This term we are having fun learning a medley of songs from the 1965 musical drama 'The Sound of Music'. The Sound of Music story is based on Maria von Trapp's memoir The Story of the Trapp Family Singers, published in 1949 to help promote her family's singing group following the death of her husband Georg in 1947.

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Originally written in 1963 during a particularly cold New York winter, John and Michelle Philips wrote this song about the warm and sunny summers of California. The song was released in late 1965 by the Mamas and the Papas, reaching only number 2 on the UK charts.  It wasn't until it was used in a commercial for a lager in 1997 (can you remember which one??), that it re-charted in the UK, reaching number 9.

This haunting Irish folk song was named after the town of the same name. The songs origins are disputed, but it was lifted from obscurity in 1965 by Dominic Behan and has since become a favourite with singers of all genres. 

Read more about this songs history and listen to some interpretations at Carrickfergus Traditional 

'Ave Maria' in Latin means 'Hail Mary' the origin of the text is clouded in mystery, but it has famously been set to music many times. We do know that in 1825 Schubert composed a seven song work, based on Sir Walter Scott's poem 'The Lady of the Lake', the opening words of the third song are 'Ave Maria'. In 1940 Disney used it in the animated film Fantasia. Listen to some of the most well known interpretations of this at 

Ave Maria