Jeff Ellis

I have just finished reading the last part... As everyone has said, an absolute triumph. I know little about the world of dance, or perhaps I knew less than I do now, but... you brought it to life for me as a credible world. I knew of and admired the athleticism and dedication required and I liked the way that was the central theme... these boys, like Billy Elliot are not cissies! Well done, it shall become a classic. It deserves to be on the bookshelf of every ballet-school

This thread came back to me when I saw Rick's posting this morning... http://forums.awesom...?showtopic=7207 If you haven't seen it do go have a look... what inspired youngsters can achieve when challenged is remarkable. I suspect that each of them could hold an erudite conversation... if only about music... but that's a conversation that can last a lifetime.

Merkin put succinctly what I had been thinking as I read my way down the thread. For many years kids' thinking has revolved around Australian Soaps (sorry Des) and teenage romance. The state school systems worldwide have playgrounds full of kids for which the comment "I found the erudite academic discussions fascinating. Perhaps most boys aren't so glib" must be depressingly accurate. But... It wasn't always so. In the best of the old British grammar school system boys were quite sophisticated thinkers by 15 and I suspect this is still true in the better private schools. So... coming from the schools they do... I find them believable, even if they are wonderfully different to the bulk of their TV watching peers.

I think you may be wrong... the Vatican's wealth is the fulfilment of the gospel... "and from them that hath not shall be taken even that little that they hath"

I thought it delightful, he catches that moment of wonder so very well. Waiting single-handed for part 4 ;-)

As someone who grew up in the valleys... he makes me very proud!

Georgia Boys! and lots more... the next generation with While Shepherds

Mihangel has nailed it again, for me at least. His blend of confused innocence with undeniable lust and emotion is nicely handled. I enjoyed it immensely and I am sure that you will too. Oh yes, and you may need this when you get there...

This is a delightfully gentle tale, told with just the right degree of complexity, misunderstanding and misdirection. I enjoyed it immensely. Thank you Xavier.

That was brilliant. I keep meaning to get an emergency stop fitted to the pump, this may just have been what was needed

This is the opening carol. The soloist is told he is it about thirty seconds before he is cued in... three choristers are rehearsed but they dont know which of them it will be

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pWrMDd-_sp8

A beautifully crafted wholesome heart-warming story. Like Big Mama's Kitchen it's a worthwhile enterprise.

Also try YT searching for PCCB Each year they do a TV show (in France) working with very famous French singers. This is my favorite... the blond is so involved in what they are achieving

Damian McGinty! what a find! Thank you dude.

I found this "explanation" of the origins of the choir. Spread the word ... Wales has produced something special again. It's nearly as special as Torchwood (sorry Pecman! I stand corrected.)

The majority of what they sing consists of Nonconformist hymns sung in Welsh, together with Welsh popular songs such as Sosban Fach (also on Youtube). You Raise Me Up is a favorite solo piece for Brit choristers. Welsh male voice singing grew out of poverty. If a group of men want to make music (think late 19C slate workers and miners) then it is infinitely cheaper to set up a choir than an orchestra. They were and are immensely talented and popular as this young group prove today. Only Boys Aloud are a group of 14 to 19yo boys from the valley where I grew up. Their style follow a very powerful tradition in Wales of hymn singing at rugby matches. If you think Boys Aloud are powerful consider what 30,000 men can do at a rugby match! Here they are singing it in Welsh... the change of language alters the balance towards a more Welsh style, believe me :-)

Ha, Chris passed me on the inside! The choice of narrator and viewpoint was inspired. I remember being very conscious of my dog watching at inopportune moments when I was that age, so I found the device totally credible. I have a thing about boys having supportive mothers... maybe I should give their dogs more attention. Well done GeeW another triumph... it made me smile.

It's beautifully crafted. As a Brit it's difficult, maybe inappropriate even, to try to identify with what the Civil War means to Americans... but we have some parallels... the sixteen year old shot at dawn for cowardice in WW1, the bomber crews in WW2 the majority of whom were teenagers. I think we underestimate the innocent attraction war has for youngsters, the courage they are capable of and the damage that the reality of war can do to the unformed mind. Chris evokes all three beautifully. Like others... I just hope I have the grit to finish it. Well done.

Here are a couple of links to Suo Gan. When my old school in Wales held a reunion concert the show choir chose Rhythm of Life instead of Suo Gan to avoid all the old boys crying... to a Welshman it's a ... well its the first song I remember. My mother sang it to my baby sister, so go figure. this link is to one of England's best choristers

That was a remarkable ride. Thank you Brian! If I can get away with saying That J.J.Janicki's work reminds me of James Joyce at times, then I can try my luck by saying that this is Waiting for Godot for the post-nuclear age. A really remarkable achievement.

Yes, the parallel with W. Virginia is a good one. The communities faced the same hazards. I can remember once or twice there were big thumps in the floor, and then the siren would sound and you would hear the wives shouting to one another as they ran to the pithead for news... another kid in the school was headed for rough clothes and free dinners. I was glad that my Dad was an engineer in a much safer industry! Though no-one in the valleys would admit to it being a good thing, the mines are gone and Richard Llewellyn's valley is green again. Not only have the mines closed but there is absolutely no trace of them. I could only orientate myself in the view across the valley because amongst all the greenery there was a builder's yard that hadn't moved. Thank you guys, your words mean a lot coming from such established authors, authors that I personally admire.

Last year while watching Ronan Parks on youtube I clicked on another kid singing the same tune. It seemed to me that the difference between them was indeed how they moved from note to note rather than what they did with the notes themselves. You and Debussy are right... and if you think about the technology, you have almost certainly heard more music than he ever had the opportunity to hear... and that's quite a thought too

Thanks Chris, it still surprises me when people like what I have written. Yes the poverty was astonishing... miners were the aristocracy of South Wales... until they were injured or got lung diseases. For their children that could be disastrous. For the lucky ones the public library was a way to escape. I was lucky my father was an engineer... so I simply didnt fit. Oh dear, that sounds terribly serious... we were loved...we made our own fun... and we all survived.