The Legra Ensemble was formed in 1997 to produce a Bach and Handel concert for Wesley Methodist Church's centenary and to raise money for the Church's building development. We adopted our name in 2000: "Legra" is the earliest known name for Leigh-on-Sea, found in Domesday book.
The Legra Ensemble consists of a small group of singers (usually two or three to each part), some of whom also play instruments, usually with the addition of a continuo group of viola da gamba and theorbo. For "Come ye sons of art" in 2002 we also added oboes, violins and trumpet.
We're especially proud of the fact that we've now performed well over 100 items without a single repeat!
Our last public concert was a Christmas concert in 2003, although some of us took part in an "Evening of Folk Music" in 2005 and we did a private concert for Palmers Solicitors in July 2007.
Details of the concerts we have given are shown below:
Three Charles Wesley Hymns, No.1, The Invitation: Sinners, obey the gospel word - G.F. Handel
Flute Sonata in C major - G.F. Handel
Overture to Saul (Organ) - G.F. Handel
Laudamus te (Gloria) (Duet) - Antonio Vivaldi
Three Charles Wesley Hymns, No.2, Desiring to Love: O love divine, how sweet thou art - G.F. Handel
Toccata and Fugue in D minor (Organ) - J.S. Bach
Cantata 182 "Himmelskönig, sei willkommen" - J.S. Bach
Three Charles Wesley Hymns, No.3, On the Resurrection: Rejoice, the Lord is King - G.F. Handel
I am for you (Quartet) - John L. Bell & Graham Maule
O little town of Bethlehem - Henry Walford Davies
Angels’ Carol (Solo) - John Rutter
Ye nations all, on you I call - William Walker
Hark!
the herald-angels sing (Quartet) - Samuel Arnold
Mary, blessed teenage mother (Solo) - Paul McDowell
Three Kings of Orient - John Henry Hopkins
In
dulci jubilo (x2) (Organ) - Johann Sebastian Bach
Rejoice, ye tenants of the earth - William Gifford
O
remember Adam’s fall - Traditional
Lo! he comes, an infant stranger (Duet) - Martin Madan
Carol
of the Advent - John L. Bell
Personent hodie (Solo) - Traditional
What
child is this - Traditional, arr. John Stainer
Pastorale from the Christmas Concerto - Arcangelo Corelli
Nazareth - Charles Gounod
I wonder as I wander (Solo) - John Jacob Niles
Hark! the herald-angels sing - Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy, descant David Willcocks, organ interludes Samuel Sebastian Wesley
Now is the month of maying - Thomas Morley
Oi Poved (Trio) - Traditional
Elenka (Trio) - Traditional
Andaluza (Piano) - Enrique Granados
Schiarazula Marazula; English Pavan; La Volta (Recorder pieces) - Pierre Phalese; Claude Gervaise; Michael Praetorius
My Journey to the Sky (Duet) - Traditional
Mingulay Boat Song - Traditional
Es Ist Ein Schnee Gefallen - Caspar Othmayr
Summertime (Clarinet) - George Gershwin
Dos Gardenias (Solo) - Isolina Carrillo
Flute Concerto - Doppler
Slave's Lament (Trio) - Traditional
Denko (Trio) - Traditional
Down By The Riverside - Traditional, arr. John Rutter
Welcome, thou holy child - Marc-Antoine Charpentier
Wachet auf (Organ) - Johann Sebastian Bach
In the bleak mid-winter - Harold Darke
Entre le boeuf et l'âne gris (Duet) - Traditional
La Régente (Viola da gamba and Theorbo) - Antoine Forqueray
With raptures abounding - Traditional
He shall feed his flock (Solo) - G.F. Handel
God rest you merry, gentlemen - Traditional, arr. David Willcocks
Shepherds, rejoice! - William Billings
Every star shall sing a carol (Solo) - Sydney Carter
The Lord at first did Adam make (Solo) - Traditional
Veinticinco de diciembre - Traditional
Noël étranger (Organ) - Louis Claude d'Aquin
Lully, lulla (The Coventry Carol) - Traditional
Sweet was the song the virgin sang (Solo) - Traditional
O come, all ye faithful - Traditional, descant David Willcocks
Macht hoch die Tür, die Tor macht weit (Organ) - Helmut Walcha
Lift up your heads, you mighty gates - attrib. J.A. Freylinghausen, arr. Paul McDowell
The cloudless sun of joy (Round) - Paul Ernst Ruppel
All hail to the days (Solo) - Traditional
Chaconne in D major (Viola da gamba and Theorbo) - Marin Marais
Une vierge pucelle (Organ) - Eustache du Caurroy
This is the record of John - Orlando Gibbons
Ronde; Noël (Recorder pieces) - Tielman Susato; Esprit Philippe Chédeville
Tell out, my soul - Walter Greatorex
Marcho di Rei - Traditional, arr. Georges Bizet
Now rejoice, o Christian voices (Solo) - Andreas Hammerschmidt, arr. Paul McDowell
There is no rose of such virtue - John Joubert
Hush! my dear, lie still and slumber (Solo) - Anon (18th century), arr. Butts
Il est né le divin enfant - Traditional
Mary's child (Solo) - Geoffrey Ainger
Ah, dearest Jesus - Johann Sebastian Bach
Coventry Carol (Solo & Flute) - Traditional, arr. Julian Smith
It came upon the midnight clear - Traditional, arr. Arthur Sullivan
To Music (Solo) - Franz Schubert
Piccolo
Concerto in C major (Allegro
non molto, Largo, Allegro molto
Madrigals
(Trio):
Sweet
Kate - Robert Jones
Since Bonny-boots was dead - William
Holborne
Though my carriage be but careless - Thomas Weelkes
Sarabande and Allemande from Book 5, 1st Suite in A minor (Viola da gamba and Theorbo) - Marin Marais
Hornpipe Humoresque (Organ) - Noel Rawsthorne
Come ye Sons of Art (Birthday Ode for Queen Mary, 1694) - Henry Purcell
Procedenti Puero - 13th-century Italian traditional
Gaudete - 16th-century English traditional
Hark how all the welkin rings (Duet) - Georg Frideric Handel
A child this day is born - 19th-century English traditional
Jesus child (Flute) - John Rutter
Angelus ad virginem (Piccolo, Violin) - 14th-century Irish traditional
Une jeune pucelle (Duet) - French traditional
Resonet in laudibus - Jacob Handl
Von himmel hoch (Organ) - Johann Sebastian Bach
Quelle est cette odeur agréable? (Trio) - Traditional, arr. David Willcocks
Silent night - Franz Gruber
Branle de l’official (Carol and Dance) - Thoinot Arbeau
Ricercare (Viola da gamba & Theorbo) - Diego Ortiz
Huron carol (Trio) - Canadian traditional, arr. Paul McDowell
Riu, riu, chiu - attributed to Mateo Flecha the elder
Bereite dich, Zion (Christmas Oratorio) (Solo) - Johann Sebastian Bach
2 violin duos (from Zwölf Duos, KV487) - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Infant of gladness - Scottish traditional, arr. Paul McDowell
Monsieur Charpentier’s Christmas Swing (Recorders) - Marc-Antoine Charpentier, arr. Andrew Watts & Paul McDowell
Star-Child (Solo & Choir) - Shirley Erena Murray & Carlton R. Young
While shepherds watched - Thomas Jarman
Now is the month of maying - Thomas Morley
Two movements from Flute Sonata in E minor - Johann Sebastian Bach
Es ist ein Schnee gefallen (Quartet) - Caspar Othmayr
Two pieces from Set No. 1 (Virginals) - John Christian Mantel
Three Hungarian Folk Songs - Matyas Seiber
Division in E minor (Viola da gamba) - Christopher Simpson
Zavtra (Trio, Accordion & Violin) - The Ukrainians
Tanz (Uf dem anger) from Carmina Burana (Piano) - Carl Orff
Balletto and Corrente Seconda (Recorders) - Bartolomeo de Selma y Salaverde
Mingulay Boat Song - Scottish traditional
Pase el agoa - anon. 16th century Spanish
Photo taken after the October 1999 concert:
Chris Hammond, Paul McDowell (Musical Director), Chris Jones, Matt Oakey-Jones,
Margaret Jones, Hannah Bucke
Karen Lister, Kate Baxter, Diana Collier, Angela Oakey-Jones, Sarah Hemingway
Photo taken for the Southend Evening Echo at a rehearsal for the July
2002 concert:
Paul McDowell, Mark Attwood, Diana Collier, Chris Hammond, Sarah Hemingway,
Karen Lister, Kate Baxter
Jonathan Bates, Andrew Hurst, Sally Lucas
To book the Legra Ensemble
Contact: paul.mcdowell@easynet.co.uk or telephone 01702 474255.