100 Carols for Choirs (. . . for Choirs Collections)

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The lyrics for this carol were written by Massachusetts pastor Edmund Sears and refer to ideas of war and peace. The most common musical setting was adapted from an English melody in 1874 by Arthur Sullivan. This definitive album of recordings showcases 28 original carols from the Carols for Choirs 6 anthology, all conducted by Bob Chilcott and produced and engineered by John Rutter. Featuring a wide variety of musical styles by composers from around the world, Carols for Choirs 6 brings together carols from both the emerging talents in choral music today, and world-famous choral composers, to provide a complete resource of contemporary carols for the festive season. This new anthology forms part of the iconic Carols for Choirs series and has been published in celebration of the Oxford University Press Music Department’s Centenary in 2023. Nothing says ‘Christmas’ like a choral arrangement of ‘In The Bleak Midwinter’. But which one should you choose? There’s the popular version by Holst, or an arrangement by choral whizz Bob Chilcott – but you’re probably most likely to hear Harold Edward Darke’s setting. The choir of King’s College, Cambridge use it every year at Christmas. This carol represents the moment in the Bible when Angel Gabriel visits Mary, and declares she is to bear the son of God. The text quotes the Gospel of Luke, while the melody is taken from Basque tradition.

First composed in 1684, ‘Sussex Carol’earned its name when Ralph Vaughan Williams set the text to music in the late 1800s, after he heard it being sung near Sussex. John Rutter’s music is always popular at this time of year, and after hearing the soaring melodies of the Candlelight Carol, it’s easy to see why.a b Beeson, Trevor (2009). "17. The Oxbridge Choirs". In Tuneful Accord: the church musicians. London: SCM. p.141. ISBN 9780334041931.

Archer, Malcolm; Scott, John, eds. (2004). Epiphany to All Saints for Choirs: Anthems for the Church's Seasons. Oxford: OUP. ISBN 978-0-19-353026-3. a b c Bannister, Matthew (21 December 2014). "Christopher Morris Obituary". Last Word. 25 minutes in. BBC. BBC Radio 4 . Retrieved 4 October 2016.

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Written by Scottish poet James Montgomery and first printed on Christmas Eve 1816, this carol sounds just as beautiful today as it did almost 200 years ago. The books in the Carols For Choirs collection came to be regarded as standard choral texts throughout the English-speaking world and were highly influential; according to the composer John Rutter, they "changed the whole sound of Christmas for everybody who sings". [2] [5] Written in 1857 by Peter Cornelius, this carol is designed so three male voices can sing a verse each to correspond with the three kings. The Choir of King ’s College, Cambridge do it magnificently. There's a misconception that ‘The First Noel’ is French, because of the spelling of ‘Noël’. But it is actually of Cornish origin, with most hymn sheets opting for the old English Anglo-Saxon spelling, Nowell. Rather than celebrating the birth of Christ, the text of this hymn represents Christ’s triumphant return. The words, dreamed up by English writer Isaac Watts, are based on the second half of Psalm 98 in the Bible. In the late ’90s, it was named the most-published Christmas hymn in North America. You can just feel the merriness pouring out of it.