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  • Amy Woodforde-Finden

    A highly successful composer of the late Victorian and Edwardian eras, Amy Woodforde-Finden, together with her husband and step-son, is laid to rest in the churchyard of St Thomas à Becket Parish Church. Inside the church there is an impressive marble monument of her, created by the renowned sculptor George Edward  Wade. It was unveiled in 1923 and a few years later, Finden Gardens in Hampsthwaite was named in her honour.[Click on title or image to link to articles]

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Amy Woodforde-Finden Festival

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AMY WOODFORDE-FINDEN : BROUGHT BACK TO LIFE

A music festival will be held in Hampsthwaite to celebrate the work of a famed Victorian composer, Amy Woodforde-Finden, who has connections to our village.

St Thomas à Becket Parish Church in Hampsthwaite will host the two-day event to mark the recognition of Amy Woodforde-Finden having been buried in the churchyard, with a marble monument in the church created by sculptor George Wade. Amy, who was born in Chile, died in 1919.

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AMY'S HAMPSTHWAITE

As well as two concerts featuring her music on Friday, October 7 and Saturday, October 8, the event will include a guided tour of ‘Amy’s Hampsthwaite’. The tour will include where her stepson, Eric, resided and the historical buildings & people around at that time. We take the steps that Amy herself would have taken when visiting the village, whilst learning the history of that time.
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PROGRAMME

Amy Woodforde-Finden’s success was particularly remarkable in the context of a male-dominated society, where women had no right to vote.“Amy is best known for her set of Indian Love Lyrics. Her Kashmiri Song proved an instant and lasting hit and became one of the highest selling pieces of sheet music ever published at the time! Amy’s music perfectly captured the mood and morals of the time, and in recent years, her works have enjoyed a new appreciation, due to a revival and interest in neglected female composers.

The opening night will feature renowned soloist Patricia Hammond, who will travel from London to perform a song recital of Amy’s music. Patricia, who specialises in women composers of the Victorian and Edwardian eras, will be accompanied by the church’s director of music and mastermind of the inaugural festival, Thomas Flessenkaemper.

On the Saturday evening, members of the church will be joined by those from across the benefice of Felliscliffe, Killinghall and Birstwith, as well as local schoolchildren and musicians from the wider area. They will perform a selection of pieces including Amy’s Pagoda of Flowers, which organisers believe is being recorded for the first time.

Amy Woodforde-Finden Festival Programme - 7th October 2022

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SHEET MUSIC

For musicians who would like to take a closer look at the songs of Amy Woodforde-Finden, they are available for free here: https://imslp.org/wiki/Category:Woodforde-Finden%2C_Amy

TILL I AWAKE

Mezzo-Soprano: Patricia Hammond
Period piano: Thomas Flessenkaemper
Filmed next to the white marble sculpture of Amy Woodforde-Finden.
St Thomas a Becket, Hampsthwaite 7th October 2022
Based on the scene when Canon Peck's daughter sang that song on the day of her funeral in 1923

Libretto:
"When I am dying, lean over me tenderly, softly...
Stoop, as the yellow roses droop
In the wind from the south;
So I may when I wake - if there be an awakening -
Keep what lulled me to sleep -
The touch of your lips on my mouth".

The Pagoda of Flowers


The Pagoda of Flowers was performed at the Amy Woodforde-Finden Music Festival on 8th October 2022 at St Thomas à Becket, Hampsthwaite.
Narrator: Musette (Moo) Alcock
Soloists: Tilly Eustace-Forest as Ma Noo Alistair Donaghue as Oomala Rhiannon Gayle as Ma Mee Leslie Leigh as Chit Maung
Trio: Rhiannon Gayle, Soprano Sophie Bartlett, Alto Iain Ward-Campbell, Baritone
Benefice Choir with support from Voce Seraphorum
Thomas Flessenkaemper, Director of Music and Pianist
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Amy Woodforde-Finden Festival

AMY WOODFORDE-FINDEN : BROUGHT BACK TO LIFE

A music festival will be held in Hampsthwaite to celebrate the work of a famed Victorian composer, Amy Woodforde-Finden, who has connections to our village.

St Thomas à Becket Parish Church in Hampsthwaite will host the two-day event to mark the recognition of Amy Woodforde-Finden having been buried in the churchyard, with a marble monument in the church created by sculptor George Wade. Amy, who was born in Chile, died in 1919.

- click for full size image