Coventry Carol

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=STFx1RiuTL0 Being performed by the 'One Voice' Choir live on Earlsdon Street, 15th December 2012. Incredibly, when I posted this to YouTube a 'copyright infringement' notice appeared from EMI Publishing. Suffice to say I disputed that and asked how EMI could possibly have copyright of a 16th Century carol! The claim was promptly dropped. More information on the choir can be found here: http://www.chrishoskins.co.uk/

If anyone doesn't know the story of the carol, then this might be of interest.

Roger Bailey gives a talk and 'Blast From The Past' perform a version of it at the Coventry Music Museum. The Coventry Carol

That was fascinating - very well told by Roger, and beautifully and authentically performed by Chris & Sophie of "Blast from the Past", as always. Many thanks for pointing us to that BrotherJoybert.

More on the carol.

The last episode of the Muskeeters on BBC1 featured a scene where a few lines of the Coventry carol was sung.. The "Coventry Carol" is an English Christmas carol dating from the 16th century. The carol was traditionally performed in Coventry as part of a mystery play called The Pageant of the Shearmen and Tailors. The play depicts the Christmas story from chapter two in the Gospel of Matthew: the carol itself refers to the Massacre of the Innocents, in which Herod ordered all male infants under the age of two in Bethlehem to be killed, and takes the form of a lullaby sung by mothers of the doomed children. Lully, lullay, Thou little tiny Child, Bye, bye, lully, lullay.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 do sing Bye, bye, lully, lullay. Herod, the king, in his raging, Charged he hath this day, His men of might, in his owne sight, All young children to slay. That woe is me, poor Child for Thee! And ever mourn and sigh, For thy parting neither say nor sing, Bye, bye, lully, lullay. For those of you who haven't heard it, many performers have recorded the song, including Sting, Charlotte Church, Mark Lanegan, Elisabeth Schumann, Anthony Newley, Annie Lennox, Christine McVie, Suzanne Vega, Medi

Good for you JoyBert BTW!

I just discovered that Coventry has a second carol. As I rode out this enderes night. here. 16th Century English carol from the Pageant of the Shearmen and Tailors, one of the Coventry Mystery Plays. Not as catchy as the other carol. As I out rode this enderes night Of thre ioli sheppardes I saw a sight And all a bowte there fold a star shone bright They sange terli terlow So mereili the sheppards ther pipes can blow. Doune from heavẽ from heavẽ so hie, Of angeles þer came a great companie, Wt mirthe and ioy and great solemnitye, They sange terli terlow So mereili the sheppards ther pipes can blow. (Anon, but written in the hand of) Robert Croo, 1534 translated- As I out rode this final** night Of three jolly shepherds I saw a sight And all about their fold* a star shone bright They sang terli terlow (??) So merrily the shepherds their pipes can blow. Down from heaven from heaven so high, Of angels there came a great company, With mirth and joy and great solemnity, They sang terli terlow So merrily the shepherds their pipes can blow. *a sheep fold I assume ** supposedly a Saxon word

According to 'Google' it means 'For Christmas'. The following is printed as an example, not that different from Helen's translation. Terly terlow, terly terlow, So merily the shepardes began to blow ! About the feld they piped full right, Even about the middes of the night ; Adown from heven they saw cum a light. 5 Terly terlow. Of angels there came a company With mery songes and melody ; The shepardes anon gan them aspy. Terly terlow. 10 ' Gloria in excelsis ' the angels song And said that peace was present among To every man that to the faith wold long. Terly terlow. The shepardes hied them to Bethleme, 15 To see that blessed sonnes beme ; And there they found that glorious streme. Terly terlow. Now pray we to that meke child, And to his moder that is so mild 20 The which was never defiled. Terly terlow.

Thanks for refreshing my memory. I hadn't associated "...this endres night" with the Coventry carol before. I first sang "Luly Lulay" as a treble in the 1950's. Here is a good explanation of how it would have been performed.