Much has been written about our villages and whilst the smaller ones haven’t been ignored, they sometimes fade into the background at the expense of the larger and better-known communities. In this series the contributors will attempt to remedy that by presenting a picture of life in some of our smaller villages. Whenever I deliver…Continue Reading “Kernow’s Smaller Villages”

As a follow-up to his earlier article in this series about brass bands (find it here), Tony Mansell looks at the world of contesting where bands compete for the ultimate accolade. Competitions, or contests as they are termed in the brass band world, have their beginning in the brass and reed band era of the…Continue Reading “Music Kernow – Contesting”

Tony Mansell provides our next slice of the Music Kernow pie as he explores the life and career of Cornishman Phillip Hunt. The author of three articles in the Music Kernow series, Phillip now finds himself under the spotlight. In an article in 2015, Simon Parker wrote of Phillip Hunt’s love of music which began in…Continue Reading “Music Kernow – Phillip Hunt”

Our series on Cornish Music is back, join Tony Mansell as he shares his memory of a group of musicians and entertainers that thrilled their audiences with their home-grown talent. Halls warmed only by the folk who had braved the wind and rain, curtains faded by time, paint peeling off walls but it mattered not, the entertainers…Continue Reading “Music Kernow – The Goonhavern Banjo Band”

In the first of the series on Cornish Music, Tony Mansell presents a vivid history of the world of the brass band in Cornwall. Brass Bands were once at the heart of every Cornish community and in constant demand at the various secular and religious events. They performed a great service and almost every village and…Continue Reading “Music Kernow – Just Brass”

Join Tony Mansell as he introduces the Music Kernow series, a series celebrating Cornwall’s important relationship with music through the ages. It serves us in sorrow and in joy, it helps our celebrations, it cuts across barriers and calms our anger. What could it be but music? Yet, like so many things that we take for granted,…Continue Reading “Music Kernow – Introduction”