All Sing!
The ALL SING! project grew from an earlier musical adventure led by Producer Jen Hill back in 2015 called Songs of Separation. As part of the launch tour, the band were joined on stage by a community choir of adults in Dumfries, and a choir of children in Edinburgh. People enjoyed singing these songs so much, and it inspired such creativity, that it led Jen to arrange four of the songs for choirs, and to organise a residential for ten community choir leaders on the Isle of Lismore, off the West Coast of Scotland. The arrangements were sung and recorded.
To compliment the scores, additional tools for choirs to use have been created, in the form of recordings of where Soprano, Alto, Tenor and Bass parts are more audible, to assist with learning for people who don’t feel confident reading music.
The Songs
You can listen to the songs here.
To access scores and recordings of parts
Choirs who participated in the first stage of this project can access these resources via their choir leader. Scores and learning resources are free to these choirs.
New choirs wishing to work with this material will soon be able to purchase Learning Resources here.
Unst Boat Song
This traditional song from the Shetland Isles is in old Norn, and is a sea prayer for the safe return of the boats out at sea. It was passed from Anne and Lise Sinclair to Inge Thomson, and on to Karine Polwart, who taught it to the women of Songs of Separation, who performed it in the mysterious Cathedral Cave on the Isle of Eigg. The ALL SING! group had their own adventure with it, to Castle Coeffin on the Isle of Lismore, the site of a Viking legend. Jen encourages choirs to venture out of doors with this song, which works well in green spaces.
Acknowledgements: Songs of Separation, Inge Thomson, Anne and Lise Sinclair. The singers on this recording: Bill Henderson, Bruce Knight, Helen Vincent Tibke, Heg Brignall, Julu Irvine, Pauline Down, Shona Brown, Suus Gooch, Sileas Sinclair and Una McCann.
Arranged by: Jen Hill
Soil and Soul
This song alludes to Gaelic folklore old and new; the story of the Old Woman of the Moors (‘Cailleach na Mòintich’), Sweeney (‘Shuibhne’), and the Island of the Big Women (‘Eilean nam Ban Mora‘), where the original album Songs of Separation was recorded. It is about our relationship to land, nature and community.
Acknowledgements: Rowan Rheingans, Songs of Separation and the singers on this recording: Bill Henderson, Bruce Knight, Helen Vincent Tibke, Heg Brignall, Julu Irvine, Pauline Down, Shona Brown, Suus Gooch, Sileas Sinclair, Una McCann and Mark Summers.
Arranged by: Jen Hill
The Road Less Travelled
Inspired by Robert Frost’s poem ‘The Road Not Taken’, this song quietly celebrates walking your own path, singing your own song and finding your own place of safety; finding your way home. The SATB arrangement references birdsong and banjos, and is hoped to bring a sense of deep peace.
Acknowledgements: Rowan Rheingans, Karine Polwart, Kate Young and the singers on this recording: Bill Henderson, Bruce Knight, Helen Vincent Tibke, Heg Brignall, Julu Irvine, Pauline Down, Shona Brown, Suus Gooch, Sileas Sinclair and Una McCann.
Arranged by: Jen Hill
Poor Man’s Lamentation
These lyrics are from a broadside ballad, found in ‘The Full English’, an online archive of traditional song. Though many hundreds of years old, the inequalities it describes are just as relevant in our modern world. From the question of land rights and access to basic resources, to financial inequalities, to persistent power imbalances through the structure of society, this song calls for change. Look for the hidden commentary in the arrangement – it is hoped you will enjoy this!
Acknowledgements: Hannah James, Songs of Separation and the singers on this recording: Bill Henderson, Bruce Knight, Helen Vincent Tibke, Heg Brignall, Julu Irvine, Pauline Down, Shona Brown, Suus Gooch, Sileas Sinclair and Una McCann.
Arranged by: Jen Hill
Background
The ALL SING! project grew from an earlier musical adventure led by Producer Jen Hill back in 2015 called Songs of Separation. Aimed at addressing some of the ‘separations’ faced by humanity at this time, the album resonated with people far and wide, and went on to win ‘Best Album’ at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards. The women involved in this project, who hailed from Scotland and England, created something amazing in just a week on a small Scottish island.
As part of the launch tour, they were joined on stage by a community choir of adults in Dumfries, and a choir of children in Edinburgh. People enjoyed singing these songs so much, and it inspired such creativity, that it led Jen to arrange four of the songs for community choirs. It is hoped that the songs will go on to reach new people and new places as humanity faces a raft of new challenges.
In 2020 during the Pandemic Jen noticed choir leaders working hard to support their communities despite the separation of lockdowns, which left many people isolated. She set out to raise enough money to take ten committed, community-minded choir leaders on their own adventure to the Isle of Lismore off the West Coast of Scotland. The choir leaders were nominated by their choirs, and the residential element of this project was made possible by 290 supporters. So much gratitude to every one of you!
Delayed for a further year as the lockdowns continued, Jen busied herself with writing and testing choral arrangements, and eventually in the summer of 2022, the choir leaders and Jen set off to sing and record both ensemble versions and the ‘learning resources’ that you will find here.
The singers you will hear on this recording are Bill Henderson, Bruce Knight, Helen Vincent Tibke, Heg Brignall, Julu Irvine, Pauline Down, Shona Brown, Suus Gooch, Sileas Sinclair and Una McCann, along with our special guest Mark Summers on bass overdubs. Our much-valued sound engineers were Finlay Wells and Davy Clincart. Food was lovingly prepared by Marie-Anne Marten with help from Claire Howarth, and accommodation was provided by Claire and Mike Howarth, and Mairi and Anne Campbell. Island guidance came from Sarah Campbell and Yorick Paine. The project was produced by Jen Hill.
In the final phase of the project, Jen lost her Dad in tragic circumstances, which delayed the release of the recordings and the scores. Jen sincerely apologises for the time it has taken, and she hopes that in singing these meaningful songs, you will feel supported in times of sadness and times of joy.
And last, but definitely not least, thanks go to the original line-up of Songs of Separation, who recorded the album in just a week, and who gave their blessing for the music to be translated through this choral adventure. They are: Eliza Carthy, Karine Polwart, Kate Young, Hazel Askew, Hannah James, Hannah Read, Jenn Butterworth, Jen Hill, Mary Macmaster and Rowan Rheingans.
Thanks go to the ever-astute, ever-patient Music Team at Creative Scotland. This project could not have manifested without you. The work you do reaches far beyond the making of music.
