Day 1 - Sussex Carol (On Christmas Night)
The Sussex Carol is a popular carol in Britain, sometimes referred to by its first line "On Christmas night all Christians sing." Its words were first published by Luke Wadding, a 17th-century Irish bishop, in a work called Small Garland of Pious and Godly Songs (1684). It is unclear whether Wadding wrote the song or was recording an earlier composition. Both the text and the tune to which it is now sung were collected by Cecil Sharp in Buckland, Gloucestershire, and by Ralph Vaughan Williams, who heard it sung by Harriet Verrall of Monk's Gate, near Horsham, Sussex (hence "The Sussex Carol") on May 24, 1904. (Thank you to Wikipedia!)
The Sussex Carol
On Christmas night all Christians sing
To hear the news the angels bring.
News of great joy, news of great mirth,
News of our merciful King's birth.
Then why should men on earth be so sad,
Since our Redeemer made us glad,
When from our sin he set us free,
All for to gain our liberty?
When sin departs before His grace,
Then life and health come in its place.
Angels and men with joy may sing
All for to see the new-born King.
All out of darkness we have light,
Which made the angels sing this night:
Glory to God and peace to men,
Now and for evermore, Amen!
There are oh so many versions to choose from. These are just some . . . I had to stop myself at some point! Happy Christmas Eve!
The Sussex Carol - Maddy Prior
The Sussex Carol - Voces8 Scholars
The Sussex Carol - Richard Knepp (guitar)
The Sussex Carol - arr. Wilcox / King's College Choir, Cambridge
The Sussex Carol - arr. by James Griffin (piano)
The Sussex Carol - arr. by Elaine Hagenberg
The Sussex Carol - Trond Bengtson (lute)
The Sussex Carol - Shoshanna Godber (harp)
The Sussex Carol - Daniel Faris (violin)
No comments:
Post a Comment