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| Amy Woodforde-Finden Festival AMY WOODFORDE-FINDEN : BROUGHT BACK TO LIFEA 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.  AMY'S HAMPSTHWAITEAs 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. PROGRAMMEAmy 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.
TILL I AWAKEMezzo-Soprano: Patricia HammondPeriod 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 FlowersThe 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 Another recording was made a year later on 21st April 2023 in the village Memorial Hall, featuring only the duets: https://youtu.be/2JzoONCZyo0 The Pagoda of Flower and its dedicateeIn 2026 Thomas Flessenkaemper writes as follows:"Having examined the original score of The Pagoda of Flowers, I discovered that Amy Woodforde-Finden dedicated the work to Her Highness Princess Louise Augusta of Schleswig-Holstein. After further research, it appears that this was, in fact, Princess Marie Louise of Schleswig-Holstein, a granddaughter of Queen Victoria, whose full baptismal name included Louise Augusta. Contemporary evidence shows that "Louise Augusta" was an early appellation used for her. I also came across this short video about her, which I can only recommend to you: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T8s0-7Xsx8c&t=88s What struck me is the contrast between the fairy tale atmosphere of The Pagoda of Flowers and Princess Marie Louise's own life. Her marriage ended in scandal and annulment, and she never remarried. One cannot help wondering whether the opera's themes of romance, beauty, and idealised happiness may have held a particular appeal for her, or perhaps even served as a substitute for aspects of happiness denied to her in her own life (her husband having decided to opt out of heterosexuality). Amy must surely have enjoyed more than a merely formal acquaintance with the Princess, for The Pagoda of Flowers was one of her most ambitious works, and such a dedication is seldom bestowed without thought and personal regard. Whether the connection reflected friendship, admiration, patronage, or some other association remains an open question". Amy Woodforde-Finden Festival AMY WOODFORDE-FINDEN : BROUGHT BACK TO LIFEA 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. |
