Britten, Benjamin
A Ceremony of Carols

€26.00
In stock
Add Your Review
Write Your Own Review
You're reviewing:Britten, Benjamin - A Ceremony of Carols
Your Rating
Description

A Ceremony of Carols, Op. 28, is a choral piece by Benjamin Britten, scored for three-part treble chorus, solo voices, and harp. Written for Christmas, it consists of eleven movements, with text from The English Galaxy of Shorter Poems, edited by Gerald Bullett; it is in Middle English. The piece was written in 1942 while Britten was at sea, going from the United States to England.

The piece was written at the same time as Britten's Hymn to St. Cecilia and is stylistically very similar. Originally conceived as a series of unrelated songs, it was later unified into one piece with the framing processional and recessional chant in unison based on the Gregorian antiphon "Hodie Christus natus est", heard at the beginning and the end. A harp solo based on the chant, along with a few other motifs from "Wolcum Yole", also serves to unify the composition. In addition, the movements "This Little Babe" and "Deo Gracias" have the choir reflecting harp-like effects by employing a canon at the first in stretto.

The original 1942 publication was written for SSA (Soprano, Soprano, Alto) children’s choir. In 1943, an SATB (Soprano, Alto, Tenor, Bass) arrangement was published for a full choir. Many of the movements are written as rounds or call-and-response pieces – lyrically simple for the sake of the children performing. The SATB arrangement shows these origins quite clearly throughout many of the movements; this is most notable in Balulalow. There are three-part divisis in both the tenor and bass parts. Each of these lines individually mirrors a line in either the soprano or alto parts, as though the tenor and bass sections are a men’s choir singing the original SSA composition with an SSA choir.

Contents
Movements:
1. "Procession" ("Hodie Christus natus est", Gregorian antiphon to the Magnificat at Second Vespers of Christmas)
2. "Wolcum Yole!"
3. "There is no rose" (Trinity College MS 0.3.58, early 15c)
4a. "That yonge child"
4b.Balulalow" (the brothers Wedderburn, fl. 1548)
5. "As Dew in Aprille" (Sloane 2593, first quarter 15c)
6. "This Little Babe" (from Robert Southwell's "Newe Heaven, Newe Warre", 1595)
7."Interlude" (harp solo)
8. "In Freezing Winter Night" (Southwell)
9. "Spring Carol" (16c., also set by William Cornysh)
10."Deo Gracias" (Sloane 2593)
11 "Recession" ("Hodie")

This is the harp part only.
Specifications
More Information
Author / arranger / composerBritten, Benjamin
Weight109.000000
Suitable forPedal harp
CategoryChristmas, Harp and voice
Sound examples
The latest news about harp days, workshops and repair days.
Salvi and Lyon&Healy regulations
Latest news
New
25 Jun 2024
to
06 Jul 2024
Salvi and Lyon&Healy regulations
harp maintenance

In the period from June 25 up to July 6, 2024, Davide Rosso from Salvi and Lyon&Healy comes to maintain and regulate Salvi and L&H lever harps and pedal harps. 

maintenance/regulation lever harp, duration 1.5 hours, costs 150 euros
maintenance/regulation pedal harp without new felts, duration 2 hours, costs 275 euros
maintenance/regulation pedal harp with new felts, duration 3 hours, costs 400 euros

The prices quoted do not include new parts, such as strings, levers, wheels or pedal caps.

You can already make an appointment for maintenance by calling 0317-769134 or send us an email to info@zingendesnaar.nl . We would like to hear what brand and model harp you have, what maintenance you wish to carry out and the serial number of your harp.