A few weeks ago my dear friend, soprano Charlotte de Rothschild was staying with me. When she learned that we were planning another Advent calendar for you all again this year I am delighted to say that she was eager to participate. A few minutes later she had searched through her iPad for any potentially relevant Christmas songs which she might have with her and surprisingly she had quite a few. Of these, she selected to record four items including this one and that was it; we ran through each of the songs a couple of times and recorded them.

Now I have to say that learning and recording for me are not that simple, but truth to tell, Charlotte and I had recorded all the four songs together not so many years ago on our Christmas Lullabies CD for Nimbus https://www.wyastone.co.uk/christmas-lullabies.html (NB: This CD is now called The Cradle in Bethlehem.)

I had also recorded two of the songs (this one and its companion) back in the 1990s with my late friend soprano Tracey Chadwell and had performed all three songs with Charlotte on various occasions over the years, including to Japanese audiences.

Obviously the recordings now on the Advent calendar are off the cuff recordings made in my harp room so if you would like to hear more polished versions of the carols you would be able to do so! 

Jesukin  written in 1922 is a setting of a text by St Ita (480-570 AD). Rubbra’s musical writing in this is modal (i.e. not in a more modern sounding key) which lends itself to the archaic English and Latin mixture of the words. However, this is no mere pastiche of mediaeval music and it has a rapt, meditative quality. Although this song is published together with A Hymn to the Virgin op 13 no 2, Jesukin was first paired by Rubbra with an unaccompanied song op 4 no 1 called the Mystery.