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More often than not at Christmas, I find myself reaching for “Sing lullaby,” a modern carol text by Sabine Baring-Gould. If that name is familar to you, it may be because you know his carol “Gabriel’s Message” or, perhaps, his book on were-wolves.

The Director of Music of St. James Cathedral, Chicago, writes that this carol has become a regular feature of Christmas in that cathedral.

Particularly as Christmastide nears its end, it is fitting to look ahead to the whole of Jesus’ saving work, including his death and resurrection. This carol does that beautifully beginning in the second stanza.

The juxtaposition of the infant Jesus with his death is an affecting one. It appears in various places: the gift of myrrh at Epiphany, one elaborated in Peter Warlock’s carol, “Bethlehem Down”

Sing lullaby.
Lullaby baby, now reclining,
sing lullaby.
Hush, do not wake the infant King.
Angels are watching, stars are shining
over the place where He is lying:
sing lullaby.

Sing lullaby.
Lullaby baby, now a-sleeping,
sing lullaby.
Hush, do not wake the infant King.
Soon will come sorrow with the morning,
soon will come bitter grief and weeping:
sing lullaby.

Sing lullaby. 
Lullaby baby, now a-dozing, 
sing lullaby. 
Hush, do not wake the infant King.
Soon comes the cross, the nails, the piercing,
then in the grave at last reposing:
sing lullaby.

Sing lullaby.
Lullaby, is the babe awaking?
Sing lullaby.
Hush, do not stir the infant King.
Dreaming of Easter, gladsome morning.
Conquering death, its bondage breaking:
sing lullaby.

I am more familiar with the Willcocks arrangement of this tune (as I suspect many of us are), but it’s very good to spend some time with the original, too.

Labels: 12 Carols for Christmas, Christmas, Edgar Pettman, St James Cathedral (Chicago), Stephen Buzard, Warlock, Willcocks

In these days of Christmastide, we have been sharing a carol every day on the blog. It just so happens that, along the way, we’ve made a list of five carols that are in E minor that you should know!

1. God rest you merry, gentlemen - David Willcocks
   Come for a great tune. Stay for the three-part descant.
2. Personent hodie - Gustav Holst
   It's a tune so good that no one minds the whole thing is in Latin (although, yes, it can be sung in English, too)
3. What child is this - GREENSLEEVES
   The quintessential E minor carol. Or is it? What mode will you sing it in?
4. Make we joy now in this fest - William Walton
   Walton’s carols are second to none. This is his first.
5. The Oxen - Jessica French
   A newer, reflective carol.

BONUS: After beginning this list of five carols, we realized one in E minor had already made an appearance this Christmas: Dormi, Jesu - Jaebon Hwang—so let’s just call it six carols in E minor that you should know!

Labels: Christmas, Holst, Jaebon Hwang, Jessica French, Walton, Willcocks

With today’s carol we start building a list of “Five Christmas Carols in E minor That You Should Know”.

Come to think of it, this list could have started with Jaebon Hwang’s “Dormi, Jesu”, but it doesn’t. And so, we press forward into uncharted E minor territory.

If you asked 10 organists to name a Christmas carol in E minor (and believe me, I have), most of them would first name the David Willcocks arrangement of “God rest you merry, gentlemen”.

This carol has everything: a brief introduction of the melody in octaves, confusion about “you” versus “ye”, a gorgeous four-part arrangement of the carol that is deceptively difficult to accompany on the organ, an important and often-misunderstood comma in the first line, an unaccompanied stanza or two, a refrain with a triplet in it, and a three-part descant for SSA.

I can think of nothing more pleasureable to play on the organ that the final stanza of this carol, with its pedal point, melody in the left hand, and the right hand triads. It just feels and sounds like Christmas.

Labels: 12 Carols for Christmas, Christmas, Willcocks

Sinden.org published its traditional preview of the music list for the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols from King's College, Cambridge late last month..

For the days leading up to the service, we have been offer a Kalendar of Carols: a more in-depth look at each piece of music to be sung.

So far, we've covered the opening hymn, Bidding Prayer, In the bleak mid-winter – Harold Darke, Adam's Fall – Richard Elfyn Jones, Love came down at Christmas – arr. Stephen Cleobury, How shall I fitly meet thee – Bach, I saw three ships – arr. Ledger, Illuminare Jerusalem – Judith Weir, and the hymn "O little town of Bethlehem", A spotless rose – Herbert Howells, The Lamb – John Tavener, The Angel Gabriel – Pettman, The Linden Tree Carol – arr. Cleobury, this year's commissioned carol by Huw Watkins, and Can I not sing but hoy – Francis Jackson.

I find it a bit curious that the word "ye" appears in the title of this carol (and it's written this way on in the note on page 48 of this year's service booklet), but at least as far back as 1998 it has always been sung "you", as in "God rest you merry, gentlemen".

The short intro of the first phrase played on what sounds like the Choir Tromba is a hallmark of the singing of this carol at King's (listen here). At least, it's usually introduced that way. It has also been harmonized recently (listen here). It has also been introduced just on 8s and 4s (listen here).

But this quick intro is a reminder of how little we need to give for congregations to join in the singing of a familiar carol like this.

Then after that, the second stanza sung by the choir is a splendid thing. Likewise the fourth stanza. Certainly, the full congregation could sing the whole thing all the way through. But it gives the hymn (carol?) a nice texture, lets the words speak more intimately, and lets the Willcocks harmonies have center stage. Also, thinking about the perspective of the congregant, there's something so magnificently visceral about joining in the refrain after a stanza in harmony like that. It also sounds rather satisfying on the radio, which is a real consideration here.

The three-part descant is marvelous. And such restraint for it not to continue into the refrain. It's as we had after the a capella stanzas of the hymn, a visceral re-joining. It is surely a contender for best Willcocks descant.

Oh, by the way, it's sung a lot at this service.

Labels: Christmas, King's College (Cambridge), Lessons and Carols, Willcocks

Sinden.org published its traditional preview of the music list for the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols from King's College, Cambridge late last month..

For the days leading up to the service, we have been offer a Kalendar of Carols: a more in-depth look at each piece of music to be sung.

So far, we've covered the opening hymn, Bidding Prayer, In the bleak mid-winter – Harold Darke, Adam's Fall – Richard Elfyn Jones, Love came down at Christmas – arr. Stephen Cleobury, How shall I fitly meet thee – Bach, I saw three ships – arr. Ledger, Illuminare Jerusalem – Judith Weir, and the hymn "O little town of Bethlehem", A spotless rose – Herbert Howells, The Lamb – John Tavener, The Angel Gabriel – Pettman, The Linden Tree Carol – arr. Cleobury, and this year's commissioned carol by Huw Watkins.

Most years include music by Willcocks. If one considers the descants to the hymns, then it might be said that every year includes some Willcocks.

His "Away in a manger" was last sung in 2013. It was also sung in 1998, 2006, and 2012. In 2005 a different setting of this text was commissioned from John Tavener.

Labels: Christmas, King's College (Cambridge), Lessons and Carols, Willcocks

Number 4 will surprise you

By David Sinden
Sinden.org staff

I wrote an article about this yesterday, but my editor said it was tl;dr. Here's the cool kid version.

You can listen to a live broadcast recording of the 1962 Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols on Spotify. The service was directed by David Willcocks. Here's what to listen for.

1. The opening hymn: "Once in royal David's city"

Notice anything? Yes, it's the right hymn. Yes, it begins with a treble solo. But, wait, where's the descant? There isn't one.

The famous Willcocks descant may not have even been written yet. It bears a copyright date of 1970, eight years after this service took place.

2. The words really do rhyme in "God rest ye merry, gentlemen"

In the hymn "God rest ye merry, gentlemen" the word "wind" is sung to rhyme with "mind" in the lines of the third stanza, something which is not done at King's (or anywhere that we know of) today.

The shepherds at those tidings
Rejoiced much in mind,
And left their flocks a-feeding
In tempest, storm and wind,

I would never tell my choir to sing it that way.

3. Organ introduces the choir carols

Nowadays you really have to have your radio cranked up to hear the very soft pitches given by the organ before the choir sings. But not so in 1962. The organ plays the first phrase to remind them exactly how it goes, and the registration isn't always very subtle.

4. There's a "gathering chord" before every stanza of every hymn

The organist introduces the hymns in the typical way. But when it comes time to sing the organ plays a chord a full beat before the singing begins. Every time. What is that about?

5. The lovely carol "Born in a manger"

It's not a carol you know. You probably haven't heard it before. It's not a carol that anyone seems to know, and I don't think it's been sung very much since 1962. I believe it was written by Christopher Morris (1922–2014).

read the full version of this article: An in-depth listen to a recording of the 1962 Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols from King's College, Cambridge

Labels: Christmas, King's College (Cambridge), Willcocks

The recording called "Christmas Carols from King's" and is available on Spotify from "Digital Gramaphone". We are not sure about it's availability elsewhere.

One of the first things to jump out at us is how much the conventions surrounding hymn playing and singing have changed.

There is no descant on the opening hymn, Once in royal David's city. Willcocks's descant bears a copyright date of 1970 in Carols for Choirs 2, the same year that book was published, so it is certainly possible that he hadn't conceived of it yet.

Even after a rhythmic introduction to the hymns, the organist gives a one-beat "gathering chord" at the start of each stanza of the hymns. This is not a practice that we have heard anywhere else, though we don't often listen to liturgical recordings from English collegiate chapels from the 1960s. We are not sure if it was common to accompany hymns this way, or if this was a convention developed for this broadcast.

It is certainly a bit odd to listen too, especially when the left hand enters with the tuba for that marvelous Willcocks descant to "O come, all ye faithful".

In the hymn "God rest ye merry, gentlemen" the word "wind" is made to rhyme with "mind" in the lines of the third stanza, something which is not done at King's (or anywhere that we know of) today.

The shepherds at those tidings
Rejoiced much in mind,
And left their flocks a-feeding
In tempest, storm and wind,

The organ also plays brief introductions to the carols, something that is not done nowadays.

In terms of the carols, a standout to us was "Born in a manger". The Spotify information does not include composers, but with a bit of sleuthing we hypothesize that this carol was written by Christopher Morris, who you might know as the editor of much music published by Oxford including A Sixteenth-Century Anthem Book.

Morris died in 2015. His obituary from the Telegraph begins

"Christopher Morris, who has died aged 92, was the inspiration behind Carols for Choirs, first published in 1961 and later extended into four volumes, which, in the words of the composer John Rutter, 'changed the whole sound of Christmas for everybody who sings'."

If anyone deserves to have contribution to Anglican Christmas music recognized at contemporary Carol services, Christopher Morris does. "Born in a manger" is lovely, brief, and quite effective.

It seems to us utterly shocking that 1) we don't know the full picture about what music was sung at services like these in Willcocks's time 2) that a piece as good at this one is now almost completely unknown and unrecorded. Why has it not been sung recently?

This brings us to the final phase of listening to this recording, which is placing the music in its liturgical context. Thanks to this recording we know exactly what the carols are (with the exception of composer of "Born in a manger", which we hope to confirm very soon). Since the readings are not included, we are left wondering at the precise placement of the music.

This calls for some more speculation, but it is very possible that the service in 1962 looked like this:

• Processional Hymn: "Once in royal David's city"
• Bidding Prayer
• Invitatory Carol: "This is the truth" - Ralph Vaughan Williams
• First Lesson: God tells sinful Adam that he has lost the life of Paradise and that his seed will bruise the serpent’s head.
• Adam lay ybounden - Boris Ord
• Ding dong! merrily on high - Charles Wood (Note: both of these carols were sung after the First Lesson in 1957)
• Second Lesson: God promises to faithful Abraham that in his seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed.
• Sussex Carol - David Willcocks (Note: this carol, though not necessarily this setting, was sung after the Second Lesson in 1957)
• Third Lesson: The prophet foretells the coming of the Saviour.
• Hymn: "God rest ye merry, gentlemen" (Note: this hymn was sung after the Third Lesson at all the services in the 1930s for which we have information)
• Fourth Lesson: either the currently used lection from Isaiah, or Micah 5:2,3,4
• In dulci jubilo - Robert Pearsall (Note: this seems to have been a rather fixed element of the service after the Fourth Lesson, being sung in 1934, 1936, 1937, 1938, and 1957.)
• Fifth Lesson: The angel Gabriel salutes the Blessed Virgin Mary. (Note: between 1938 and 1971 the exact verses of this lesson varied slightly. By 1971 verses 34 and 35 of Luke 1 were included, but they had not been read in earlier years.)
• Gabriel's Message - Edgar Pettman
• The holly and the ivy
• Sixth Lesson: ? (Note: some time between 1938 and 1971 this lesson changed. In 1938 it was Matthew 1:18-23; in 1971, Luke 2:1,3-7)
• Born in a manger - Christopher Morris?
• See amid the winter's snow - John Goss
• Seventh Lesson: The shepherds go to the manger.
• The Shepherd's cradle song - Karl Leuner, arr. Charles Macpherson
• Hymn: "While shepherds watched their flocks by night" (Note: this hymn inaugurated a period of great consistency. Whereas a hymn was not a regular feature after the Seventh Lesson, it seems to have become one through 1986.)
• Eighth Lesson: The wise men are led by the star to Jesus.
• Personent hodie - Gustav Holst, sung by the men alone
• In the bleak midwinter - Harold Darke (Note: these two carols appear again in this order in 1975)
• Ninth Lesson: St John unfolds the great mystery of the Incarnation.
• Hymn: "O come, all ye faithful"
• Collect & Blessing
• Hymn: "Hark! the herald-angels sing"

Labels: Christmas, King's College (Cambridge), Willcocks

"Have you done this service before?" someone asked me at coffee hour on Sunday. We were talking about our upcoming Service of Lessons and Carols for Advent on Sunday, December 11, 2016 at 5:30 p.m..

Of course I had, hadn't I?

But really the answer is no, I haven't. Not exactly.

So I explained that while I had done similar services, I have never actually done the specific liturgy that we will use this Advent.

But I couldn't give her the longer answer. So, here it is.

I'm sort of obsessed with Carol Services (can you tell?). Why? Well, if it came right down to it I'd have to say that the innovation of Lessons and Carols is the apotheosis of the "low church" tradition.

“Lessons and Carols is the apotheosis of the ‘low church’ tradition”

Let's define the terms. Here "Lesson" means a short reading of scripture, though "Short" is relative. A "Carol" can be many things, but historically these are strophic songs (often with a refrain) of a popular or "dance" character on subjects related to Christmas (or Easter, or some other sesason). We will consider the development of carols in relation to these services in part 2.

There's something about the juxtaposition of the familiar and the new that speaks to our spiritual selves. This is especially true if the tradition truly takes hold and you get to hear the same lessons year after year the music offers new commentary, new insight alongside the biblical text. The carols and hymns themselves serve a homiletical function and reinforce each other. Without Sermon or Eucharist, the congregation is allowed to hear in word and music the message of the season and respond with vigorous hymn singing.

I suppose my very first memory of a Carol Service for Advent would have been an order from the Episcopal Church's official Book of Occasional Services (BOS).

There are plenty of lessons to choose from. But if you follow that order literally you have to include the lesson from Gen. 3 about Adam and Eve. And isn't that same lesson typically used at a Christmas Lessons and Carols service? Kind of an odd choice, but okay.

And the Bidding Prayer in that book is ... well ... it's really lousy. It's just the Christmas Bidding Prayer slightly warmed over. It really misses the mark and doesn't speak to Advent at all.

Don't get me wrong, I think I was involved in some lovely services that used the BOS scheme, but I wanted to look elsewhere.

Anyone who has spent any time planning carols for Christmas has stumbled upon the Advent Lessons and Carols information in the back of Carols for Choirs 2 (CfC2) from Oxford University Press.

I've always assumed that the order in CfC2 to be somehow connected to the service in use at King's College, Cambridge. After all, one of the editors of CfC2 was David Willcocks. But information about any of the "Procession for Advent" services, past or present, in that place have not been forthcoming online. (Add to the list of things to research when I take a sabbatical to Cambridge in 2022).

The Bidding Prayer of the CfC2 Advent Carol Service, at least, is substantially better than the one found in BOS. It actually speaks to Advent itself, and is not just a warmed-over Christmas prayer.

Beloved in Christ, as we await the great festival of Christmas let us prepare ourselves so that we may be shown its true meaning. Let us hear, in lessons from Holy Scripture, how the prophets of Israel foretold that God would visit and redeem his waiting people. Let us rejoice, in our carols and hymns, that the good purpose of God is being mightily fulfilled. Let us celebrate the promise that our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, will bring all people and all things into the glory of God's eternal kingdom. The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the Gospel preached to them.

But first, let us pray for the world which God so loves, for those who have not heard the good news of God, or who do not believe it; for those who walk in darkness and the shadow of death; and for the Church in this place and everywhere, that it may be freed from all evil and fear, and may in pure joy lift up the light and love of God. These prayers and praises let us humbly offer to God, in the words which Christ himself taught us:

Our Father...

And at this point I thought that I had found a Bidding Prayer and lessons that worked well for the season of Advent.

And then, stupidly, I got in the car at the end of Thanksgiving weekend (the trip from Richmond took about four hours) and attended the Procession with Advent Lessons and Carols at St. Paul's, K Street in Washington, D.C.

This service was transformative. It was exquisite. And it didn't come from BOS or CfC2. It spoke authentically to the season and left nothing out. Furthermore, it incorporated the idea of a Procession (note that the service at King's to this day is called a "Procession for Advent").

Video: The national Episcopal Church very wisely decided to record a video of this service last year which provides a very good documentation of that service, but, like any recording of liturgy, it is truly no substitute for being present and taking part. If you ever have the opportunity to attend, I strongly encourage you to do so!

So I had to go back to the drawing board. I went through every single resource I could find and lay everything out on the table at once. Every possible lesson was examined and considered. Different structures were weighed.

Ultimately I thought that the notion of a Procession was too compelling to discard. If the Lessons and Carols is a "low church" idea (reading, music, repeat) adding the teleology of a liturgical Procession into the proceedings seemed to incorporate some "high church" gravitas without otherwise compromising what is compelling about Lessons and Carols.

It was about this same time that I attended the American Sarum conference in Bronxville, N.Y. which helped clarify my thinking about liturgical processions. Naturally, Salisbury Cathedral figured prominently into the conversation, and that place has their own wonderful Advent Carol Service.

For the new "Advent Procession" service at St. Paul's, Richmond the following year, I wrote the following:

For hundreds of years liturgical processions have marked boundaries – the physical boundaries of the parish, the church – and in so doing invoke the very boundaries between heaven and earth. Such a procession is particularly resonant in the Advent season when we look expectantly toward the celebration of God’s crossing of this very boundary through the Incarnation of Jesus Christ.

For the pattern of the service I tried to read the Greek Revival architecture of St. Paul's, Richmond and determine what route in the building would best tell the Advent story. The service at the English Gothic St. Paul's, K Street with it's divided choir stalls simply wouldn't work in the spacious, 800-seat church in Richmond, with it's Gallery Organ.

Here was the order of service at St. Paul's, Richmond in 2011:

1. Matin Responsory - Palestrina (sung from the Narthex)
2. Hymn: "Come, thou redeemer of the earth" (during this hymn the Choir moved into the back pews of the Nave, while the rest of the procession proceeded to their places in the Chancel)
3. Bidding Prayer
4. Carol: "Come, thou long-expected Jesus" - Steven Rickards
5. Isa. 25:6-9 (read by a Chorister)
6. Motet: E'en so, Lord Jesus, Quickly Come - Paul Manz
7. Hymn: "O come, O come, Emmanuel" (during this hymn the Choir moved to the Chancel steps)
8. Isaiah 35:1-10 (read by a parishioner)
9. Anthem: A New Song - James MacMillan (during the thrilling conclusion to this anthem, the Choir moved to the Baptismal Font at the head of the Liturgical North aisle)
10. Malachi 3:1-6 (read by a warden)
11. Choral Hymn: "On Jordan's bank" - arr. Malcolm Archer sung near the Baptismal Font
12. Hymn: "Hark! a thrilling voice is sounding" (during this hymn the Choir moved in procession to the Gallery to their customary place near the organ)
13. I Corinthians 15:42-50 (read by a church musician from the Diocese)
14. Carol: "Remember, O thou man" - Thomas Ravenscroft
15. Hag. 2:6-9 (read by the director of a local ministry)
16. Carol: "Zion at thy shining gates" - George Guest
17. Hymn: "Lord Christ, when first thou cam'st to earth" (words by a former rector of the parish sung to the Herbert Howells tune NEWNHAM)
18. Luke 1:26-38 (read by the Very Rev. the Dean of the Region in the Diocese)
19. Carol: Nova! Nova! Ave fit ex eva (Hymn 266, with congregation joining on the burden) sung, with handbells and percussion, from the Annunciation window by Louis Comfort Tiffany
20. Revelation 21:5-7, 22:12-13, 20 (read by the Rev. the Rector)
21. Hymn 61: "'Sleepers, wake!' a voice astounds us" (with the Choir behind the pews at the back of the Nave)
22. Collect
23. Vesper Responsory
24. Blessing
25. Hymn 57: "Lo! he comes with clouds descending" (with the Choir surrounding the congregation in the side aisles)

I liked this service, and I think it was the right fit for St. Paul's at the right time. St. Paul's seemed to be a place on the cusp. It had been steadily moving away from it's "low church" heritage and more in line with the liturgical practice put forth in the 1979 Book of Common Prayer. Eucharistic vestments had appeared a decade or so before, Morning Prayer had greatly lessened in prominence, and I understand at the present time incense and a sung Sursum Corda (both rarities in the Diocese of Virginia!) are regular features.

For the next few years the St. Paul's Choir and I were able to explore this order a bit and make it our own.

Now I find myself in a different parish, and I feel the need to "crack this nut" once again. For reasons of space and churchmanship I do not think that another "Procession" is the right answer. So it was back to the drawing board – again.

Continued in "Carol Service - exploring the Advent, part 2"

Labels: Advent, American Sarum, King's College (Cambridge), Lessons and Carols, Salisbury Cathedral, St John's (Cambridge), St Paul's (Richmond), Willcocks

Stephen Cleobury writes:

"This year's selection has a very strong King's basis. The commissioned carol is from Richard Causton, a Fellow of King's College, and a university lecturer in composition. He has, in turn, commissioned a new text from George Szirtes, which has strong contemporary resonances.

In September we heard the sad news of the death of one of my predecessors here at King's, the legendary Sir David Willcocks. His many carol arrangements and descants are known the world over, and we include a number of these. Near the beginning and the end are pieces by Vaughan Williams and Howells, both composers having been very closely associated with David Willcocks.

Also, during the summer, the world of church and organ music mourned the loss of John Scott, whose setting of Nova, Nova comes after the Annunciation lesson.

We mark the 70th birthday of John Rutter by including two of the carols he has written for King's over the years. Bob Chilcott, 60 this year, is a former chorister and choral scholar of King's, and his commission for the Choir is also programmed.

Carols by Boris Ord, Harold Darke and Philip Ledger also find a place. Ord and Ledger were, respectively, the predecessor and successor of Willcocks, while Darke looked after the Choir during WW2."

Labels: Christmas, Cleobury, Darke, Howells, King's College (Cambridge), Ord, Philip Ledger, Richard Causton, Rutter, Willcocks

As it is our care and delight to await the coming of the 2015 King's College Festival of Nine Lessons & Carols, we must in heart and mind review the music list for this, the most famous regularly occurring church service in the entire world.

• The service will begin with the hymn "Once in royal David's city" as it always does. The descant on the final stanza is by David Willcocks, the first of many carols and arrangements by Willcocks at this service. Willcocks, of course, is the famous former director of music of King's who died earlier this year.
• The invitatory carol is "What sweeter music" by John Rutter. Stephen Cleobury and King's College commission a composer to write a new carol every year. This carol was commissioned in 1987. We remarked last year that this carol seemed quite overdue. It has not been sung since 2008. It's been a full ten years since it was heard as the invitatory carol.

1. After the First Lesson come two very familiar carols at this service.
   • This is the truth sent from above - Vaughan Williams last sung in 2012
   • Adam lay ybounden - Boris Ord, by the former director of music of King's, this is probably the most frequently sung carol after this lesson. It was last sung in 2011.
2. After the Second Lesson
   • Ding dong! merrily on high - David Willcocks, the first of three carols by Willcocks
   • In dulci jubilo - Robert Lucas Pearsall, for a carol that is so closely associated with this service (at least in our minds) it is interesting to note that it hasn't been sung since 2010. Interestingly, these two carols were paired together after this lesson in 1999, though the order was reversed.
3. After the Third Lesson
   • Sussex Carol - David Willcocks
   • Hymn: It came upon a midnight clear, this hymn was last sung in 2011 when it also followed Willcocks's "Sussex Carol" (though in that year there were three carols after the Third Lesson). The descant is that by Stephen Cleobury, which, with its opening parallel sixths, is one of our very favorites.
4. After the Fourth Lesson
   • A tender shoot - Otto Goldschmidt, last sung in 2010
   • A spotless rose - Philip Ledger, last sung in 2012
5. After the Fifth Lesson
   • The angel Gabriel - David Willcocks, it is believed that this marks the first performance of this carol at this service, at least in recent memory. More often the Edgar Pettman arrangement is sung, as it was in last year's service.
   • Nova, Nova - John Scott, a fitting tribute to a superb church musician who also died this year.
6. After the Sixth Lesson
   • In the bleak midwinter - Harold Darke, sometimes voted the "best" Christmas carol of all time, this was sung last year.
   • Dormi Jesu - John Rutter, the second Rutter carol of the service. Note that Rutter celebrates his 70th birthday this year.
7. After the Seventh Lesson
   • The Shepherd's Carol - Bob Chilcott, this carol has been sung every other year since 2011. It occupies an unusual place as a "modern classic" that was not composed by John Rutter. It was originally written not for this service, but for the service recorded television broadcast "Carols for Kings".
   • Hymn: God rest ye merry, gentlemen, this hymn is sung in the famous arrangement of David Willcocks
8. After the Eighth Lesson
   • This year's commissioned carol The Flight - Richard Causton
   • Here is the little door - Herbert Howells, a splendid little carol that leans toward Epiphany. This will be the first time that this particular carol of Howells has been sung. Previously it was his "A spotless rose", which is sung frequently, including at last year's service. In fact, singing of this carol at this service goes back to at least 1936.
9. After the Ninth Lesson the service concludes as it always does, with both hymns sung in their familiar David Willcocks arrangements.
   • Hymn: O come, all ye faithful
   • Hymn: Hark! the herald angels sing

The second organ voluntary is "Sortie on 'In dulci jubilo' " by David Briggs, a former organ scholar at King's. This organ piece was last performed in 2007.

The Sinden.org spreadsheet of carols at this service has been updated with this year's information.

This article was updated at 9 o'clock Central Time with descant information after an overwhelming response from our readers.

Labels: Christmas, David Briggs, Howells, John Scott, King's College (Cambridge), Ord, Philip Ledger, Richard Causton, Rutter, Willcocks

The Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols at King's College, Cambridge is surely single most listened to regularly occurring church service in the world. Through live and delayed radio and web broadcasts, this service reaches millions of listeners annually.

It has reached that magical point of the year where it comes time to examine what we shall hear at this year's Festival.

We at sinden.org also made some predictions and we need to see how our crystal ball performed.

• The first carol will be "Once in Royal David's city" - Yes, it is. Obviously.
  
  +1 Point; Score: 1
• Rutter's "What sweeter music" seems quite overdue - Well, it still is. We said it would be the Invitatory Carol, but that slot is occupied by "A Babe is Born" by William Mathias. This carol was last sung in 2007. Music by Rutter was last sung in 2012 ("All bells in paradise").
  
  -1 Point; Score: 0
• We haven't heard the Warlock "Adam lay ybounden" in a long while - We hedged our bets in this instance, and said that if it wasn't the Warlock it would be the Ord. But, of course, it's neither. It's the setting by Philip Ledger, director of music at King's 1974-1982, who died in 2012.
  
  -2 Points; Score: -2
• The second carol after the Third Lesson will be "God rest ye merry, gentlemen". - Wrong again! For the third year in a row, the hymn is "Unto us is born a Son". There have not been three consecutive years of the same hymn in this position (this same hymn was sung here in 2012 and 2013). HOWEVER, the hymn is sung later in the service.
  
  -.5 Points; Score: -2.5
• Cleobury will put down his own "Joys Seven" after the Fifth Lesson - Yes, he did. This carol was last sung in 2009.
  
  +7 Points, one for each joy; Score: 4.5
• "While shepherds watched their flocks by night" will be the second carol sung after the Seventh Lesson. It isn't. For the first time in the last six years, the carol has changed to God rest ye merry, Gentlemen.
  
  -1 Point; Score: 3.5

  Final Score: 3.5 not a great showing this year.

A larger number of carols have not been addressed by our predictions. Here they are, in order.

After the first lesson we hear Remember, O thou man by Thomas Ravenscroft. This lovely, simple carol was last sung in 2011.

After the second lesson we hear the Peter Maxwell Davies carol "One Star, at Last". This carol, with words by George Mackay Brown was commissioned for this service in 1984. It was the second in the series of annually commissioned carols in Stephen Cleobury's tenure.

Sung much less often that the Pearsall setting, the older setting by Hieronymus Praetorius of In dulci jubilo follows. This eight part motet was last sung in 2008.

The unbeatable Sussex Carol arranged by David Willcocks follows the third lesson. It last appeared in 2011.

The immaculate A spotless rose of Herbert Howells follows fourth lesson. It is the only Howells carol to appear in the service (at least in recent memory*), and it has not been sung since 2008. As it's superb final cadence fades, the choir will take up the strains of the medieval "There is no rose", a carol that appears frequently in the service of the years, and was last sung in 2009.

The fifth lesson brings the simple Gabriel's Message by Edgar Pettman, last sung just a couple years ago.

Harrison Birtwistle's "Lullaby" comes up after the sixth lesson. Though it hasn't been sung before, Birtwistle's "The Gleam" was the commissioned carol in 2003. The Birtwistle is followed by the familiar Gustav Holst setting of In the bleak midwinter. This carol was last sung in . . . wait a minute. We think the choir has recorded this, but we can't find any indication that it has been sung in this service in recent memory*. The homophonic ease of this carol is probably need as a foil to (we presume) the polyphonic difficulty of the Birtwistle.

Similarly, Hector Berlioz's L'adieu des Bergers (The Shepherd's Farewell), has also been sung by the choir (see below) but never at this service -- note that Carols from Kings, pre-recorded for television broadcast, is not the same as the Christmas Eve service, which is broadcast live on the radio only.

Director Stephen Cleobury has commissioned a new carol every year since 1983. This year the commission goes to Swiss composer Carl Rütti. His setting of "I wonder as I wander" (see below) is familiar to listeners to this service. "I wonder" was last sung in 2011. We will update this paragraph with information about this year's commission De Maria Virgine as that information becomes available.

After the Rutti commission follows the rather saccharine setting of Ding! Dong! merrily on high by Mack Wilberg. Though previously sung in 2007, 2009, and 2010, many of us question whether this carol will really have a long tenure in this service.

The other traditional elements of the service are in place: the final two hymns are "O come, all ye faithful" and "Hark! the herald angels sing". The service concludes, as always with the Bach Organ Prelude on "In dulci jubilo," BWV 729. The final organ voluntary, which changes year to year, is the Final of the Sixth Organ Symphony by Charles-Marie Widor.

Our spreadsheet of all the carols since 1997 has been updated

*We have resorted to the phrase "in recent memory" when necessary because our records only go back to 1997. We very much wish to continue this research, in person, in Cambridge, in 2016/17. Surely a sabbatical is needed.

Labels: Bach, Berlioz, Birtwistle, Cleobury, Holst, Howells, Mackay Brown, Mathias, Maxwell Davies, Ord, Pearsall, Philip Ledger, Praetorius, Ravenscroft, Rutter, Rutti, Warlock, Widor, Wilberg, Willcocks

Sometimes when I hear a choir singing Christmas music I put on funny robes and wave my arms a little.

Labels: Christmas, church music, Richmond, St Paul's (Richmond), Willcocks

It's Christmas time. And what better time to take a look at the Christmas hymns in The Hymnal 1982? In particular, we will be looking at the less commonly sung hymns in the Christmas section. You may wish to begin with part 1 of this series, or get caught up on part 2 (hymns that score a 9 or a 10) or part 3 (hymns that score a 6, 7, or 8) or part 4 (hymns that score a 4 or a 5).

We're using a scale of 1 to 10 with 1 being the least popular and 10 being the most popular. (On this scale we cranked it up to 11 for hymns which are unbelievably popular.) Here we at last get to those hymns that are truly uncommon in Episcopal services. Hymns that score a 2 or a 3 on our popularity scale.

Region 3: Uncommon tunes for hymns already discussed

• Hymn 85: "O Savior of our fallen race" (CHRISTE, REDEMPTOR OMNIUM). While we could understand the occasional singing of this hymn to GONFALON ROYAL, it would be a rare congregation indeed that would sing this plainsong hymn on a Sunday morning in Christmastide. It would, however, work admirably at an Evensong or Compline service in this season.
• Hymn 90: "It came upon a midnight clear" (NOEL). First, I must fully disclose a great personal bias toward this tune. I really like it. And I greatly prefer it to the gross sentimentality of CAROL.

  And a descant now in publication by Stephen Cleobury is a real favorite of mine (much better than that of his predecessor David Willcocks in this instance).

  As a church musician in the American South, where the Arthur Seymour Sullivan tune FORTUNATUS holds such sway on Easter Day, it is an odd twist of fate that this Sullivan Christmas tune has not caught on at least in these parts.

  The Hymnal 1982 Companion doesn't mince words; it simply states that this is the tune known by congregations in England. It was included first in The Hymnal 1940 and retained in the current hymnal.

  Interestingly, in that earlier hymnal a First Tune and Second Tune were often provided for a hymn of the same number. This approach reinforced the notion that a "hymn" is really the words, while the associated tune is a more malleable thing. It was standard for the more "common" tune to be listed first. In The Hymnal 1940 NOEL is the first tune, while CAROL is the second. The current hymnal could be seen as reversing this preference with Hymn 89 (CAROL) serving as the "First Tune" and Hymn 90 serving as the "Second Tune".

  As it is, I don't get the sense that this is sung by any congregations, the weight of association of CAROL with these words being too great.

Region 2: The truly uncommon

I have never sung any of these hymns, nor am I aware of any American congregations who have. (I would love to hear of any who have sung these.) They score a 2 on our scale.

• Hymn 88: "Sing, O sing, this blessed morn" is an orphan hymn. It comes from England, but it is not sung there. I don't think it's sung here either.
• Hymn 95: "While shepherds watched their flocks by night" (HAMPTON). This is an interesting tune, but I don't think it's caught on. It is nice to note that there is a continuing desire on the part of the Episcopal Church's hymnal editors to widen the melodic vocabulary for these words -- the alternative tune being CAROL in The Hymnal 1940.
• Hymn 106: "Christians, awake, salute the happy morn". Here is a hymn whose unpopularity in the United States seems a bit puzzling. As I write this, I have in mind the Sung Eucharist on Christmas Day at Westminster Abbey where this hymn was sung at the Entrance (see a PDF of the service leaflet). This is a brilliant choice for Christmas Day. Christians, awake! Even if you were up well past midnight the night before. Salute the happy morning (i.e., not the evening)! Rise to adore the Mystery of Love. Are you still wearing your pajamas?! etc.

  The hymn is filled with marvelous turns of phrase as only John Byrom could compose. Byrom was "one of the more remarkable of the gallery of distinguished characters that the eighteenth century provides," claims Erik Routley in The English Carol.

  The tune YORKSHIRE also seems eminently singable, though it is a bit long.

  This hymn has a long pedigree in the Episcopal Church, the hymn being first published in 1871, and published again paired with the present tune only three years later.

  Has it fallen out of favor?

  It looks a bit overwhelming on the page, and this may be one reason it is not chosen. The Hymnal 1982 wisely stars stanzas 2 and 3, giving permission to omit them without ruining the logic and sense of the hymn. And indeed, the singing of four stanzas only (st. 1, 2, 5, & 6) is congruent with the practice at Westminster Abbey.

  But I can also imagine a scenario in an Anglo-Catholic parish where the full length of this hymn would be just perfect for the ceremonial of an entrance rite replete with incense.

  In hearing it sung and studying it for a few moments I am disappointed that I have not made its acquaintance until now.

Labels: Christmas, Cleobury, Hymnal 1940, Hymnal 1982, hymns, less familiar hymns, Routley, Willcocks

Here are the carols from this year's Carols from King's program programme from the BBC. Note that these are mostly different carols than the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols which is broadcast live on the radio on Christmas Eve.

1 Hymn: Once in Royal David's City

2 Sussex Carol - arr. Willcocks

3 In dulci jubilo - arr. Pearsall

4 O little town of Bethlehem - Walford Davies

5 Sans Day Carol - arr. Rutter

6 Silent night - arr. Cleobury

7 Angels from the realms of glory - arr. Jaques

8 The Shepherd's Carol - Chilcott; Blessed be that Maid Mary - arr. Cleobury

9 Hymn: While shepherds watched their flocks by night

10 The Three Kings - Cornelius

11 Coventry Carol - medieval

12 Bethlehem Down - Warlock

13 Hymn: The first Nowell

14 I wonder as I wander - Rütti

15 Personent Hodie - arr. Holst

16 O holy night - Adam, arr. Rutter

17 Hymn: Hark! the herald angels sing

Closing Credits

This is all well and good, but if you're like me, and you're feeling extra Christmassy, just press play on all the videos in quick succession.

Holst usually wins out.

Labels: Christmas, King's College (Cambridge), Pearsall, Walford Davies, Willcocks