Welcome to Polyphony Down the Pub!

Congratulations – you’ve found the home of

Polyphony Down the Pub, London’s Favourite Night of Renaissance Motets & Booze!™

&

Counterpint, London’s Other Favourite Night of Renaissance Motets & Booze!™

&

Polyphony Down the Pub Brighton, Brighton’s Favourite Night of Renaissance Motets & Booze!™

as heard on BBC Radio 3’s The Choir & Organ:

At Polyphony Down the Pub and Counterpint, we pride ourselves on meeting the demands of the most sophisticated palettes.

On our wine list you’ll often find fine vintages from the likes of Victoria, Palestrina & Byrd, on the rotating craft beer menu there may well be fresh, hoppy numbers from la Rue, Zielinski or Casulana, and then of course there’s the chance of a wee dram of the hard stuff: Gesualdo.

Like just about everyone else in the world we’re on a break until things get back to normal but rest assured that as soon as it’s safe to do so, we’ll be back in the pub, boozing & singing!

In the meantime, if you want to find out more about the UK’s most exciting Renaissance-motets-in-a-pub events, check out our FAQs and sign up to e-mail updates on the left hand side of this page to make sure you don’t miss out on updates; you can also follow us on Twitter (@pubpolyphony, @pdtpbrighton & @counterpint) and Facebook.

Cheers

Kevin

Christmas comes but once a year, as does the invitation to sing with us…

Despite my huge desire to get pdtp going again in 2023, it just didn’t work out – but I truly am hopeful for next year, not least because 2024 will mark 10 years since our first session!

In the meantime, to make up for the crushing disappointment of the continuing hiatus, we have another opportunity to sing in front of the Trafalgar Square Christmas Tree this December.

Read more: Christmas comes but once a year, as does the invitation to sing with us…

And what could be more Christmassy than singing motets and carols in such an iconic space on Christmas Eve itself!

That’s right, our slot is Sunday, December 24th, between 3pm & 4.30pm and once again we’ll be exploring works by Palestrina, Victoria, Praetorius (and of course Bach) among others, interspersed with traditional Christmas carols.

Last year, an intrepid bunch of you turned up and sang through wind and driving rain, and while I’m hopeful that the weather this year will be kinder, I must ask that you only sign up if you’re committed to coming along come what may.

(And if you sadly can’t make it then there’s no need to let me know!)

Please use the form below to register and I’ll be back in touch with details in the next few days.

Cheers

Kevin

Other opportunities for singing this December (and beyond)

Thank you to everyone who has kindly agreed to sing at our Trafalgar Square set this coming Sunday (there’s still time to sign up if you fancy some singing carols interspersed with Victoria, Palestrina, Bach and of course Gumpelzhaimer!).

You might also be interested in a couple of other drop-in groups who provide opportunities to sing Renaissance repertoire.

The London Motet & Madrigal Club, a singing group with a venerable 80 year history, are next due to meet this coming Saturday evening (December 17th) in the City of London, with a line-up that includes Guerrero, Byrd and Handl among many others. They meet regularly once a month throughout the year and you can pay to participate on a per session or annual basis.

(Just as we went to press, the LMMC cancelled their December 17th event but they’ll be back in 2023!)

If you’d like the chance to sing this music in a liturgical setting then look no further than the Lisson Grove Choir at the Church of Our Lady, St John’s Wood, (youngsters in comparison with the LMMC, with a mere 50 years of history behind them!).

They invite competent sight-singers to join them for performances of Renaissance masses and motets at services throughout the year. You can next join them to sing Victoria, Rore, Palestrina and Praetorius at Midnight Mass on December 24th and/or Byrd, Victoria and Morales on Christmas Morning. (Such treats!)

Full details for both groups can be found via their websites (links above) so do get in touch with them if interested.

Cheers

Kevin

Let’s try that again, shall we?

Can you believe it’s almost a year since I ruined literally everyone’s Christmas by reluctantly having to cancel our carols at Trafalgar Square?

So here’s a bit of early seasonal joyousness for you – we’ve blagged a spot again this year and this time I promise it’s going ahead, rain, snow or bubonic plague! (Cheery.)

The date is Continue reading Let’s try that again, shall we?

Can you believe it’s almost a year since I ruined literally everyone’s Christmas by reluctantly having to cancel our carols at Trafalgar Square?

So here’s a bit of early seasonal joyousness for you – we’ve blagged a spot again this year and this time I promise it’s going ahead, rain, snow or bubonic plague! (Cheery.)

The date is Continue reading Let’s try that again, shall we?

Seasonal singing on the South Coast

As promised, we’re putting on another Christmas Special down in Brighton, on Sunday December 22nd.

Booking goes live via this link at midday this coming Sunday (December 15th). You most definitely will not want to miss it, so get those mouse fingers ready.

By the way, a few PDtP London folk have expressed interest in coming along, so just to confirm, everyone is very welcome to join in the festive fun. (You might even want to make a day of it and enjoy the marvellous Christmas shopping opportunities that Brighton affords – there are many superb independent shops are within a pebble’s throw of the venue, which also happens to be next to the station.)

Speaking of London folk, thanks again to all who came along to last week’s London Christmas Special. Through your generosity we raised over £300 for the Choir with No Name.

Apologies to those who were hoping for London carol singing opportunities this week. Despite our best efforts we just couldn’t secure a suitable location. However, there is a slim chance that we might be able to do something in Central London in the early evening of Monday the 23rd. Very close to Christmas I know, but bear it in mind if you are still going to be in town as our public carol/motet singing is always a highlight of the season. 

Full details to follow if/when we have confirmation.

Cheers

Kevin

Many Happy Returns of the Day! (or How in the heck has this nonsense been going on for 5 years?)

5 years ago today, almost to this very minute, I was sitting very much alone in the large, empty room upstairs at the Horse & Stables pub when I posted this tweet Continue reading Many Happy Returns of the Day! (or How in the heck has this nonsense been going on for 5 years?)