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Christmas Music in Shakespeare's England
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Christmas Music in Oyle of Barley Twelfth Night If the above controls don't work for you, you can use
the following links to save the clips to your hard drive: |
Christmas Music in Shakespeare's England
Christmas celebrations in Renaissance England began with the Advent fast and continued through the feast of Christmas with its twelve days of feasting, masquing and revelry, and ended at Candlemas. (2nd February), when decorations of Bay, Rosemary, Mistletoe & Holly were all taken down.
Books of Christmas carols were printed throughout the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. These editions usually lack melodies to go with the words although the indication ‘to the tune of’ is sometimes printed at the top of the carol. The word ‘carol’ probably comes from the medieval Latin ‘carula’ which has interchangeable meanings of a round dance or a song and as such it is fitting that so many carols may be set to popular dance and ballad tunes. We begin then with a medley of such tunes, all with Christmas associations, followed by William Dunbar’s translation of the Advent prose, ‘Rorate coeli’.
We set the scene for December with Campion’s ‘Now winter nights enlarge’ and Breton’s description of December before starting the story of the Nativity with Jurie came to Jerusalem, lullabies and songs of adoration.
As the kingdoms of England and Scotland were united when James I became king in 1603, we have included some Scottish carols and readings. (Balulalow, All sons of Adam, O than the fairest)
The advent fast ended on Christmas Eve and the twelve days from Christmas Day until Epiphany (6th January) were traditionally filled with feasting, music, dancing and other revelry. At Court and in the great houses, plays and sumptuous masques would be performed. Many of Shakespeare’s plays were first performed at this time of year. Mummers and ‘guisers’ went from house to house bearing a bowl of wassail (hot spiced ale, sometimes also called ‘lambswool’ if roasted apples were added) decorated with ribbons, garlands (and sometimes a golden apple), caroling, giving blessings and a drink of wassail in exchange for gifts of money or food.
Probably the most well known of the songs of this time is the ‘Coventry’ Carol, taken from a mystery play, remembering the massacre of the Innocents.
Gifts were given on NewYear’s Day rather than at Christmas. (Incidentally, although 1st January was called ‘New Year’s Day’, the New Year did not officially begin till the Feast of the Annunciation on 25th March)
For the feast of the Epiphany, a special cake containing a bean and a pea (sometimes dried, sometimes of metal) was served; whoever found these would be King of the Bean and Queen of the Pea for the evening. Robert Herrick describes this and many other seasonal customs in his collection of verse, Hesperides.
Candlemas, the feast of the Purification of the Virgin
marked the end of Christmas and the beginning of Spring: after Candlemas,
peasants began to drive their cattle from fallow fields in preparation
for sowing. In his Epigram upon Candlemasse daye, Herrick wrote
‘End now the White-loaf, & the Pie
And let all sports with Christmas dye’
Tamsin Lewis 2006
2
Rorate coeli desuper!
Heavens, distil your balmy showers;
For now is risen the bright Daystar,
From the rose Mary, flower of flowers:
The clear Sun, whom no cloud devours,
Surmounting Phoebus in the east,
Is comen of his heavenly towers,
Et nobis puer natus est.
3
Now winter nights enlarge
The number of their hours;
And clouds their storms discharge
Upon the airy towers.
Let now the chimneys blaze
And cups o'erflow with wine,
Let well-tuned words amaze
With harmony divine.
Now yellow waxen lights
Shall wait on honey love
While youthful revels, masques, and courtly sights
Sleep's leaden spells remove.
This time doth well dispense
With lovers' long discourse;
Much speech hath some defense,
Though beauty no remorse.
All do not all things well;
Some measures comely tread,
Some knotted riddles tell,
Some poems smoothly read.
The summer hath his joys,
And winter his delights;
Though love and all his pleasures are but toys,
They shorten tedious nights.
4
It is now December, and hee that walkes the Streets shal find durt on
his shoes, Except he go al in bootes; Now doth the Lawyer make an end
of his harvest, and the Client of his purse: Now Capons and Hennes beside
Turkies, Geese and Duckes, beside Beefe and Mutton, must al die for the
great feast, for in xij daies a multitude of people wil not bee fed with
a little; Now Plummes and Spice, Sugar and Honey, square it among Pies
and Broth, and Gossip, I drinke to you, and you are Welcome, and I pray
you bee merrie: Now are the Taylors and the Tiremakers ful of worke against
the Holidayes, and Musicke now must be in tune, or else never: The youth
must dance and sing, and the aged sit by the fire. It is the Law of Nature
and no Contradiction in Reason: The Asse that hath borne al the yeare
must now take a little rest, and the leane Oxe must feed til hee bee fat:
the Footman now shal have many a foule step, and the Ostler shal have
worke enough about the heeles of the horses, while the Tapster, if hee
take not heed, wil lie drunke in the Sellar: The prices of Meat wil rise
apace, and the apparell of the Proud wil make the Taylor rich: Dice and
Cardes wil benefit the Butler: and if the Cooke doe not lacke witte, he
wil swetely licke his fingers: Starchers and Launderers wil have their
hands ful of worke, and Periwigs and Painting wil not bee a little set
by, Strange stuffes wil be wel sold, Strange tales wel told, Strange sights
much sought, Strange things much bought, and what else as fals out. To
conclude, I hold it the costly Purveyor of Excesse, and the Afterbreeder
of Necessitie, the Practice of Folly, and the Purgatory of Reason. Farewell.
5
Jurie came to Jerusalem, All the world was taxed then
Blessed Mary brought to Bethlem more than all the world again:
A gift so blest, so good, the best that ere was seen, was heard or done,
A king, a Christ, prophet and priest, Jesus to us, to God a son
Happy Night! A day was never half so happy, sweet and
fair:
Singing souldiers blessed ever fill the skies with sweetest air.
Amaz’d men fear, they see, they hear, yet doubt and ask, how was
that done?
Twas bid, be bold, it is foretold, this night God hath himself a son.
Twas upon a comet’s blessing, Cuma to Augustus
said,
‘This foreshows an act amazing, of a mother still a maid
a babe which all must fear and suddenly it must be done
Yet, Caesar, thou to him must bow, he’s Jesus, God, a man, a son.’
There appeared a golden usher, kings attending on the
train:
The bright sun could not outblush her, such a star ne’er shone again.
Behold it stays, seeming it says, go in and see what there is done:
A babe whose birth leagues heaven and earth, Jesus to us, to God a son.
6
I come to hevin heich to tell
The best nowells that e'er befell
To you thir tythings trew I bring
And I will of them say and sing.
This day to you is born ane child
Of Marie meik and Virgin mild
That blissit bairn bening and kind
Sall you rejoyce baith hart and mind.
O my deir hard, yung Jesus sweit
Prepair thy creddil in my spreit!
And I sall rock thee in my hart
And never mair fra thee depart.
Bot I sall praise thee evermoir
With sangis sweit unto thy gloir
The kneis of my hard sall I bow
And sing that rycht Balulalow.
8
Sweet was the song the Virgin sung,
When she, when she to Bethlem Juda came,
And was deliver'd of a Son,
That blessed Jesus hath to name.
Lulla, lulla, lula, lullaby,
Lula, lula, lula, lullaby, sweet Babe, sung she,
My Son, and eke a Saviour born,
Who hast vouchsafed from on high
To visit us that were forlorn;
Lalula, lalula, lalulaby, sweet babe, sang she,
And rockt Him sweetly on her knee.
9
O than the fairest day, thrice fairer night!
Night to blest days in which a sun doth rise
Of which that golden eye which clears the skies
Is but a sparkling ray, a shadow-light!
And blessed ye, in silly pastors' sight,
Mild creatures, in whose warm crib now lies
That heaven-sent youngling, holy-maid-born wight,
Midst, end, beginning of our prophecies!
Blest cottage that hath flowers in winter spread,
Though withered - blessed grass that hath the grace
To deck and be a carpet to that place!
Thus sang, unto the sounds of oaten reed,
Before the Babe, the shepherds bowed on knees;
And springs ran nectar, honey dropped from trees.
11
Behold a silly tender babe,
In freezing winter night,
In homely manger trembling lies:
Alas! A piteous sight.
The inns are full; no man will yield
This little Pilgrim bed;
But forced He is with silly beasts
In crib to shroud his head.
Despise Him not for lying there;
First what He is inquire:
And orient pearl is often found
In depth of dirty mire.
Weigh not His crib, His wooden dish,
Nor beasts that by Him feed;
Weigh not His Mother's poor attire,
Nor Joseph's simple weed.
This stable is a Prince's Court,
The crib His chair of state,
The beasts are parcel on His pomp,
The wooden dish His plate;
The persons in that poor attire
His royal liveries wear;
The Prince Himself is come from heaven,
This pomp is prized there.
With joy approach, O Christian soul,
Do homage to thy King;
And highly praise His humble pomp,
Which He from heaven doth bring.
12
All sons of Adam, rise up and follow me
Go love the blessed trinitie.
Sing we nowell,
cry Kyrie and Hosanna
Sing Sabaoth,
Sing alleluja
Now save us all, Emanuel
Then spak archangel Gabriel,
said ‘Ave Mary Mild,
The Lord of Lordis is with thee
Now sall thou go with child
Ecce ancilla domini.’
Then said the Virgin young
‘As thou hes said so mot it be
Welcom be heavin’s king.’
There cam a ship fair sailland then
Sanct Michael was the stieresman
Sanct John sat in the horn.
Our Lord harpit, our Lady sang,
And all the bells of heavn they rang
on Christonday at morn
Then sang the angels all and sum,
‘Lauda Jerusalem, Lauda deum tuum Sion’
The sons of Adam answered them
‘Sing glore be to thee God and man,
the Father and the Sprit also
With honor and perpetual jo’
13
Come, and do not musing stand,
If thou the truth discern;
But take a full cup in thy hand
And thus begin to learn,
Not of the earth nor, of the air,
At evening or at morn,
But jovial boys your Christmas keep
With the little barley-corn.
It is the cunningest alchymist
That e'er was in the land,
'Twill change your mettle when it list,
In turning of a hand.
Your blushing gold to silver wan,
Your silver into brass;
'Twill turn a taylor to a man,
And a man into an ass.
If sickness come this physick take,
It from your heart will set it,
If fear encroach, take more of it,
Your heart will soon forget it.
Apollo and the Muses nine
Do take it in no scorn,
There's no such stuff to pass the time
As the little barley-corn.
'Twill make a weeping willow laugh,
And soon incline to pleasure;
'Twill make an old man. leave his staff,
And dance a youthful measure;
Arid though your clothes be ne'er so bad,
All ragged, rent, and torn,
Against the cold you may be clad
With little barley-corn.
Thus the barley-corn hath power,
Even for to change our nature,
And makes a shrew, within an hour,
Prove a kind-hearted creature:
And therefore here, I say again,
Let no man take 't in scorn,
That I the virtues do proclaim
Of the little barley-corn.
14
Beat up a Drum for Christmas reignes,
And from the Plaines
He drives the Swaines
And still maintaines
The title of a King
Christmas is come a Champion bold
Though very cold,
That vowes to hold
His Honour old,
In spight of youthfull Spring.
Fire your Beacons,
Whet your Weapons,
Kill your Capons and fall on;
As it fitts, use your Spitts,
Winter lyes a bleeding,
When he findes you feeding,
All his force is gone.
Christmas early,
Sounds a Parley, Juice of Barley,
Crownes the Bowle:
Make him cough, Cut him off,
That derides a Drinker, When so brave a Skinker,
Rules without controwl.
Arme, Arm, Arme,
Behold thy foe, From top to toe
In Ice and Snow, Doth puff and blow,
His fury to provoke:
Dreadless of harme,
Draw Hogsheads dry, Let Flagons fly,
Make fires nose-hye, Alarum cry,
Twill make his army smoake.
Soundly warme him, That will charme him;
Then disarme him, He’ll give way:
Now he flyes, Now he dyes,
The Retreat is sounded, Winter is confounded,
Christmas hath the day:
All renown him, That have known him,
Conquest crowne him, ‘tis his due:
Bid this Chear, Once a year;
For his sake amend it, When this old year’s ended,
Frolick for a New
16
'Tis Christmas now, 'tis Christmas now,
When Cato's self could laugh,
And smothing forth his wrinkled brow,
Gives liberty to quaff.
To dance, to sing, to sport and play;
For ev'ry hour's a holiday.
And for the Twelve days, let them pass
In mirth and jollity!
The time doth call each lad and lass
That will be blythe and merry.
Then dance, to sing, to sport and play;
For ev'ry hour's a holiday.
And from the rising of the sun
To the setting cast off cares;
'Tis time enough when twelve is done
To think of our affairs.
Then dance, to sing, to sport and play;
For ev'ry hour's a holiday.
17
Christmas his Masque
Enter Christmas, with two or three of the Guard.
He is attir'd in round Hose, long Stockings, a close Doublet, a high crownd
Hat
with a Broach, a long thin beard, a Truncheon, little Ruffes, white Shoes,
his
Scarffes, and Garters tyed crosse, and his Drum beaten before him.
Enter his Sonnes and Daughters being ten in number, led in, in a string
by Cupid,
who is attir'd in a flat Cap, and a Prentises Coat, with wings at his
shoulders.
The names of his Children, with their attyres.
MIS-RULE.
In a velvet Cap with a Sprig, a short Cloake, great yellow Ruffe like
a
Reveller, his Torch bearer bearing a Rope, a Cheese and a Basket,
CAROLL.
A long tawny Coat, with a red Cap, and a Flute at his girdle, his Torch-bearer
carrying a Song booke open.
MINC'D-PIE.
Like a fine Cookes Wife, drest neat; her Man carrying a Pie, Dish, and
Spoones.
GAMBOLL.
Like a Tumbler, with a hoope and Bells; his Torch-bearer arm'd with a
Cole-staffe,
and a blinding cloth.
POST AND PAIRE.
With a paire-Royall of Aces in his Hat; his Garment all done over with
Payres,
and Purrs; his Squier carrying a Box, Gards, and Counters.
NEW-YEARES-GIFT.
In a blew Coat, serving-man like, with an Orange, and a sprig of Rosemarie
guilt
on his head, his Hat full of Broaches, with a coller of Gingerbread, his
Torch-bearer
carrying a March-paine, with a bottle of wine on either arme.
MUMMING.
In a Masquing pied suite, with a Visor, his Torch-bearer carrying the
Boxe, and
ringing it.
WASSALL.
Like a neat Sempster, and Songster; her Page bearing a browne bowle, drest
with
Ribbands, and Rosemarie before her.
OFFERING.
In a short gowne, with a Porters staffe in his hand; a Wyth borne before
him,
and a Bason by his Torch-bearer.
BABIE-COCKE.
Drest like a Boy, in a fine long Coat, Biggin, Bib, Muckender, and a little
Dagger; his Vsher bearing a great Cake with a Beane, and a Pease.
They enter singing.
19
Lully, lulla, thow littel tyne child,
By, by, lully, lulla, thou littel tyne child,
By, by, lully, lullay.
O sisters too,
How may we do
For to preserve this day
This pore yongling
For whom we do sing:
'By, by, lully, lullay'?
Herod the King
In his raging
Chargid he hath this day
His men of might
In his owne sight,
All yonge children to slay.
That wo is me,
Pore child, for thee,
And ever morne and say
For thi parting
Nether say nor singe:
'By, by, lully, lullay'.
20
Tell us, thou clear and heavenly tongue,
Where is the Babe but lately sprung?
Lies He the lily-banks among?
Or say, if this new birth of ours
Sleeps, laid within some ark of flowers,
Spangled with dew-light; thou canst clear
All doubts, and manifest the where.
Declare to us, bright star, if we shall seek
Him in the morning's blushing cheek,
Or search the beds of spices through,
To find Him out?
No, this ye need not do;
But only come, and see Him rest
A princely Babe in's mother's breast.
He's seen, He's seen, why then a round,
Let's kiss the sweet and holy ground;
And all rejoice, that we have found
A King, before conception crowned.
Come then, come then, and let us bring
Unto our pretty Twelfth-tide King,
Each one his several offering;
And when night comes, we'll give Him wassailing:
And that His treble honors may be seen,
We'll choose Him King, and make His mother Queen.
22
Now, now the mirth comes,
With the cake full of plums,
Where Bean's the king of the sport here;
Besides we must know,
The pea also
Must revel, as queen, in the court here.
Begin then to choose,
This night as ye use,
Who shall for the present delight here,
Be a king by the lot,
And who shall not
Be Twelfth-day queen for the night here.
Which known, let us make
Joy-sops with the cake;
and let not a man then be seen here,
Who, unurg'd, will not drink,
To the base from the brink,
A health to the king and queen here.
Next crown the bowl full
With the gentle lamb's-wool
Add sugar, nutmeg, and ginger,
With store of ale too;
And thus ye must do
To make the wassail a swinger.
Give then to the king
And queen wassailing;
And, though with ale ye be wet here,
Yet part ye from hence
As free from offense,
As when ye innocent met here.
24
All hail to the days that merit more praise
Than all of the rest of the year,
And welcome the nights that double delights
As well for the poor as the peer!
Good fortune attend each merry man's friend
That doth but the best that he may,
Forgetting old wrongs with carols and songs
To drive the cold winter away.
The Court in his state sets open his gate
and gives free welcome to most
The City likewise, to something precise
Yet willingly parts with their Roast
But yet by report from city to court
The country gets the day
More liquor is spent with better content
To drive the cold winter away.
This time of the year is spent in good cheer,
And neighbours together do meet,
To sit by the fire, with friendly desire,
Each other in love to greet.
Old grudges forgot are put in the pot,
All sorrows aside they lay;
The old and the young doth carol this song,
To drive the cold winter away.
When Christmas's tide comes in like a bride,
WIth holly and ivy clad,
Twelve days in the year much mirth and good cheer
In every household is had.
The country guise is then to devise
Some gambols of Christmas play,
Whereat the young men do best that they can
To drive the cold winter away.
The white-bearded frost has threatened his worst
And fallen from branch and briar
Then time away calls from husbandry halls
And from the good countryman's fire,
Together to go, to plough and to sow,
To get us both food and array,
And thus with content, the time we have spent
To drive the cold winter away.
Music Sources: 1,2,5,13,24 Playford, The English Dancing Master, 1651; 3 Campion, Third Booke of Ayres, c1618; 1 Elizabeth Rogers hir Virginal Book, c1656; 7 Ravenscroft Deuteromelia, 1609; 8 William Ballet lute book; 10,21 Holborne Pavans, Galliards, Almains 1599 11 Thomas Robinson Schoole of Musicke 1603; 11 Thomas Wode partbooks c1590 16 Playford's Select Ayres and Dialogues 18 Masque of Heroes 1619; 19 Pageant of the Shearmen and Tailors 1591; 24 William Byrd Gradualia 1605
Text Sources: 2 William Dunbar, c1500 3 Thomas Campion, Third Booke of Ayres, c1618 4 Nicholas Breton: Fantasticks 1626; 5 Shirburn Ballads, Forbes Cantus; 6,8,12,14,16 anon; 9 William Drummond (1585-1649); 11 Robert Southwell (1561-1595); 13,24 Broadside ballads; 17 Ben Jonson, Christmas his masque 1616; 20, 22 Robert Herrick Hesperides, 1648 nb. Spellings are idiosyncratic and where possible are taken from original editions.
Instruments Violin: Nicholas Woodward 2000 after Maggini 1591; Tenor viol: Frank Metcalf 1987; Bass Viol: R Passauro Zuccharo; Bass Viol: John Pringle 1978 after Rose 1580; Lute Paul Thomson; Harp Tim Hobrough
All arrangements - Tamsin Lewis 2006
