In celebration of the holiday season, here is music by the twentieth century English composer Benjamin Britten. A Ceremony of Carols is scored for three part treble chorus, solo voices and harp. The text, from Gerald Bullett’s The English Galaxy of Shorter Poems is Middle English.
Listen to the uniquely pure timbre produced by the boys’ choirs in these recordings. This is a sound that has been heard for centuries in cathedrals across England.
Listen to the way Britten uses harmony to highlight a certain word or phrase in the text. How does he evoke the mood of the text? In the last clip (In Freezing Winter Night) what atmosphere is created musically?
A Ceremony of Carols, Op.28…Benjamin Britten (1913-1976)
What a ray of sunshine. In the 60s, I helped my Jr. College as an accompanist (piano) for this during rehearsals. They performed it with the harp though. In the 70s, did the same in Madrid with the University Choir. This time they couldn’t find a harpist, so I accompanied the choir in several gothic cathedrals of the region. What a delight! Thank you for this post.
Thank you for sharing the pure sounds of these boys and of Britten’s work.
RGP
What a ray of sunshine. In the 60s, I helped my Jr. College as an accompanist (piano) for this during rehearsals. They performed it with the harp though. In the 70s, did the same in Madrid with the University Choir. This time they couldn’t find a harpist, so I accompanied the choir in several gothic cathedrals of the region. What a delight! Thank you for this post.
Absolutely gorgeous music. Thanks for posting.
Lovely music…Do you know where i can find the piano solo sheet music for the song “In Freezing Winter Night?
It looks like the full piano score is available and can be ordered from a few places online.