Power To The People
Moving on from our theme of peace in part 4, this year marks the 100th anniversary in the UK of women receiving the right to vote for the first time. The group of people that called for this change in the law were the women’s suffrage movement. This is the topic for ‘Meet the Songs’ part 5 and our special medley tribute in our ‘Power To The People’ show. We’ll be performing this on Sunday 18th November at The People’s Theatre in Heaton, Newcastle.
The Suffragette Medley – The March of the Women & Bread And Roses
Anthem of the women’s suffrage movement.
Ethel Smyth – The March of the Women
Ethel Smyth was a member of the women’s suffrage movement and determined composer. She wrote the music for “The March of the Women” in 1910 and fellow suffragist Cicely Hamilton wrote the lyrics. It became the official anthem of the Women’s Social and Political Union (WSPU) and on to represent the wider movement. The song featured at rallies and was sung by hunger striking prisoners. The description in the press at the time was a hymn that turned into a call to battle.
Smyth gave up music for two years to dedicate herself to the women’s suffrage cause. She responded to Emmeline Pankhurst’s call in 1912 to break windows in the houses of politicians against women voting. The arrest of over a hundred women followed, including Pankhurst and Smyth, and they served time in Holloway Prison. A well known rendition of the march reportedly took place in the prison courtyard. The women prisoners sang as Ethel Smyth conducted them with a toothbrush from a window above! This song forms the first part of Sing United’s medley in homage to the women’s suffrage movement.
Judy Collins – Bread And Roses.
The second song in our medley is “Bread and Roses” which as well as a political slogan is a well known poem and song. Inspired by a speech by women’s suffrage campaigner, Rose Schneiderman, James Oppenheim wrote the now famous poem. One of the lines of the speech was “The worker must have bread, but she must have roses, too.” It became a well know slogan for women and often associated with the textile strike in Lawrence, Massachusetts in 1912 led in the main by women. The slogan appealed for fair wages and dignified conditions for workers.
Set to music several times over the decades, firstly Martha Coleman and then in the seventies by Mimi Farina. It was this later version recorded by Judy Collins that we have based our medley on. This year the song featured in a video by abortion rights campaigners encouraging young Irish people living abroad to come #HomeToVote in the Referendum.
Marking the Centenary
The Representation of the People Act passed in the House of Commons in June 1917 and soon after in the House of Lords. The first election after this new bill allowing women to vote took place in late 1918. This was alongside the Parliament (Qualification of Women) Act passed in November 1918. A hundred years on from this act allowing us to elect women into parliament, Sing United will take to the stage with our tribute to the movement with “The Suffragette Medley”.
A Special Celebration
In addition to our show at The People’s Theatre, Sing United will be marking the significance of Gateshead-born suffragette Kathleen Brown. With her mother and sisters she was an active member of the WPSU. She demonstrated regularly and protested for women’s votes and equal rights. Kathleen was arrested on numerous occasions and was one of the first hunger strikers in Britain. She was released from prison on 19th July 1909 and greeted by five carriages decorated in suffragette colours at Newcastle Central Station. A special welcome was arrange in her honour. A procession with a band accompanied Miss Brown to the Turks Head Hotel where a reception tea was held for her. Two meetings were arranged in the Haymarket before and after the tea. This gave Kathleen the chance to recall her experience of seven days in the cells and four days on hunger strike.
As a tribute to Kathleen Brown and the strong North East connection to our medley we have arrange two special performances. On Saturday 10th November at 10:30am Sing United will be singing at Newcastle Central Station. We will then make our way to Newcastle Haymarket for a second performance at around 11:30am. We’d love to see you there!
