This is a rather late November blog. November has been marked by several things, one of the more enjoyable is that I have been singing in two choirs, which has been fantastic. At the beginning of November singers from a variety of churches in the area got together to sing for a service at Easingwold Parish Church to celebrate All Souls. We sang the Faure Requiem and an anthem based on Psalm 39 "Let me know mine end and the number of my days", interspersed with prayers and readings suitable for All Souls Day. Then on the 30th of November, St Andrew's Day, the Easingwold Singers put on a concert in the parish church. I was a bit disconcerted that this was before the first Sunday in Advent, yet we were singing Christmas motets and carols, but nevertheless, we did. Evidently the Parish Church is so booked up this was the only date we could have. So this month's blog is to remind you to join in "with heart and soul and voice" when you hear Christmas carols and music in the coming season of Advent. So what is your preference ? "I'm dreaming of a white Christmas ?" or a robed cathedral choir ? You will no doubt hear a wide variety played out in shops and markets, schools and churches and pubs, in fact just about everywhere. There will be school children, brass bands, community choirs of old and young, all singing and making music this Christmas time. This picture is called "Choir Boys" by William Frederick Yeames [1835 - 1918] at the Ulster Museum, on the Art Uk website, and I am using a variety of paintings to illustrate this blog from Art Uk. This lovely picture brings to mind "Once in Royal David's City" [you will be humming along as you read this] to the tune "Irby". It is not that old, written by Cecil Frances Alexander 1812 - 1895 [yes she was female and called Cecil]. She wrote lots and lots of hymns for children, another is "All things bright and beautiful, all creatures great and small". Which was pinched as a title by a local vet ... This carol traditionally starts the Christmas Eve service from King's College, Cambridge. We think of this service of nine lessons and carols as being a very old tradition, but it is not, only going back to 1918, and first broadcast in 1928. So traditions can be started at any time and held dear. This is called "Monks singing" by Egbert van Heemskerch [ 1634 - 1704 ] at the FitzWilliam Museum. Did they sing carols ? One of our more ancient carols is "The Coventry Carol" which was part of a Mystery Play which acted out stories from the Bible interspersed with songs. Not many survive, but the York mystery plays are played in the City every four years. Each part of the story was acted by a different trade guild or company. The Coventry Carol tells the story of the Massacre of the Infants by Herod's soldiers and was sung by the Shearmen and Tailors. Traditionally particular trades represented certain parts of the story, for example the Goldsmiths would tell the story of the Three Kings. The Coventry Mystery Plays were seen by Queen Margaret, wife of Henry IV in 1456 and by Richard III in 1484 and by Henry VII in 1492 (notes in Oxford Book of Carols). A sad tune with some dissonant chords reminds us of the sorrow of this part of the Christmas story. This picture is called "A girl singing ballads by a Paper Lanthorn" by Henry Robert Morland [1716 - 1797] Tate Gallery. I am sure that she would also know some carols. The origin of the term "carol" is a dance, and in particular a ring dance where all the dancers were arranged in a ring or circle. Thus it was something of the ordinary people, and something full of joy. "Tomorrow shall be my dancing day: I would my true love did so chance; To see the legend of my play, To call my true love to my dance" is a very jolly carol with a dancing rhythm which tells the story of Jesus from Christmas to Easter. There are carols for all the seasons of the year, but now we just remember the ones associated with Christmas. And in contrast to the young girl this picture is called "An old woman singing" by Gerrit Dou [1613 - 1675] The Wilson Art Gallery, Cheltenham. What would she sing ? Which side of the Reformation was she on ? Carols were sung by all until the Puritans did away with them. But they did not disappear completely, but went underground and were absorbed into folk songs and ballads that mixed together parts of the Christmas story and myths and legends. (Did three ships really sail into Bethlehem ? so far from the sea ....?) Some incorporated Latin words with the narrative of a story. "In dulci jubilo" mixes Latin and English together with a fine tune that makes you want to tap you feet and dance. A carol that alternates Latin and English (or other languages) is called "Macaronic". A lot of hymns books have the tune to the words by John Mason Neale [1818 - 1866] Good Christian men rejoice, With heart and soul and voice. These three are certainly putting their heart and soul and voice into their singing. This picture is called "Three Boors Carousing" Dutch school, in York Art Gallery. Compare with the monks above ! I hope that they had something to eat as well. Christmas is also associated with feasting and one carol that seems to have little to do with the Nativity story is The Boar's Head Carol. The boar's head as I understand is the finest dish in all the land / which thus bedecked with a gay garland / let us servire cantico / Caput apri defero/ Reddens laudes Domino. Which, so the tale tells, originates from Oxford where a student was walking near Shotover Hill studying his Aristotle and was attacked by a wild boar. He was saved by thrusting his text book into the boar's jaws. Since then a Boar's head has been carried into Queen's College every Christmas. How will this survive the Vegan Revolution ????? I just wanted to put this picture in because I like it. "Three cats singing" by Louis Wain [1860 - 1939] part of the Wellcome Collection. But animals have quite a part to play in the Christmas Story, the donkey, the cattle lowing, the sheep on the hillside, the camels. what would Christmas be without them ? It was St Francis of Assisi who brought the story of the stable into the church with real animals and hay to demonstrate how God came among us. So perhaps you may remember Nina and Frederick's "Little Donkey, little donkey , on a dusty road / Got to keep on plodding onwards / with your precious load / Ring out those bells tonight / Bethlehem .... etc I hope you are humming it now. This picture is called "Halifax Church choir practising at the "Ring O' Bells" Inn" by Thomas Farrer [active 1796 - 1811] Calderdale Council collection. I wonder if any of my ancestors are in this picture ? In the eighteenth century there were hardly any new Christmas carols written, but they flourished underground with very particular regional tunes and variations on words. In parts of the West Riding of Yorkshire and Derbyshire there is still a strong tradition of singing carols in pubs, and some are only known in a particular region. Others have common words but different tunes. One carol that was written in the eighteenth century is "While Shepherds watch their flocks by night" by Nahum Tate [1652 - 1715] which appeared about 1705. Unfortunately most people sing it to a dreadful tune called "Winchester Old" when there are far better and jollier tunes. Most Methodists like "Lyngham" which involves a lot of repeating lines, but even better is the tune of "On Ilkley Moor baht 'at". I love regional variations on familiar songs. This picture is called "Choristors" by Thomas Saunders Nash [1891 - 1968] in the Leicester Council collection. The Romantic Revival of the 19th century brought Christmas carols and carol services into fashion, and they have never gone away since then. "O little town of Bethlehem" by Bishop Philip Brooks [1835 - 1893] has more than one tune but is most often sung to "Forest Green", an English folk tune called "The Ploughboy's dream" collected by that great collector of folk tunes, Ralph Vaughan Williams [1872 - 1958]. O little town of Bethlehem, how still we see thee lie ... "The Choir Boys of St Paul's School" by J Titley, 19th century, in the Shipley Art Gallery, has a naive quality about it, there is both the innocence and the mischief of youth captured in their faces, and they are enjoying a good sing. I think that they could manage "Ding dong merrily on high" which needs a lot of breath and a pair of steps to get up to the high notes. The tune is 16th century French, and the words that we sing were written by George Ratcliffe Woodward [1848 - 1934] who liked bell ringing, hence the Ding Dong ...... Anyone who knows Richmond will recognise this straight away. !T'owd 'oss" or The Old Horse by Bill Ward which is in Richmond Town Hall. I will so miss seeing T'owd 'oss and hearing the song this Christmas Eve, I just might come back especially. This carries on the grand tradition of Wassailling. The Wassail was a wish - Wass Hail - good health - and groups of people went around their locality singing and acting out little plays in return for gifts of money or food and drink. In Richmond there is a group who dress up as huntsmen and have an old horse about which they sing a song then beat it ! Rather gruesome, but it is a Tradition and Christmas Eve would not be the same without it ! A more traditional wassailling song - Here we come a wassalling / among the leaves so green / here we come a wandering/ So fair to be seen / Love and joy come to you / And to you your wassail too/ And God bless you and send you a Happy New Year / And God send you a Happy New Year. Easingwold Parish Church which has a fantastic acoustic and is a delight to sing in. I am so glad that I have joined a choir. After a life time of singing in many different places, you would perhaps think that there is not much new to learn, but yes there is. I will end this blog with some word by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow [1807 - 1882]. We sang these words yesterday. The words were written in 1863 and are his reflection on the American Civil War. They have not gone out of date. I hope that you have enjoyed the pictures from the Art Uk website and have hummed along to some lovely carols.
I heard the bells on Christmas Day Their old, familiar carols play, And wild and sweet , The words repeat Of peace on earth, good-will to men! And thought how, as the day had come, The belfries of all Christendom Had rolled along The unbroken song Of peace on earth, good-will to men! Till ringing, singing on its way, The world revolved from night to day, A voice, a chime, A chant sublime Of peace on earth, good-will to men! Then from each black, accursed mouth The cannon thundered in the South, And with the sound The carols drowned Of peace on earth, good-will to men! It was as if an earthquake rent The hearth-stones of a continent, And made forlorn The households born Of peace on earth, good-will to men! And in despair I bowed my head; "There is no peace on earth," I said; "For hate is strong, And mocks the song Of peace on earth, good-will to men!" Then pealed the bells more loud and deep: "God is not dead, nor doth He sleep; The Wrong shall fail, The Right prevail, With peace on earth, good-will to men."
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AuthorThis is where you can share creativity with me. I believe that everyone has something creative within them, and it is a joy to find ways of being creative. Blogging is NEW to me, so here goes ..... Archives
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