Early music band York Waits pay another of their regular visits to The Toll Gavel United Church, Beverley, on Thursday, 2 December 2010 at 7.30pm.
For this special programme, the five-strong group takes the story back to the beginning of the world playing ancient instruments that include shawms, sackbut, recorders, crumhorns harp, lute, fiddle and hurdy gurdy.
Featuring singer Deborah Catterall, the Waits start their concert with traditional English carols that tell the story of the creation of the earth, as a prelude to the Nativity. They then perform songs and music which reflect the episodes of the Christmas story, including the visits of the Shepherds and the Magi.
It is an approach inspired by the Mystery Plays that were annually performed in centres such as Beverley and York. Many of the carols and songs in the programme, although hundreds of years old, are still familiar including the original version of ‘While shepherds watched their flocks by night.’
The York Waits recreate the band of their home city as it was in Tudor times. They have been performing throughout the UK and overseas since the 1970s and have made nine CDs.
Tickets cost adults £12, concessions £10 and are available from Beverley Tourist Information Office in Butcher Row, tel. (01482) 391672.
