicianship dawned damply on Saturday 10th July. Agnes, our intrepid leader, had been up since 5am checking the weather forecast every 20 minutes and it looked like rain, but nothing would stop a chance at polyphony, not even a global pandemic, so something as mundane as a bit of rain was easily surmountable.

After meeting at Hampstead Heath station, our BBCM group began walking to the venue of choice, a shelter by the ponds on the heath. The first musical output of the day was the Hungarian marching song ‘Can you walk in steady pace’ sung in a round as we marched our way through the drizzle. A pause by the ponds allowed us to sing the German song ‘This is the day for the frogs by the pond’ also in canon.

A short rehearsal for the Hungarian Marching Song before we continue marching…

It is not so easy to march on time while singing in a four-part round…

“This is the day for the frogs by the pond
Feasting and singing and dancing around”

Once in situ, the rain paused! Our group of students, parents, grandparents and ex-students gathered around on the grass for some music making. Throughout the last year, Agnes has managed to keep a fantastic musical education happening through a mixture of zoom and in-person, outdoor lessons. Whilst lessons online do not allow for polyphonic singing due to the lag time, much can be learnt in this time and it makes it all the more special when you can come together and hear the fruit of your online studies in harmony.

We gathered around on the grass for some music making…

An apt opening to this portion of the workshop, Agnes led us all in the German weather song – again in a round – ‘…the weather will remain the same or change from what it is’. All her students, from the youngest aspiring students (Stephanie and Abigail, class of September 21) to her oldest students and ex-students, then sang the BBCM song to the tune of an Icelandic song about a curlew but with words re-written to become the BBCM theme (When you join the BBCM, You will learn a lot of music, Come and join and Sing a song with us today). We then sang the two songs ‘Three Blind Mice’ and ‘Frere Jacques’ in solfa in 8 parts, enjoying the sound of the harmonies created by each line of music.

“…the weather will remain the same or change from what it is”; occasionally it started to rain but we had our umbrellas and the shelter to fall back on.

Then next was one of my favourite games from classes, the Hungarian candlelight game. 13-year-old James began kindly and valiantly as the candle to demonstrate to aspiring student two-year old Stephanie who became the next ‘most beautiful candle in the world (in your age group)!’ Agnes then showed us how Bartok had taken the same song and written his version ‘Játék’, a familiar staple of BBCM lessons.

It would not be a BBCM workshop without a rendition of Ode to Joy, the European anthem, sung with great enthusiasm by all involved. After this, our youngest members left us to explore the woodlands and trees surrounding our venue and Agnes’ older students continued, with some support from parents, including much-appreciated contribution from musician Noemi Gyori undertaking her first BBCM workshop. The Quodlibet in 9 parts followed, then Brahms ‘O Wie Sanft’ in 4 parts and then on to the Bartok choruses Ne Menj El, Senkim a világon, Kánon, Ne láttalak volna. For some of us, this was the first time we had sung these in 20 years, others were learning for the first time. It was this point that Agnes’s youngest future student, Eva Sophia, class of September 2022, decided to wake up!

As always, Agnes’ workshops not only provide a fantastic opportunity to sing musically with others, they bring together the tremendous community inspired by her vision for musical education.

Stephanie, her brothers Stylianos and Konstantinos, with parents Stefan and Effie

Mimi, Abigail and their mother Noemi

Adam guides sister Rebecca through Brahms’s polyphonic lines.

Two-year old Abigail is getting to grips with Bartok’s Ne Menj El.

Post-workshop comments

Harlan Zimmerman, father of Adam and Rebecca:
Thanks again for a great workshop! And of course, a great year.

Noemi Gyori, mother of Mimi and Abigail:
Thank you so much for such a wonderful workshop! It was a magnificent musical and human experience.

David Franklyn, ex-BBCM student:
I was really taken with how wonderful the event was…