A centenary concert is being held on Friday to celebrate the life of a remarkable composer buried in Hampsthwaite.
Amy Woodforde-Finden’s music was much sought-after at the turn of the last century but her reputation fell into obscurity following her death in 1919.
Her Kashmiri Love Song inspired films, novels and even perfumes. Rudolph Valentino recorded the song in 1923.
A white marble recumbent memorial to Amy was unveiled in St Thomas a Becket Church on April 15, 1923. On the same day, the vicar’s daughter Geraldine Peck sang White Sentinels.
Amy’s marble memorial in Hampsthwaite
Thomas Flessenkaemper, the former director of music for the benefice of Hampsthwaite, Killinghall and Birstwith, returned to Hampsthwaite on Saturday for a re-enactment of the unveiling exactly 100 years on.
The German composer and pianist, who started the Amy Woodforde-Finden Music Festival last year before suddenly leaving his post, and soprano Tilly Eustace-Forrest performed while a wreath of white irises was placed on the tomb.
Saturday’s memorial event
Mr Flessenkaemper and the mezzo-soprano Patricia Hammond will join local musicians to perform Amy’s songs in a concert at Hampsthwaite’s Memorial Hall on Friday.
The Kashmiri Love Song is among the songs on the programme.
The event will have the informal feel of an Edwardian soirée type event with wine and canapés at candle-lit tables. Tickets cost £8 and can be booked here.
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Hampsthwaite volunteers clear-up after tree falls in churchyard
Volunteers arrived at a Hampsthwaite churchyard today to clear debris left after a tree was urgently felled.
The centuries-old tree splintered during Storm Malik on Friday night, luckily avoiding graves in the cemetery at St Thomas a Becket Church.
But with some of the tree remaining, and Storm Corrie approaching, the decision was taken yesterday to fell the rest of it urgently in case it was blown over and damaged the graves.
Fortunately Darley tree surgeon Ross Hanley was able to fulfil the task before the winds picked up last night.
The clear-up operation of the fallen tree began today.
Today about 15 volunteers including a group from Community Payback, an initiative whereby offenders help with projects in their local communities, joined the clean-up operation.
Lead volunteer and Hamspthwaite resident Geoff Howard said:
“Ross Hanley was here to look at a tree that fell during Storm Arwen only a few weeks ago and he saw how close this one was to falling.
Luckily the branch that came down on Friday night fell between graves but if the full tree had fallen it could have caused damage to dozens and dozens of graves.”
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The graveyard has over 3,000 plots. The church also has a public right of way running through it.
Mr Howard said it would have been too dangerous to leave the tree in such a precarious position because of the risk it posed to people and the churchyard.
He thanked volunteers for dealing with the debris today and hoped the clean-up operation would be completed by the end of the day.