RAUCOUS Christmas carols banished from churches by the Victorians are to appear on CD for the first time, thanks to a Malvern choir.

Vital Spark is committed to resurrecting West Gallery music and believes its new CD, There Were Shepherds, could well be the first of its kind.

The 18th Century genre takes its name from galleries erected in churches to accommodate singers and musicians, later replaced by organs and choirs as they still are today.

"It's pretty loud, raucous stuff, which is probably why the vicars threw it out of their churches," said Graham Davies, a member since its inception.

"The musicians at the time were there to make sure the singers stayed together, because none of them could read, and there was often quite a lot of conflict between the musicians and the clergy.

"The choir would be down one end of the church, and the vicar would be down the other, so he wouldn't be able to control what was going on.

"Records show that one vicar left the church and went round all the pubs in the village and asked them not to serve the band, who then went and whitewashed all his windows!

"Of course, we don't do that now, but we do continue the tradition of being relaxed and informal. It's a lot of fun."

The CD comes as the group enters its 10th year. It has spent that time compiling and perfecting repertoire gained from manuscripts found in a range of places, from county offices to second-hand stores to Hardy manuscripts in Dorset County Museum.

The ensemble can be heard at Christchurch, Avenue Road, Malvern, tonight (Friday) from 8pm. Admission is £3. It will also sing in West Malvern Village Hall on December 19, and at Clodoch Church, near Abergavenny, on December 30.

n The CD is available from Malvern Hills Gallery or Vital Spark c/o Julia Davies, 6 Eston Avenue, Malvern, WR14 2SR.