How well do you know Carol?
Some facts you might not have known about Christmas Carols:-
- Originally a Carol was not a religious song, but a secular dance, often in triple time.
- The carol ‘In Dulci Jubilo’, when the words are sung as a mixture of English (from the German), and Latin, is an example of a ‘macaronic carol’. The melody can be found in a 14th century manuscript in Leipzig University.
- The wonderful combination of Charles Wesley and Felix Mendelssohn gave us ‘Hark! The Herald Angels Sing’.
- The tune of the French carol ‘Whence is that Goodly Fragrance’ later appeared as the rousing drinking song ‘Fill ev’ry glass, for wine inspires us’ in John Gay’s ‘The Beggars Opera’ in the 18th Century. I remember well singing it with the Kirkie Players some 16 years ago!
- ‘Good King Wenceslas’ originally appeared in Piae Cantiones in 1582, as a Spring carol. It was only about 150 years ago that the 10th Century story of Saint Wenceslas of Bohemia was told. After his father died, he encouraged Christianity in Bohemia, against the wishes of his mother, and was murdered by his brother Buleslav.
- The Romans used Holly to decorate their houses at the feast of Saturnalia, which occurred in the winter season. Ivy was dedicated by them, to Bacchus from the idea that it warded-off drunken-ness!
- The Coventry Carol (‘Lul-ly, lul-lay’) is one of the oldest English Carols. The original tune comes from 1591 and was sung in the Coventry Plays of that era.
- There are several Wassailling Songs. The word Wassail means ‘Keep You Well’.
- Czechoslovakia has provided a number of lovely quiet carols including the ‘Rocking Carol’, ‘The Birds’, and ‘The Zither Carol’. ‘Infant Holy’ is from Poland.
- ‘We Three Kings of Orient Are’ was written in 1857 by Dr J.H.Hopkins of Pennsylvania, one of very few well-known carols from the USA.
So give a thought, when next singing over Christmas, that the words and music may have had a very strange history!
Some positive quotes about singers and singing
The previous post would not encourage anyone to take up singing!….but there are some positive attitudes expressed by some great people…
St Augustine….. ‘Sing with your voices and with your hearts, and with all your moral convictions, sing the new songs, not only with your tongue but with your life’
Berlioz……’A singer able to sing so much as sixteen bars of good music, in a natural, well-poised, and sympathetic voice, without effort, without affectation, without tricks, without exaggeration, without hiatuses, without hiccupping, without barking, without baa-ing —such a singer is a rare, a very rare, an exceedingly rare bird.’
William Byrd….’The exercise of singing is delightful to nature and good to preserve the health of Man’
Tyrone Guthrie….’God in his Almighty Wisdom and Fairness has not always given the greatest voices to the persons with the greatest intellect, or the best education, or to the most beautiful of his creatures’
James Joyce….‘Tenors get women by the score’
Mozart….I like an aria to fit a singer as perfectlyas a well-tailored suit of clothes’
SO I THINK THERE IS A BALANCE !
Negative quotes on singers and singing
Maybe they should take a 'paws' for breath!
Many worthies have made comments on the bad singer and singing, but I’m not sure what made some of them so vitriolic. However,let’s have a look at the ones I found, and with any luck, I will find an equal number on the other side!
SAMUEL COLERIDGE…..Swans sing before they die -’twere no bad thing should certain persons die before they sing!
FREDERICK the GREAT….. A German singer! I should as soon expect to get pleasure from the neighing of my horse!
GEORGE GERSHWIN…..My voice is small but disagreeable
HANS von BULOW…..A tenor is not a man but a disease
THOMAS CARLYLE….Let a man try the very uttermost to speak what he means before singing he has recourse to.
CHARLES LAMB….. I even think that I am organically disposed to harmony. But organically I am incapable of a tune. I have been practising ‘God Save the King’ all my life; whistling and humming it over to myself in solitary corners; and am not yet arrived, they tell me, within many quavers of it.
FALSTAFF (Shakespeare) ……For my voice, I have lost it with hallowing and singing of anthems.
OLIVER HEREFORD…..Definition of Song: the licensed medium for bawling in public, things too silly or sacred to be uttered in ordinary speech.
HORACE…..The fault, common to all singers, is that when their friends ask them to sing, they’re never willing, but when they’re NOT asked, , they will never leave off!
Can you add any more?….put them into the Comments section
The Bells, the bells !
One of our members (Gill, the artistic one) has provided us with this lovely little drawing, as a sort of logo for the Angelus Singers. I especially like the bell, and, of course, the flared trousers! It has a wonderfully-peaceful and, dare I say it, angelic, feel about it.
I suppose that’s why a lot of us sing….it gives us a bit of inner peace, even if we are struggling putting the words and notes together!
If you like church bells, click on some of the links below
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wvn3ftWVAb4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5RtN3urZiDk
http://video.google.co.uk/videoplay?docid=7372425122532402557&ei=st34SJmjIJOwiALisYXsDg&hl=en
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ogQrUvJrWy0
‘Angel voices, ever singing…’
At Aberfoyle, we sang one of the most satisfying tunes in any hymn book, as far as part-singing is concerned. It has a tremendous ‘vertical’ feel about it, in that every chord is wonderful, and each part feels important. Even the repeated notes, when they occur, are not boring. As your part remains constant, the other parts ’slither’ in steps through a sucession of rich chords.
The words were written by Rev Francis Pott who was born in 1832 in Southwark, taking Holy Orders in 1856. He wrote several original hymns including the above. However he is better-known for his translations. He was on a committee which compiled Hymns Ancient and Modern. He retired in 1891 with deafness, and died in 1909.
The tune was written by Edwin George Monk (no relation to W.H.Monk), who was born in Somerset in 1819. He was organist and choir-master at Radley College, Oxford, followed by a move north to be organist at York Minster, where he stayed for nearly 25 years. He wrote church music, and he spent much time as editor of hymn books, and chant books (remember them?). He died back in Radley in 1900.
Now if he had only called it ‘ANGELUS VOICES, EVER SINGING’ !
CLOSED…hopefully not for ever(!)
In 1867, a company started in Glasgow to sell music and instruments. It was called Biggars, and grew at a time when music hall was popular, and every proud home had a piano and a stool-ful of sheet music. It closed its doors a few days ago. Glasgow’s, if not Scotland’s, most famous music retailer is gone. So where will you get your Steinway piano now?
The Directors, David and Gillian Huthison, had previously owned the electrical company Hutchison’s, which went into liquidation in 2002.
It is believed that the Internet’s increasing involvement in music supply and the decrease in individual music playing must have been responsible. But the accounts showed a healthy profit and stock value. It is to be hoped that a purchaser can be found to maintain the presence, and perhaps keep some of the staff.
I remember spending many hours in the lower floor, hunting about for organ and choral music, and would like to feel that I might be able to return to that at some stage. But with the present uneasy economic climate, I cannot be sure.
STAINER, JOHN
There is probably not a single Church in the UK which doesn’t have some music of John Stainer’s, and most of this would have been dog-eared copies of ‘The Crucifixion’ (I even had a choir where they all used Tonic Solfa editions!)
He was born in Southwark in 1840, his father being a school-master, with a musical interest. Actually he could play piano, organ and flute. The house was full of music including a chamber organ, and John was taught from a very young age by his father. Things moved very quickly for him:-
- He became a probationer in St Paul’s Cathedral at the age of 8
- a full member at 9. He was also learning the organ and occasionally played at St Paul’s.
- By the age of 14 he had been appointed as organist at a local church in St Paul’s Wharf.
- at 16 he became Organist at Tenbury College, in Worcs for a couple of years under Ouseley
- at 19 he was awarded Batchelor of Music
- by 20 he was appointed organist at Magdalen College, Oxford
- by 21 he became organist to the University
- by 24 he completed a Batchelor of Arts Degree
- by 25 he got his Doctorate in Music after writing ‘Gideon’
- by 26 he got his M.A. from Oxford
- by 32 he became organist at St Paul’s Cathedral
- by 42 he was appointed, additionally, as Government Inspector of Music in Elementary Schools
- by 48 he became Sir John, but he felt that his eyesight was failing (just like Bach and Handel!) and he resigned as organist at St Paul’s.
- by 49 he accepted the professorship of music at Oxford, for 10 years, but he retired at 59 due to arguments with the authorities
- at 60 he went on holiday and in Verona he died of a heart attack. His body was returned to Oxford for burial…
AND YOU THOUGHT HE JUST WROTE ‘The Crucifixion’ !!
SOMETHING FREE !!!!!!!!!!!!!
An electronic organ with two keyboards and one-octave pedal-board, is available to take away free gratis from Buchlyvie Village Hall, by contacting Sandra McNee on 01360 850220. Give her a buzz, and then take a run out there and try it!
Wait a minute!
Christmas is heading towards us, and probably many of us remember going out as children, carol-singing, to raise some money or fill our pockets with goodies. We see references in some carols to such people being called ‘Waits’. There is one especially-humorous song written, by Charles Hayes, and music by Sterndale Bennett, where there is a direct co-relation between carol-singers and Waits….in fact they are treated as the same.
Actually, Waits were the original City Watchmen, who patrolled the streets, as an early police force, under the control of the City Fathers. They would indicate that they were at work, and mark the hours with a musical instrument, perhaps a horn as in the Mastersingers’ watchman. As their musical ability increased, and dressed in a uniform on ceremonial occasions, this was seen as a career path for budding musicians. Orlando Gibbons was the son of a Wait in Cambridge. It was not limited to England, and many of the Bach family were town musicians in Germany.
In order to supplement their wages, they would go to inns where there was a chance of receiving money from arriving guests. There are records of in the early 1600’s in Edinburgh, of street concerts organised by the authorities for morning, noon, and evening. Even Aberdeen had them!
So the instrument players of those early days have been translated into the singing groups we see and hear sometimes, but nowadays the invitation into a warm fire and punch, in a pre-arranged location is more likely.
CAN I TAKE THE CHANCE TO BE THE FIRST TO WISH YOU A HAPPY CHRISTMAS!
Allegri, Gregorio
Born in Rome in 1582, and died there in 1652. He was an ordained priest, singer and composer. His last 25 years was spent serving the musical interests of thePope.
Probably his most famous piece was ‘Miserere’ which is for four soloists and a five-part choir (does this tell us the size of the Vatican Choir?), was to be sung only by the Cistine Choir, in the Cistine Chapel during Holy Week.
Many know the story of Mozart visiting there and memorising it…actually he went back a few days later to sort out a few points he had forgotten. He then wrote it down and performed it. At that time excommunication was usually the punishment, and when Mozart was called to Rome by the Pope, he feared the worst, but was commended and congratulated.
If you want to hear some of it, click on the link below.
