
The news I heard was guaranteed
To thrill and to inspire
Bradford’s choral outfit
Singing Handel’s great ‘Messiah’
Each Wednesday night, I walked through rain
Autumnal chill and dark
To master quavers, trills and scales
And warble like a lark
Through crotchet clusters, nests of notes
I wandered like a maze
But practised hard, so by the night
I’d warble quite unfazed
I love the light and airy parts
Those trills that flutter high
‘His yoke is easy, burden light’
‘And he shall purify’
On the evening, wide the doors
Flung open, what a night
The choir rang out, the solos soared
The music bubbled bright
A choir in full and hearty voice
Is like a bird in flight;
A joy to sing a work so filled
With grace and power and light
Image: Bradford Festival Choral Society performing ‘Messiah’, 19th November 2022
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