Advent Calendar – 24th December, 2020
Merry Christmas!
Danielle and Dave’s Advent Calendar
24th December, 2020
The Sussex Carol
English traditional arranged by David Willcocks
version for guitar and harp by Danielle Perrett and David Gough
The top of the published score of this uplifting arrangement in Carols for Choirs states ‘Hommage to R.V.W.’ No prizes for guessing that this means Ralph Vaughan Williams because it was he who collected the carol and no prizes for guessing where!
Having said that, despite its name, the carol was found in various guises in Gloucestershire, Hampshire, Surrey, Herefordshire, Hampshire, London, Birmingham and Shropshire so it could almost be called ‘the Everywhere Carol’!
The words were deemed to be by an Irish bishop called Luke Wadding and published by him in Small Garland of Pious and Godly Songs in 1684.
The Sussex version was collected from the singing of Mrs Verrall of Monk’s Gate, Horsham in 1904 and RVW published it in Eight Traditional English Carols of 1919, in the Oxford Book of Carols in 1928 and he included it in his 1912 Fantasia on Christmas Carols.
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 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.”
Recorded on Aoyama Musa Harp (1984)
& Ortega Classical Guitar