A WEST Dorset choir specialising in music that Thomas Hardy sang has just launched a new website and is keen to attract more singers and instrumentalists to join.

Broadwindsor Gallery Quire is a community ensemble dedicated to exploring and performing the rich tradition of West Gallery music – vibrant hymns and anthems that once filled rural English churches and has been revived successfully in Dorset, partly because of the Hardy connection.

Musical director Clare Dawson says: “In the days before church organs became commonplace, churches would rely on locals bringing their instruments to church to accompany singers who would perform from the gallery in the western end of the church.

“These were not professional singers and musicians but farmers, tradesmen and anyone who could play a little. The music is traditional, often named after specific villages from which it came. It’s quirky, different and sung usually in four parts with beautiful harmonies – it’s what church music used to be.”

Broadwindsor Gallery Quire’s music is roughly from the Thomas Hardy period, although much of it dates from earlier.

Hardy was a member of the West Gallery Quire at Stinsford Church, near Dorchester, where he played the violin.
His early, light-hearted novel Under The Greenwood Tree is centred around the Mellstock Quire. The inspiration comes from his days in Stinsford – Mellstock in Hardy’s Wessex novels. It was the music he grew up with – and its demise is the theme of the novel.

“The Broadwindsor Gallery Quire represents a growing interest in historic community music, reviving repertoire that dates back to early English parish traditions,” says Clare.

“By combining spirited singing with historical context and shared enjoyment, the quire forges connections across generations in the local area. Our aim has always been to bring people together through music that connects us with our heritage.”

The group welcomes singers and instrumentalists of all abilities to join rehearsals, which take place fortnightly on Tuesday evenings at Comrades Hall, Broadwindsor. “Practices are informal and open to visitors,” says Clare. “New members are encouraged to come along to experience the joy and camaraderie of making music together.”

For more information, visit broadwindsorquire.wixsite.com/bgquire