Songs of Praise factsheet for Sunday 21 September 2008

Big Sing Wales

Presented by Aled Jones

General

A programme of Thanksgiving from Cardiff's St David's Hall was presented by Aled Jones with some 1800 singers in a packed house.

Aled started his professional music career at the Hall which this year is celebrating its 25th anniversary and was one of the first to tread the boards at the age of 12.

Sharing the stage were the winners of BBC One's Last Choir Standing, Only Men Aloud, along with their conductor Tim Rhys Evans. Also present were the World Class Cory Brass Band in a programme celebrating what we all have in life.

The St David's Praise Choir, The Welsh National Opera Community Choir along with Cambrensis formed the mass choir.

Soloist Elin Manahan Thomas and composer Karl Jenkins were also part of the production with Elin performing All Things Bright and Beautiful (Rutter) and Karl conducting both the Cory Band and Only Men Aloud in one of his own works Benedictus from The Armed Man, a Mass for Peace.

Music

The organist was Jeff Howard who also specially arranged the music which included:

1. Praise My Soul the King of Heaven. John Goss.
Music: Sir John Goss: 1800 - 1880
Arranger Jeffrey Howard
Words: Henry Frances Lyte 1793-1847
Tune: Praise my soul
From: Songs of Praise no. 20
Publishers: Oxford University Press 1997
Performers: All as above

2. Father Lord Of All Creation. Hyfrydol. Richard Huw Pritchard.
Music: Richard Huw Pritchard (1811-87)
Arranger: Jeffrey Howard
Words: Stewart Cross (1928-89) from Songs of Praise 357 (BBC/OUP)
Tune: Hyfrydol from New English Hymnal 271
Publishers: Canterbury Press.
Performers: All as above.

3. Come Ye Thankful People. St George's G J Elvey.
Music: Sir George J Elvey 1816-93
Arranger: Jeffrey Howard
Words: Henry Alford 1810 - 71
Tune: St George's
From: Ancient and Modern Revised Edition 482
Publishers: William Clowes and Sons Ltd
Performers: All as above

4. Tydi A Wnaeth. Pantyfedwen.
Music: M Eddie Evans 1890 - 1984
Arranger: Jeffrey Howard
Words: W Rhys Nicolas
Tune: Pantyfedwen
From: Caneuon Ffydd 908
Performers: All as above

5. O Lord My God. How Great Thou Art.
Music: Stuart K Hine 1899 - 1989
Arranger: Jeffrey Howard
Words: Russian trad Hine
Tune: How Great Thou art
From: Songs of Praise no. 13
Publishers: Oxford University Press 1997
Performers: All

Locations

All filming took place in St David's Hall, Cardiff.

Other information

The Programme was produced and directed by R. Medwyn Hughes and the Editor was Hugh Faupel.

This was an independent production on behalf of BBC Manchester by Meditel Limited.