Madrigals from the rooftop

In a repeat of the successful serenade from 2009, and to further enhance their mantra of Adventurous Learning, the Chamber Choir at Ashford School sang in the sun with May Day Madrigals from the school rooftop on Tuesday morning.

Traditionally a summer holiday in many pre-Christian European pagan cultures, May 1 was considered the first day of summer and marks the end of the cold winter half of the year in the Northern hemisphere.

An occasion for popular and often raucous celebrations, in Oxford, the start of summer is traditionally marked by May Day celebrations, when madrigals, partsongs and folksongs are sung, following a 500 year tradition. The pupils at Ashford School have joyously followed suit and created their own tradition by singing from the rooftop in early May for the past two years.

With a repertoire including one of the most famous of the English madrigals; ‘Now is the Month of Maying’ by Thomas Morley and ‘Fair Phyllis’ by John Farmer, the students braved the chilly winds and, with a brief moment of sunshine gracing the rooftops, showed Adventurous Learning at Ashford School at it's best.