Whilst this now forms part of the South African national anthem it was adopted as an anthem by the black population and was sung in defiance of apartheid. There are several versions of the words depending on the place and occasion. Our version is sung in the Xhosa dialect.

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Two well-loved hymns combined into one uplifting song.

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A Christian hymn published in 1779 with words written by an Anglican minister called John Newton. In his earlier life, before converting to Christianity, he had been pressed in to the Royal Navy after which he became a slave trader. Not the best of starts for a vicar. It was during a storm at sea, apparently, when he was in danger of losing his life that he called out to God for deliverance. His subsequent survival is supposed to have been the inspiration for Amazing Grace.

From the musical “West Side Story”. In the 1961 film version Bernardo sings of the anti-immigrant prejudice, whilst Anita sings in favour of the United States. In our version we sing about the attractions of the US as seen through the eyes of the Puerto Rican girls.

Made popular by Elvis Presley when he began to use it as part of his regular concert routine in the 70’s. It’s a medley of three 19th century songs. “Dixie” is a minstrel song that became an unofficial anthem of the Confederacy, “All my trials” – originally a Bahamian lullaby but closely related to African/American spirituals, and “The Battle Hymn of the Republic” – the marching song of the Union Army during the American civil war.

This is from the musical “Chess” and is based on the rivalry between the American and Russian chess grand masters during the Cold War era. In the musical the Russian defects and the song reflects the love for his homeland where he declares that even though he may have crossed borders his heart is still in the Motherland.

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From the opera "Il Trovatore" by Giuseppe Verdi, this piece is more properly known as the Gypsy Chorus, and it depicts a group of Spanish Gypsies striking their anvils at dawn and singing the praises of hard work, good wine, and Gypsy women.

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Three great songs from the Fab Four: Here Comes the Sun (Harrison), If I Fell (Lennon/McCartney), and When I'm Sixty-Four (Lennon/McCartney). The irony of the last song title is not lost on our members, most of whom would give anything to be 64 again!

The Vietnamese term "bui doi" (dust of life) refers to vagrants in the city but following the musical, Miss Saigon, it came to popularly refer to AMERASIAN children left behind after the Vietnam war.

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Taken from the Welsh name for the Rhondda valley, this is a popular hymn tune written by John Hughes. It is probably better known as "Guide Me O Thou Great Jehovah" and is a favourite with Welsh rugby fans.

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A ballad set to an ancient Irish melody with the words being written in 1910 by a lawyer called Frederick Weatherly. It’s thought that his Irish sister-in-law sent him a copy of the Londonderry Air and he modified the lyrics to fit the tune.

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This is from the 1-act opera "Cavalleria Rusticana" set in a Sicilian Village on Easter Sunday. All is not well with one of the villagers, Santuzza, who has had an affair with a local boy, got pregnant, and the boy has run off with some-one else’s wife. The consequence of this is that Santuzza is not allowed in the church on Sunday morning. The Easter Hymn, one of the most famous pieces from the opera, is sung partly by the Church choir who are off stage, and by Santuzza who is on stage. We sing a specially arranged version for male voices by Alan Simmons.

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Is a welsh hymn of American origin. Gwahoddiad - the Welsh for invitation - was originally the English language gospel song “I am coming Lord”. The English words and tune were written in 1872 by an American Methodist minister – Lewis Hartshough. The Welsh version was translated by another Methodist minister, John Roberts and became so popular in Wales that, despite its American origin, it was believed to be indigenously Welsh.

Became a hit for the Hollies in 1969. The source of the title goes back to 1884 when James Wells , a minister in the Free Church of Scotland, told the story of a little girl carrying a big baby boy. When asked if she wasn’t tired, she replied “ No, he’s not heavy, he’s my brother”. In the 1940’s the words “he ain’t heavy, Father, he’s my brother” were taken as a slogan for the Boys Town children’s home in America, immortalised in the film “BoysTown”, starring Spencer Tracy and Mickey Rooney.

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This popular song was written for David Cassidy but made famous by Barry Manilow. His version reached No.1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and went on to win a Grammy Award for Song of the Year in 1977.

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The most popular song from the 1965 Broadway musical "Man of La Mancha". The song is sung by Don Quixote as he stands vigil over his armour and explains what he means by following “The Quest”.

The original version of Les Miserables opened in Paris in 1980, with music by Claude-Michel Schönberg and lyrics by Alain Boublil. The London production, with English lyrics by Herbert Kretzmer, opened in 1985 and has been running ever since. Our medley comprises: At the End of the day, Bring Him Home, Do You Hear the People Sing, I Dreamed a Dream and Stars.

This song was in French originally, and was written by Gilbert Becaud in 1955. The English version was recorded by the Everly Brothers in 1960 and was a big hit for them, and it has been recorded by many artists since then.

Written by Robert Williams back in 1817. He lived on Anglesey, not far from Llanfairpwyllgwyngellgogerichwyndrobwyllantisiliogogogoch which is why the hymn tune is abbreviated to Llanfair.

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The prayer that Jesus taught his disciples, when they asked him how they should pray. Most Christians know the prayer by heart in their own language, and it is used today by every Christian tradition.

Originally a Spanish love song, the English version was a big hit for the Ray Charles Singers in 1964, followed by by Karl Denver, The Bachelors, and Engelbert Humberdinck.

From the musical "Guys and Dolls", this song was sung by Sky, played in the film by Marlon Brando, as he gambles in a crap game with his cronies.

From the musical West Side Story with music by Leonard Bernstein and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and inspired by Shakespeare Romeo and Juliet. In the song Maria is sung by Tony, a former gang member of the Jets, who has fallen in love with Maria who is the sister of a rival gang leader of the Sharks.

Written by Henry Mancini and Johnny Mercer, it was originally performed by Audrey Hepburn in the film "Breakfast At Tiffany's" in 1961. It was later recorded by Andy Williams, and it became the theme tune of his much-loved tv series.

Probably better known by its opening line “When I survey the wondrous cross” was written by a man called Isaac Watts back in 1707. Watts was a Congregational minister, theologian and logician as well as being a prolific hymn writer, having written 750 hymns, many of which remain in use today.

From the musical “Sweet Charity” is probably one of the favourite songs of most male voice choirs.

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A classic pop song written by Amanda McBroom and made famous by Bette Midler who recorded it for the soundtrack of the film of the same name back in 1979.

An Italian song written by Tony De Vita, with English words by Hal Shaper, it was a hit for both Frank Sinatra and Matt Munro.

Written by Eric Clapton and Will Jennings, this song was written for the 1991 film "Rush", but is actually about the death of Clapton's 4-year old son.

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If you’re a fan of musical theatre you will know that this comes from the musical “South Pacific” and is sung by a bunch of brawny, bare-chested, love-lorn sailors; here you have to use your imagination. You may recall that Morecambe & Wise did a comic version of this in one of their Christmas shows. That was in 1977 – nearly 50 years ago.

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From the musical “Jekyll and Hyde”. In the story of Jekyll and Hyde, Dr Jekyll has created a potion which will totally change his character. In the song, before he drinks the potion, he reflects on what has gone before and his thoughts as to what will happen and , in his own words, “damn all the odds”.

An English children’s song and nursery rhyme intended to help children with their counting. Its origins are obscure with the earlist version appearing in a journal of folk music in 1937, written by a lady called Anne Gilchrist who learnt it from her nurse back in 1870.

Also known in English as the “Chorus of the Hebrew Slaves” this is from the opera "Nabucco" by Guiseppe Verdi. The opera tells the biblical story of the Israelites' exile from their homeland by the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar, and in this chorus the slaves sing “O mia patria si bella e perduta” – “O my country, so beautiful and lost”. We sing this in the original Italian.

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A New Zealand folk song describing life on board a whaling ship, whose crew long for the arrival of the Wellerman supply ship. Weller Brothers was a real trading company, based near Dunedin in South Island.

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A black spiritual, although it originated as a Christian hymn. It is often played by jazz bands and was famously recorded in 1938 by Louis Armstrong and his orchestra.

A song originally composed by an Irish-Norwegian duo called Secret Garden. The song has been recorded by more than a 100 artists and was popularised by the Irish band Westlife who recorded it in 2005.

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