Sue Ellery-Hill brings us the extraordinary tale of Nina Katorza, a Cornish model, dancer, singer, artist and raconteur who, in her later years became a penpal and dear friend to Sue’s mother – Brenda Wootton. Thirty years ago, an 85-year old Cornish woman living near Nice in the South of France got in touch with my mother…Continue Reading “Nina Katorza – Brenda Wootton’s remarkable French penpal…”
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”
In this article Merv Davey takes a look at Cornwall’s oldest musical genre and explores its interaction with our social history. This Cornish Story is about the folk dance traditions that have evolved in Cornwall and the music that goes with them. Just as the dance traditions mirror Cornwall’s social history so the tunes that…Continue Reading “Music Kernow – Ilow Dons Kernow (Cornish Dance Music)”
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”
In the sixth article in the Music Kernow series, Phillip Hunt recounts the life and successes of an inspirational musician who had an enduring influence on all who played under him. “Happy but not idyllic – there’s nothing idyllic about writing music and bringing up a family”. That was how Malcolm Arnold described the years…Continue Reading “Music Kernow – Malcolm Arnold in Cornwall”
In the latest in our Cornish music series, Philip Hunt brings to life, the story of iconic Cornish musician Goff Richards. “I think the march has clarity and energy and is a far higher quality than is usually found in brass band music. The scoring is excellent, you obviously have a special gift.” So wrote…Continue Reading “Music Kernow – Goff Richards”