Scottish Co-op Band

Conductor: Allan Ramsay
King Singers & Govan Songster Brigade
Couper Institute
Glasgow
Saturday 3rd May

On Saturday, 3rd May, 2008 the Scottish Co-op Band took part in the Salvation Army Govan Community Concert at the Couper Institute in Glasgow. 

The concert was organised by the Govan Corps of the Salvation Army as part of a wider community project and celebrated the 90th anniversary of the Govan Citadel Songster Brigade or choir.
 
Guests for the evening were the renowned singing group, The King's Singers, and the Scottish Co-op Band who jointly treated the audience to a programme of great variety and musical excellence.
 
The evening began with the Govan Songster Brigade entering the hall to the strains of  the old Salvation Army march "Rosehill", written by the late Albert H. Jakeway, and it was the local group who started the evening's programme with a lively rendering of the song "God Of My Praise" under conductor Chic Ramsay.
 
The Scottish Co-op Band, under conductor Allan Ramsay, then took centre stage and opened their first contribution to the evening's proceedings with a performance of the march "Keighley Moor" by Joe Cook. This march has become synonymous with the Co-op band in recent times and is almost regarded by some as its signature tune. 

It was well received by the audience which was then treated to some sparkling playing in Glinka's overture "Russlan and Ludmilla" and to some wonderful organ-like sounds in Goff Richards' arrangement of Brodski's song "I'll Walk With God".
 
The King's Singers opened their first set of songs with Thomas Morley's madrigal "Now Is The Month Of Maying" and it very quickly became evident why this group enjoys such a fine reputation among music lovers. The sheer joy and musicianship shown in this piece shone through from the very first note and set the standard for the evening. Other pieces featured in this group included madrigals by Orlando Gibbons, William Byrd and John Wilbye.
 
For their middle set, the King's Singers sang five songs featured in their CD recording "The Quiet Heart" which was made in collaboration with the Salvation Army and which features a number of Salvation Army songs which are not heard much or used much nowadays. This part of their programme was well received by the audience.
 
However, it was their final group which really set the audience alight. It included the songs "I'm A Train", "Blackbird"  "Honey Pie" and two encores " Mhairi's Wedding" and "Creole Love Call" during which the singers displayed memorable vocal virtuosity of the highest order.
 
The Scottish Co-op band during its two remaining contributions performed "Valero", "Gaelforce" by Peter Graham and the euphonium solo "Benedictus" from "The Armed Man" by Karl Jenkins which was beautifully and sensitively played by the band's principal euphonium player, Alison Bonnar.
 
To end the concert, the band played the march "Able" by Wm. Turkington, arranged by Wm. Himes, Dean Goffin's "The Light Of The World" and the finale from "Glorifico Aeternum" by Dean Jones.  However, the audience demanded an encore and the band duly obliged with a scintillating performance of "Stingray". A memorable night indeed!
 
As a final point of interest, it was pointed out by one of the King's Singers during the programme that not only is this year the 90th anniversary of the Govan Salvation Army Songsters, but it is also the 90th anniversary of the Scottish Co-op band and the 40th anniversary of the King's Singers themselves. Quite a musical coincidence that the three anniversaries should fall in the same year!
 
Robert J. McCorkell

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