School Carmen and other songs....

[Richard Ruck]

We don't have to give birth either, Jude.

Life's a b*gger, isn't it??

[midget]

Well that is IT!

Flippin SEX DISCRIMINATION!

GIRLS HAD TO LEAN THE CARMEN (7 VERSES of total RUBBISH)

BOYS - DIDN'T HAVE TO LEARN THEIR VOTUM (8th verse of our Carmen relating only to the MALE SPECIES)

RANT

Think that they did earlier than 1970 (in that there were people who seemed to know it). Probably just another case of Hertford leaving the C19th later....
Not sure if either those who were either good at Latin or singing had to learn it

No, everyone did. The younger ones had to learn it before they stsrted Latin, and also the B stream, who did German instead.

No JR, they didn't sing the Carmen in German!

[cj]

We were given the task of learning all the verses of the Carmen right at the start of my first year. I remember standing in the 6th form study at the front of 1s and reciting it to Hilary someone and Samantha Praed (?) certainly by half-term of the first term, and possibly within the first few weeks. We were all so terrified of being given some hideous punishment that we passed first time. Never did find out what the hideous punishment might have been. By the time we got to Horsham, it was so ingrained in us and was duly noted with some surprise, by our new male counterparts, that we knew it off by heart when they clearly didn't. Altogether everybody, "Unum concentum tollite ..".

[icomefromalanddownunder]

We don't have to give birth either, Jude.

Life's a b*gger, isn't it??

Nah, not really .........................

we don't have prostates

[icomefromalanddownunder]

We were given the task of learning all the verses of the Carmen right at the start of my first year. I remember standing in the 6th form study at the front of 1s and reciting it to Hilary someone and Samantha Praed (?) certainly by half-term of the first term, and possibly within the first few weeks. We were all so terrified of being given some hideous punishment that we passed first time. Never did find out what the hideous punishment might have been. By the time we got to Horsham, it was so ingrained in us and was duly noted with some surprise, by our new male counterparts, that we knew it off by heart when they clearly didn't. Altogether everybody, "Unum concentum tollite ..".

I reckon it was merely another way of exerting power and control over us.

I was never forced to learn the words of hymns or christmas carols: it was just fine to read those from A&M, yet I can remember the words of many: particularly those with stirring tunes

If we had been allowed to have a song sheet in our hands when singing Carmen (I don't remember it being called Votum, and may have skipped the messages which explain this) I am sure that before too many renditions we would have been looking straight ahead and happily singing the correct words, rather than bandeands.

[Great Plum]

I never had to learn the Votum whilst at school although I do recall it being sung once or twice. We used to play it as a marching band tune more often though...

[MKM]

I remember we all had to learn the carmen in our first year. We didn't start Latin till the second year, so I learnt it as strings of gibberish. I failed to recite it properly, so had to go on my own to Miss West, at the end of the week, and recite it on my own. Very scary.

This is my first post (thank you Mary Vincett for spotting me on Friends Reunited). I am really touched by what Alex and Liz said about me, earlier on the thread.

[Liz Jay]

Hello Mary

How lovely to "meet" you again!! This forum is quite remarkable, bringing old friends together in this way.

Friends ReUnited only lets you meet one person at a time so it's very labour-intensive and not nearly as much fun.

You'll find a fair sprinkling of ex-Sixes on here Mary. And some references to our "illegal mice" which should bring back memories for starters!!!!!

Love

[icomefromalanddownunder]

Mary!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Diana gave me your snail mail address some time ago, but I lost it when a work computer was replaced while I was away and some files mysteriously didn't transfer from one hard drive to the the other.

How are you????????????????????

Have you worked out personal messaging? It took me several attempts (with ensuing frustration for Liz and Munch), but I have it worked out now, and will pull my thoughts together and send you one.

Love


Caroline

[englishangel]

Welcome Mary.

I have posted elsewhere that I had spotted you.

viewtopic.php?p=48379&highlight=#48379

I hope you enjoy your self.

Incidentally, I remember you did 'computing' for A Level, does that mean you can understans all this stuff or do you not usually use it for such frivolous reasons?

[MKM]

Thanks for the welcome. I have been reading some of the old threads, and they bring back lots of memories.

I remember the mice. We bought the first one while Liz and I were at my house in Plumstead. I had spent most of the October holidays with Liz's family in Gutersloh. My mother was alarmed when I said we had a mouse - she thought we had caught it in the house. We kept the mice in large biscuit tin, until they were discovered.

I didn't to computing A level - not sure it existed then. But I did go, with Mr Mulholland and a small group of girls, to Haileybury to use their computing facilities. Haileybury didn't, AFAIR, actually have a computer. We typed our programs onto punched tape, and left them for the maths teacher to process at dead of night, when the rates were cheaper. We got the results the next week. One of mine was returned with an angry note - it had to be interrupted because it was taking too long to run.

Sorry if this is off topic.

[englishangel]

Thanks for the welcome. I have been reading some of the old threads, and they bring back lots of memories.

I remember the mice. We bought the first one while Liz and I were at my house in Plumstead. I had spent most of the October holidays with Liz's family in Gutersloh. My mother was alarmed when I said we had a mouse - she thought we had caught it in the house. We kept the mice in large biscuit tin, until they were discovered.

I didn't to computing A level - not sure it existed then. But I did go, with Mr Mulholland and a small group of girls, to Haileybury to use their computing facilities. Haileybury didn't, AFAIR, actually have a computer. We typed our programs onto punched tape, and left them for the maths teacher to process at dead of night, when the rates were cheaper. We got the results the next week. One of mine was returned with an angry note - it had to be interrupted because it was taking too long to run.Sorry if this is off topic.

Can you imagine that nowadays?

I didn't realise that some others went I always thought it was just you

[Katharine]

My experience of computing at Oxford in the late 60s was much the same. Undergraduates could not do any, but I learnt a couple of computer languages as an extra. If we wanted to try out a program, we had to claim it was Dr Smith's (or whatever) and deliver it to the Computer Centre (I can see the building but am not sure what it was called). Frequently on going to collect it the following day, we were told, 'Poor Dr Smith, he keeps on making elementary mistakes!'

[blondie95]

found this when searching for a line in the foundation hymn i couldn't remember! Thought it may help some of you clear up what it was

http://user.itl.net/~geraint/christshospital.html

[sejintenej]

found this when searching for a line in the foundation hymn i couldn't remember! Thought it may help some of you clear up what it was

http://user.itl.net/~geraint/christshospital.html

Seems to me there are a couple of errors in that site:

I gave up Latin after 2 minutes flat but it seems to me that the English translation of the Votum is in column 2 and not column 3 as the headings suggest. The Chern's words seem far further from the original.

Upcott's hymn - yes, I remember that but, like the Votum, never had to learn it.

The Grace before Meat seems too short but I cannot remember what it was, The other one might well be correct.

The Charge: the second paragraph was most definitely not used when I received my bible from Seaman.

We have already had a thread about changes to the first para of the Charge so I will comment no further on that aspect

The third of the prayers I recall vaguely but none of the others. Perhaps they arrived post my leaving.