David of the White Rock

A rendition of 'David of the White Rock' (Arr.Geoffrey Shaw) from the N.S.W. Combined Primary Schools' Choral Concerts, 1961.Conductor, Terence Hunt, Pianist, Barbara Mettam.

For many years,in November,choirs from the Public Primary Schools in the metropolitan area of Sydney, N.S.W.combined in the Sydney Town Hall for a series of concerts.

A lengthy and quite difficult programme of unison, two- part and three-part songs were studied by each individual choir under its own teacher. The age range was from 9 to 12 years old.

They just don't sing like this in schools any more.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• choir
• school
• choral
• singing
• descant
• partsong
• david
• of
• the
• white
• rock

[TassieLute]

I remember singing this song as a child and my mother saying "stop singing that morbid song" , but I thought it was a lovely song.

Now I am a professional musician living in Paris, France. I thank my Primary School music teacher, Mrs Joy Harris for fostering my love of music and for spending extra time with me for private lessons after school. I went to Walters Road Public School in Blacktown NSW.

[autophyte]

@TassieLute

Thank you for your comments. I also love this tune, but my wife doesn't like it, either. My sister taught at Doonside Public School about that time and was the rehearsal pianist for some of those concerts. It's a small world.

[TassieLute]

It certainly is a small world. Maybe it is divided into 2 groups. Those that like Dafydd y Garreg Wen and those that don't!

[TassieLute]

Thank you for puttin this on You Tube. I will write my comments in 2 parts. I sang in that choir c.1963 to 1965.

I sang the descant in this song. One year I sat on the stage and was given flowers to present to the pianist at the end of the concert. The picture reminds me that I had a special white dress with a blue ribbon at the waist. I thought it was very pretty !

This song has stayed with me throughout my life and when I took up harp I played it adding the descant

[BigRedBus100]

Beautiful.  Thanks.

[humbledog1984]

This is how it should be sung. Its a very rare song, pure as welsh gold. All these 18th century renderings miss the point.