Sir Malcolm Arnold once described Cornwall as “a land of male voice choirs, brass bands, Methodism, May Days and Moodey and Sankey hymns”. Cornwall has certainly been blessed with many excellent and well-known choirs, not least those which were from the area known as the Clay District. But, like the world of the brass band, we no longer have the strength in depth we once enjoyed.

Being a member of a choir needs as much musical ability and dedication as any other aspect of music making but it does have the clear advantage of not involving having to buy an instrument: practice can be undertaken at any time – even at work! The instrument of choice is forever with you, primed and ready to go.

In its heyday, those wishing to sing had a wide choice of which choir to join, perhaps only restricted by distance and mode of transport. Every community had its own choir accompanied by its faithful group of supporters. These choirs had an unrivalled place at the countless secular and religious events until, of course, the point when music was beamed into our living rooms or improved transportation made it possible to attend the grander venues.

In this part of the Music from the Clay Country project we include what we know of the Clay Country choirs: their important milestones and the type of events they graced with their presence. We have drawn on the work of Barry Hawken, musical director of the IMERYS Mid-Cornwall Male Voice Choir and he has our appreciation for the work he has undertaken in researching and recording this permanent record of the choirs of the Clay Country.