Medieval Christmas\Yule\Wassail

Subject: Medieval Christmas\Yule\Wassail
From: Bo
Date: 08 Nov 97 - 02:24 PM

I'm trying to arrange an historic christmas concert for a nursing home and I was wonderring if anyone had suggestions for Yule, Wassail or Christmas songs.

Ideally they should be European and performable with a small number of people 1-5.

Any help would be appreciated.

Bo

Subject: RE: Medieval Christmas\Yule\Wassail
From: Petra A. Cosgrove
Date: 08 Nov 97 - 06:17 PM

::blushes:: I donkow what digitrad has... HOWEVER...

http://www.osmond.net/chill/christmas/carols/carols-trad.htm

lots of traditional (and other non-traditional) songs...

: )

Petra

Subject: RE: Medieval Christmas\Yule\Wassail
From: dick greenhaus
Date: 08 Nov 97 - 10:53 PM

What Digitrad has is easy to find out: search for @Xmas.

Subject: RE: Medieval Christmas\Yule\Wassail
From: dulcimer
Date: 08 Nov 97 - 11:07 PM

I don't know how old you want your tunes, but I would suggest four that I do in connection to Medieval and Renaissance performances---Boar's Head Carol (1521), O Come Emanuel (PlainSong), Christ Child's Lullaby (from the Outer Hebrides), and Sir Donkey (from a festival in Medieval France). Greensleves was not originally a carol, but it is well known and "loved." and from the tune is from the Renaissance period. Also Coventry Carol is typical of the period. I can tab out these tune if you send me your address, regular or e-mail. Of course, there are many more which are more readily known and performed which come from the Victorian period in England and corresponding years in other countries. and those you can find in most any church hymn book. But I would be happy tab out any song you can't find and I have.

Subject: RE: Medieval Christmas\Yule\Wassail
From: Bo
Date: 09 Nov 97 - 01:05 AM

Thanx a lot Dulcimer,

I'd appreciate tabs. I think the rarest of the bunch is Sir Donkey, if you'd be able to work out a tab (maybe the lyrics too -- its not in the DT) I'd be grateful.

You arent by chance a SCAdian are you ?

Bo

[e-mail]

Subject: RE: Medieval Christmas\Yule\Wassail
From: dick greenhaus
Date: 09 Nov 97 - 11:13 AM

Hey Dulcimer: If you send songs to an individual, that individual will have the songs. If you send them here, EVERYBODY will have them.

Subject: RE: Medieval Christmas\Yule\Wassail
From: dulcimer
Date: 09 Nov 97 - 09:52 PM

Of course your right Dick. I'll post the lyrics, but don't know how to post notes. Any help?

Subject: RE: Medieval Christmas\Yule\Wassail
From: Murray
Date: 10 Nov 97 - 02:48 AM

Bo: you should check "Wassail" in the DT also, where you'll find "The Gloucestershire Wassail", one of the best, and since it's "traditional", no-one can tell how old it is, [collected. or noted, in the 19th century],tho as you know the *custom* goes back to mediaeval times.

Subject: Lyr Add: HERE WE COME A-WASSAILING
From: Moira Cameron
Date: 10 Nov 97 - 10:37 AM

Our group does a song we call 'Wassail Round'. I have no idea how old it is, or even where it comes from, but it is very easy.

Here we come a-wassailing among the trees so green.
Here we come a-wandering so early to be seen.
Now is winter time, strangers travel far and near,
And we wish you, send you a happy New Year.

That's it--one verse. The problem is I wouldn't know how to send you the tune. But if you are really desperate, I could try writing the notes and timing down for you. Let me know.

Another good medieval one to sing is "Gaudete", Steeleye Span.

Subject: RE: Medieval Christmas\Yule\Wassail
From: Susan of DT
Date: 10 Nov 97 - 07:47 PM

Moira - check "wassail" for 11 hits. some are close. The verses are often interchangeable, so you could extend your version with other pieces if you wanted to.

Subject: RE: Medieval Christmas\Yule\Wassail
From: dick greenhaus
Date: 10 Nov 97 - 08:08 PM

Hi Dulcimer- I don't know how you normally transmit music. Tab? MIDI? QBasic? SongWright? ABC?

We can deal with any of them.

dick

Subject: RE: Medieval Christmas\Yule\Wassail
From: Bob Schwarer
Date: 10 Nov 97 - 08:15 PM

Try John Roberts & Tony Barrand. They have several recordings "Nowell Sing We Clear" Vol I,II,III &IV plus a "Best of........"

Bob S.

Subject: RE: Medieval Christmas\Yule\Wassail
From:
Date: 10 Nov 97 - 08:24 PM

Not to be pedantic (but of course I shall be pedantic) O Come Emanuel is an Advent carol, not a Christmas carol.

Subject: Lyr Add: BOAR'S HEAD CAROL
From: dulcimer
Date: 10 Nov 97 - 08:41 PM

I hope you can understand this attempt at notes and words. The notes are repeated for verse and chorus alike.

BOAR'S HEAD CAROL

Key=G  (^=8th, /=quarter, /^=quarter+ 8th,) time=6/8
  ^ II /^  /  /   II /  ^  /   ^Il  ^  I  ^   / II /   ^ ^  /
  d    g  g  g       f  g  d   b    c  c   e  e    d   d g

The boar's head in hand I bear, bedecked with bays and rosemary.
And I pray you, my masters, be merry. You who are feasting together.

The boar's head, I understand, is the rarest dish in all this land,
Which thus bedecked with a garland, let us serve with a song.

Our steward hath provided this, in honor of the King of bliss,
Which on this day now served is, in Queen's Hall.

CHORUS: I bring in the head of the boar, offering praises to the Lord.

"This carol first appeared in 1521 in the first book containing music printed in England. A student at Queen's was attacked by a boar. He thrust his Aristotle down the boar's throat choking him to death. He then served it to his fellows. Later, Henry VIII proclaimed it the official meat of the holiday feast.

Subject: RE: Medieval Christmas\Yule\Wassail
From: Murray
Date: 11 Nov 97 - 02:38 AM

The song is actually macaronic, with Latin tags at the ends of the verses, and a Latin chorus. The sense is as above, but they run: 1. Quot estis in convivio. 2. Let us servire cantico. 3. In regimensi atrio.

Chorus: Caput apri deferro, Reddens laudes Domino. It was a little bit different as first printed by old Wynkyn de Worde. Words and music in William Chappell, "Popular Music of the Olden Time", 757.

Subject: RE: Medieval Christmas\Yule\Wassail
From: Moira Cameron
Date: 11 Nov 97 - 03:31 AM

With regards to the Wassail Round, above; I know that there are several other wassail songs with interchangeable verses, but this one is not like them. It is just the one verse sung as a round. It is very much like a calling on song that might have preceded a Christmas Mummer's Play. And speaking of Medieval Christmas Traditions--the Mummer's tradition is certainly worth considering.

Subject: RE: Medieval Christmas\Yule\Wassail
From: Bo
Date: 11 Nov 97 - 02:44 PM

Thanks everyone, so much for their help.

I had already milked the DT for everything I could find but the extra links are great, thanx Petra. Even Pedantic Tim and the illustrious Murry, thank you for your finer points.

I'm still looking as the performance is on the 21 of November but thank you all for your help so far especially Dulcimer.

PS Moira, I had intended to fall back on a Mummers play if I cant find enough music. (great minds think alike!)

thanx again Bo

Subject: RE: Medieval Christmas\Yule\Wassail
From: Helen
Date: 11 Nov 97 - 05:10 PM

Bo, If you have MIDI software you can get the MIDI files for some of the songs mentioned here at this site.

If you don't have the software you can download demo versions of different programs, but try Noteworthy because you can print out the music from it.

http://www.dtx.net/~raborn/ THE CLASSICAL MIDI CONNECTION

Helen

Subject: RE: Medieval Christmas\Yule\Wassail
From: Nonie Rider
Date: 17 Nov 97 - 07:49 PM

To join the ranks of the picky: "Coventry Carol" is actually re the Slaughter of the Innocents, and not the infant Jesus.

However, it's also my favorite, so too d*mned bad!

--Nonie