To Thread - Forum Home

The Mudcat Café TM
https://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=3260
19 messages

Medieval Christmas\Yule\Wassail

08 Nov 97 - 02:24 PM (#15992)
Subject: Medieval Christmas\Yule\Wassail
From: Bo

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


08 Nov 97 - 06:17 PM (#15996)
Subject: RE: Medieval Christmas\Yule\Wassail
From: Petra A. Cosgrove

::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


08 Nov 97 - 10:53 PM (#16001)
Subject: RE: Medieval Christmas\Yule\Wassail
From: dick greenhaus

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


08 Nov 97 - 11:07 PM (#16002)
Subject: RE: Medieval Christmas\Yule\Wassail
From: dulcimer

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.


09 Nov 97 - 01:05 AM (#16005)
Subject: RE: Medieval Christmas\Yule\Wassail
From: Bo

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

dedy@ionline.net


09 Nov 97 - 11:13 AM (#16007)
Subject: RE: Medieval Christmas\Yule\Wassail
From: dick greenhaus

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


09 Nov 97 - 09:52 PM (#16024)
Subject: RE: Medieval Christmas\Yule\Wassail
From: dulcimer

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


10 Nov 97 - 02:48 AM (#16032)
Subject: RE: Medieval Christmas\Yule\Wassail
From: Murray

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.


10 Nov 97 - 10:37 AM (#16035)
Subject: Lyr Add: HERE WE COME A-WASSAILING
From: Moira Cameron

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.


10 Nov 97 - 07:47 PM (#16055)
Subject: RE: Medieval Christmas\Yule\Wassail
From: Susan of DT

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.


10 Nov 97 - 08:08 PM (#16056)
Subject: RE: Medieval Christmas\Yule\Wassail
From: dick greenhaus

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

We can deal with any of them.

dick


10 Nov 97 - 08:15 PM (#16057)
Subject: RE: Medieval Christmas\Yule\Wassail
From: Bob Schwarer

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

Bob S.


10 Nov 97 - 08:24 PM (#16058)
Subject: RE: Medieval Christmas\Yule\Wassail
From: Tim Jaques tjaques@netcom.ca

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


10 Nov 97 - 08:41 PM (#16059)
Subject: Lyr Add: BOAR'S HEAD CAROL
From: dulcimer

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.


11 Nov 97 - 02:38 AM (#16064)
Subject: RE: Medieval Christmas\Yule\Wassail
From: Murray

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.


11 Nov 97 - 03:31 AM (#16066)
Subject: RE: Medieval Christmas\Yule\Wassail
From: Moira Cameron

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.


11 Nov 97 - 02:44 PM (#16081)
Subject: RE: Medieval Christmas\Yule\Wassail
From: Bo

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


11 Nov 97 - 05:10 PM (#16085)
Subject: RE: Medieval Christmas\Yule\Wassail
From: Helen

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


17 Nov 97 - 07:49 PM (#16316)
Subject: RE: Medieval Christmas\Yule\Wassail
From: Nonie Rider

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