Dear Readers, some people have splendid singing voices, and some do not, and I fear that I come into the latter category. However, Christmas is (or should be) a time for forgiveness, and so today I shall be celebrating the Winter Solstice by bellowing my head off at the Carol Concert in St Michael’s Church, Highgate. My friend S will be singing in the choir, and hopefully they will be loud enough to cover up any bum notes on my part.
The carols that I love most, though, are the very old ones. There’s the Coventry Carol, probably the most melancholy of all the carols as it tells of Herod’s Massacre of the Innocents. I’m usually weeping too much to sing along with this one, which is hardly festive, but if you’re up for it you can listen here. It originated in the 16th century, and was originally performed during the Coventry Mystery Plays.
The Coventry Carol – full lyrics
Lully, lullay, thou little tiny child,
Bye bye, lully, lullay.
Thou little tiny child,
Bye bye, lully, lullay.
O sisters too, how may we do
For to preserve this day
This poor youngling for whom we sing,
“Bye bye, lully, lullay?”
Herod the king, in his raging,
Chargèd he hath this day
His men of might in his own sight
All young children to slay.
That woe is me, poor child, for thee
And ever mourn and may
For thy parting neither say nor sing,
“Bye bye, lully, lullay.”
Interestingly, according to that font of all knowledge ‘Classics FM’, the song would have been heard in a different way in Medieval times – we associate the minor key with sadness and the major key with joy, but it may have been the other way round then. Which leads me to another question – how innate is our interpretation of music, and how much of it is cultural? I find it difficult to imagine anybody listening to The Coventry Carol without feeling a trace of sadness, plus the massacre of children was presumably never something to be delighted about.
Onwards! Howsabout the Wexford Carol? This seems to me beautiful but celebratory. Have a listen here.
And then there are the jolly carols. How about ‘In Dulci Jubilo‘, made famous by Mike Oldfield of Tubular Bells fame, but actually another Medieval carol, originally sung in a mixture of German and Latin – the term for something written in a mixture of languages is ‘macaronic’. Who knew?
And I love ‘Past Three O’Clock‘, originally based on the calls of the London watchmen who would announce the hours as they did their rounds. I suppose this one pleases me because, as far as I know, it’s the only London carol (though let me know if you can think of any!)
I wonder if I’m alone in not much liking a lot of the ‘big hitters’ of a carol concert? I’m not a great fan of ‘Once in Royal David’s City‘, which always seems to me like a bit of a dirge. ‘Oh Little Town of Bethlehem‘ and ‘Silent Night‘ don’t do it for me either, although the latter is undeniably beautiful – maybe it’s just too familiar? I love the challenge of ‘Hark the Herald Angels Sing‘ as it gets higher and higher until audible only by any passing bats who are unfortunate enough not to be hibernating. ‘Oh Come All Ye Faithful ‘ is a bit of a belter for sure’, and ‘The Holly and The Ivy’ is a good ‘un though it somewhat depends on which tune we’re singing along to (this one or this one). I rather like the jauntiness of the second one, but see what you think. ‘Good King Wenceslas‘ is a great story, though the poor page fainting in the snow, heated only by his master’s footsteps, sounds like a bit of servant abuse to me. Anyway, enough! I shall report back on this afternoon’s event – I have it on good authority that there is at least one very interesting piece that I’m not familiar with, and that at least is part of the fun.
And let me know what you like to listen to at this time of year – not just carols, but winter music of all kinds. The year is turning, but there’s a way to go yet!
This is the first Christmas season that I am aware of there being no muzak in the shopping mall I visited in our nearest city – it felt odd and yet peaceful. Our local shops have never played music. I enjoy listening to a variety of carols and other Christmas music on my laptop.
I wonder what’s happened to the Muzak? Everywhere I go it’s like aural wallpaper….
I too love singing carols and particularly like the Coventry Carol. I’ve just been down the YouTube rabbit hole listening to different choirs and versions of it – Voces8 do a really beautiful rendition.
Voces8 are great, I’ve posted a few links to them for tomorrow’s blog….
In our family it is ‘Good King Wenceslas’. When my daughter aged 2 first heard the carol her younger brother, Stephen, was a few months old. She insisted that the king and his page set out on the Feast of Elizabeth and she still sings this and is now in her early 40s!
I love those family stories!
I’m not sure about that 2nd version of the Holly and the Ivy, it seems a bit contrived to me. I’m not a singer either. At junior school, I was the only boy in our class NOT to be in the choir. I couldn’t hit a note if I tried! But it’s all about the participation! Probably because of that, I can’t say I have a favourite carol. But Christmas isn’t Christmas until I’ve heard Last Christmas by Wham. (Another melancholy song which seems very popular!) Last year I don’t think I heard it at all until nearly Christmas Day, but this year, I can’t get away from it! I’m almost singing it in my sleep! And, of course, the video always takes me back… (Sigh!)
I loved ‘Wham’ too….George Michael was a secret benefactor for Childline, where I was Finance Manager for a while. One year he gave over £1m, bless him.
I think I like ALL carols. Away in a Manger is perhaps my least favourite. I like In the Bleak Midwinter and It Came Upon a Midnight Clear. Oh Holy Night is spine tingling in some versions (and turgid in others). Enjoy your carol service. I’ve been to two already, one in a cathedral one in a very tiny ancient no-longer-used church.
Yep I like ‘In the Bleak Midwinter’ too, I only realised recently that the words are by Christina Rosetti!
Back in the day, when I was still so very excited about Christmas as to wake up first in the family, I used to like to go to the piano and belt out as loudly as possible “Christians Awake!” (Christians Awake, Salute The Happy Morn (Huddersfield Choral Society))
Probably put the family off that for life …
You sound like a wonderful child, Rosalind – I remember asking Mum and Dad if it was ‘light outside’ from about 4 a.m. as that it needed to be light before we could open our presents. My brother played the trumpet, I’m sorry we didn’t think of a suitable Christmas anthem!
I hope you enjoyed the concert in Highgate. My sister and I sang at Christmas concerts organised by our dad from quite an early age (whether we liked it or not!) and he made us learn the words off by heart. We didn’t always understand what we were singing about, and “Past Three O’Clock” is a good example of that, as I thought that the line “Born is a baby, gentle as maybe” was about two babies, called Born and Maybe!
I love “O Little Town of Bethlehem”, because it has such powerful, evocative words: “Above thy deep and dreamless sleep, the silent stars go by … The hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight”. I don’t normally like poems full of “thy”s and “thee”s, but I’m willing to make an exception in this case. “In the Bleak Midwinter” is another of my favourites: Christina Rosetti’s words combine equally well with the meditative melody by Holst, and the soaring tune by Harold Darke – I never know which one I prefer.
Here in Cornwall, we have our own tunes to “While Shepherds Watched” and “Hark the Herald Angels Sing” (which we think are more inspiring than the usual ones!), as well as many home-grown carols. Some of these were sung in the streets of Penzance last night, when thousands of people turned out to celebrate the Winter Solstice (“Montol” in Cornish).
So interesting, Liz! We used to have alternative words to ‘We Three Kings of Orient Are’ (“One in a taxi, one in a car, one on a scooter, beeping his hooter, following yonder star) but then we were incorrigible. I love all the local variations on a theme at Christmas and the Solstice. Have a wonderful Christmas, and a happy and healthy New Year to you and yours xxx
Thank you Viv, and I hope you have a lovely Christmas too. We’re spending Christmas at my sister’s house on the Isle of Wight, where we’ll also be celebrating her birthday on the 27th and my husband’s on the 28th.
Well I’m afraid my two favourites are Once in Royal David’s City and O Little Town of Bethlehem!! I also like We Three Kings. More generally, my very favourite Christmas song is Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas….
It takes all sorts, Andrea! And yes, Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas is the perfect mixture of poignancy and hope…
I love the Holly and the Ivy. I’d never heard the second version and disliked it immediately! Other traditional carols I like include Good King Wenceslas and Carol of the Bells. I’m not familiar with the other pieces you posted.
But I must say, when I look at my Christmas playlist, it’s mostly more modern songs. I’m not religious, so I think I prefer less Jesus content.
Some of my favorites are Tim Minchin doing White Wine in the Sun (as it is summer in Australia!), Christmas Time is Here by Vince Guaraldi, Leon Redbone’s That Old Christmas Moon, Jethro Tull’s Jack Frost and the Hooded Crow, and the entirety of pianist George Winston’s album December.
Thanks for the list, I shall have to have a look over Christmas. I’m always happy to find some new Christmas music!
The whole album that the Vince Guaraldi Trio did for A Charlie Brown Christmas in 1965 is wonderful.