Laughing and Crying Perspectives on 20th and 21st Century British Song

The Department of Music and Media at the University of Surrey presents a free half-day research event on Wednesday 17 November 13.00 - 1900 held face-to-face in the PATS building on the main (Stag Hill) campus. We are delighted that James Gilchrist and Nathan Williamson will be performing an evening concert at 1930 with a programme drawn from their acclaimed 100 Years of British Song CD series. Please note: tickets for this concert need to be purchased separately.

The rich legacy of British art song provides fertile territory for performers and scholars whilst British literary traditions extending into the present day continue to attract composers. Laughing and Crying approaches this diverse repertoire by contrasting its serious and comic veins, exploring the shattering impact of the First World War and composers’ engagement with folk music, alongside comedy and satire from the middle of the 20th century to our own time. Sifting through this body of work will be musicologists (taking analytical, historical and curatorial perspectives), composers and performers. The programme includes lecture-recitals, papers and a roundtable. 13.00-14.00 Lunchtime Lecture-Recital Chris Wiley (University of Surrey) with Alexander S. Bermange The Comic Songs of Alexander S. Bermange

14.15-16.45 Papers Jeremy Dibble (University of Durham) Form and Circumstance: the Nature and Concept of Gurney's 'War' Songs Chris Mark (University of Surrey) Englishness in Britten’s Folksong Arrangements Justin Vickers (Illinois State University, Fulbright Scholar University of Surrey) 21st Century Considerations in the Conception, Proposal and Editing of a 20th Century British Song Anthology

17.00-18.00 Composer Roundtable Tom Armstrong (University of Surrey) - chair - with David Power, Helen Chadwick, Nathan Williamson and James Gilchrist

18.00-19.00 Early Evening Lecture Recital Leon Berger (Donald Swann Archive) and Tim Smith Hold Very Tight Please: the Comic, Satirical and Serious Music of Michael Flanders and Donald Swann

19.30-21.30 Evening Recital James Gilchrist (tenor) and Nathan Williamson (piano) The Art of British Song To register for Laughing and Crying: Perspectives on British Song in the 20th and 21st Centuries please visit the Eventbrite site at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/laughing-and-crying-perspectives-on-20th-and-21st-century-british-song-tickets-187712622507

Tickets for The Art of British Song evening recital can be purchased by emailing Shiv Varma at s.m.varma@surrey.ac.uk or visiting https://www.surrey.ac.uk/department-music-and-media/events

Please note registration and/or booking for the evening recital are essential due to capacity restrictions following the University’s Covid-19 protocols.

For any other queries please email t.armstrong@surrey.ac.uk