The final section of the collection features five composers—Vaughan Williams, Warlock, Britten, Leighton, and Tavener—who significantly enriched the Christmas repertoire in the 20th century.
Album & Artwork
This album combines favorite carols from two previous Cambridge Singers albums, "Christmas with the Cambridge Singers" and "Christmas Day in the Morning," and includes four previously unreleased tracks.
Historical Context
The earliest works on this album include Victoria's "O magnum mysterium" from 1572, based on a Gregorian chant, and Scheidt's "In dulci jubilo" from 1620, a double-choir motet with trumpet parts.
Compositional Technique
The art of arranging traditional melodies, often thought of as a 20th-century invention, is as old as composition itself, with composers frequently elaborating on older tunes.
Composer's Artistic Vision
The album's program is divided into three categories: traditional carols, choruses and motets, and composers' carols, reflecting how composers often incorporate traditional melodies into their own works.
Recording & Production
This album was recorded in two sessions: some tracks in January 1989 and others in April 1993, all in the Great Hall of University College School, London.
You might also enjoy...
Natus: Music for Advent, Christmas & Epiphany
A Requiem for Stephen: Into a Greater Light
Hear My Words: Choral Classics from St. John's
Mater ora filium: Music for Epiphany
Adolf Fredrik Boys Choir: Live
Lux Aeterna Motets
More Choral Favourites from King's
Rosa mystica: Musical Portraits of the Blessed Virgin Mary
