About Lovesong in Harvest
About Lovesong in Harvest
Dedicated to my wife Cora, Lovesong in Harvest was first performed at our wedding in 1976.
This is what we looked like back then!
Lovesong... is a setting of the biblical love story of Ruth and Boaz - a story which seemed to us at the time to convey something important about personal relationships - and about marriage in particular - that we aspired to.
Straight after the performance, our church minister and friend Peter Lyne officiated as we took some of the words from the Book of Ruth and adapted them as our wedding vows.
In the 40 and more years since then, we have become no less convinced that the 3000 year old story of Ruth has something relevant to say to us in the 21st century.
The name Lovesong in Harvest was my father's idea,
after the classic book on Ruth by Geoffrey T. Bull entitled 'Love Song in Harvest: An Interpretation of the Book of Ruth.'
Our friends from Bristol University and Bristol Christian Fellowship, along with my brother and sister, made up the choir, band (hardly an orchestra!) and dancers in 1976.
This was the line-up of talent for the performance of Lovesong in Harvest at our wedding:
Soloists: Gill Thompson sang Naomi, my sister Sharon McDonald sang Ruth. (A singing part for Boaz was added later.)
Choir: (back row, left to right) Richard Burt, Lloyd Pietersen, Phil Yates, Chris Killen, Dave Day
(middle row, left to right) Jonathan Jelfs, Simon Markham, Graham Deakin, Ian Wilson, Jeremy Carruthers, Lynette Carruthers, Patti O'Shaughnessy
(Front row, left to right) Cora, Gillian Thompson, Annie McGuiness, Jean Deriaz, Clare Bower, Helen Ravens, Sharon McDonald, Sheila Pietersen, Linda Wilson (and behind her, we think Dee Roberts)
Dancers: Hazel Yates danced the part of Naomi, Linda Weaver was Orpah, John and Sally Birch played Boaz and Ruth, and Nic Harding was Chief Reaper.
Band: Ruth Smith - piano, David McDonald - cello, Steve Appel - violin, Neil McDonald - clarinet, Peter Cutts - tenor saxophone, and Dave McGuinness - drum kit.
We hope these snapshots from our wedding album will give all of them - our lifelong friends - a few wry smiles! (Thanks to Pete Brown for the photos!)
