The Snodgrass Requiem has been released through Walk & Write Publications at £10 and is available at St Olaves Bookshop, North Street, Chichester and at Shoreham Art Gallery where David will be signing copies on November 11 between 11am and 3pm.
David said: “I have published a number of fictional diaries of the adventures/misadventures of church choirs or church-based choirs, based on my experiences as a choir member and my experiences of choir leadership. These diaries – the most recent of which was The Muddlesfield Messiah in 2017 – have proved very popular especially with members and leaders of real choirs! "
David said: “I have published a number of fictional diaries of the adventures/misadventures of church choirs or church-based choirs, based on my experiences as a choir member and my experiences of choir leadership. These diaries – the most recent of which was The Muddlesfield Messiah in 2017 – have proved very popular especially with members and leaders of real choirs! "
Category
😹
FunTranscript
00:00 Good afternoon, my name is Phil Hewitt, Group Arts Editor for Sussex Newspapers, and it's
00:04 lovely to take a break at Peacehampton on a section of a gorgeous Sussex coastal walk
00:09 to talk to David Bathurst, my companion on this walk, about David's latest book now.
00:15 What's it called and when's it out?
00:17 Okay, it's called Snodgrass Requiem and it's out now.
00:21 And what's the gist? What's the story behind it?
00:24 Well, I've loved being a member of a church choir and various choral societies all my
00:30 life, and I've built up a huge fund of interesting experiences, things that have happened to
00:36 me, things that I've experienced in my membership of these groups, and I thought it would be
00:41 rather fun to incorporate some of them into a fictional diary charting the hapless hero's
00:49 attempts to get his choir to rehearse and then perform a newly discovered choral gem.
00:57 Now, who is your writer in this, your diarist?
01:00 My diarist is someone called David Braithwaite, that's his fictional name.
01:04 Does he have any relationship to you?
01:07 Shall we say there's a lot of me in him. It's not strictly biographical, autobiographical,
01:13 but there's still a fair amount of me in that, yes.
01:15 And it's just charting the fun and the adventures to be had through choral singing?
01:19 Absolutely. It's not a serious philosophical work, it's just a lot of fun, but I like to
01:23 think that a great many people who read it will recognise certain things, certain aspects
01:29 of modern life, certain aspects of choir membership, and it'll strike a chord with them.
01:34 And all the years I've known you, and years before no doubt, you've just absolutely loved
01:38 choral singing. What does it give you in your life?
01:41 Just a huge, huge enjoyment. It can be very therapeutic after a stressful day to be able
01:47 to sing, being with other people, enjoying their company, making great music with them,
01:52 and then performing it to people, so you've got the satisfaction of giving enjoyment to
01:56 them.
01:57 And this is book number how many, in how many years?
02:01 Around about 36 now, spanning the last, gosh, 30 years, 32 years.
02:07 And fabulous range of books, from walking guides to fiction.
02:12 That's right, fictional diaries, walking guides. One last year was a guide to exploring the
02:18 Bridalways of Sussex, which was very successful. Yes, there's always something new to write
02:23 about, something new to enjoy.
02:24 And where can people get the latest book?
02:26 Well, the best place to go is St Olav's Bookshop in North Street in Chichester. Bradley Smith
02:32 will see that you're well looked after, so pop along there, or get in touch with him
02:37 via their website. And yes, copies at £10 available now.
02:42 Fantastic. Well, congratulations on the latest book, and lovely to speak to you.
02:46 Lovely to speak to you as well, Phil.