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BENJAMIN
BRITTEN
A
CEREMONY OF CAROLS
(Opus 28)
for treble
voices and harp accompaniment.
Note:
For the first time you will be able to hear a complete performance of
Britten's masterpiece "A Ceremony of Carols" written for
treble voices and presented by the famous California Boys' Choir. Click
on the "Full Concert" link for an uninterrupted performance.
To listen to an individual selection click on the selection title or
right-click on the "D/L" symbol to download to a directory of
your choice.
"Full
Concert"
Hodie
Christus natus est:
Today Christ is
born:
hodie Salvator apparuit:
today
the Saviour appears:
hodie in terra canunt angeli: today
on earth the angels sing:
lætantur archangeli:
the
archangels announce:
hodie exsultant justi dicentes: today be exultant and
say
together:
Gloria in excelsis Deo.
Glory
to God in the highest.
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! Halleluia!
Halleluia! Halleluia!
+++
The drama begins to unfold with the heavenly announcement to the
shepherds +++
Wolcum,
Wolcum, Wolcum be thou hevenè king,
Wolcum
Yole! Wolcum, born in one morning,
Wolcum
for whom we sall sing!
Wolcum
be ye, Stevene and Jon,
Wolcum,
Innocentes every one,
Wolcum,
Thomas marter one,
Wolcum
be ye, good Newe Yere,
Wolcum,
Twelfthe Day both in fere,
Wolcum,
seintes lefe and dere,
Wolcum
Yole, Wolcum Yole, Wolcum!
Candelmesse, Quene of bliss,
Wolcum bothe to more and lesse.
Wolcum,
Wolcum, Wolcum be ye that are here,
Wolcum
Yole, Wolcum alle and make good cheer,
Wolcum
alle another yere, Wolcum Yole, Wolcum!
+++
After greeting the heavenly King, we welcome those who were first to
follow Him, and the New Year which may bring greater or lesser
blessings to all mankind. And welcome to you, our guests, who come to
our Ceremony +++
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There
is no rose of such vertu as is the rose that bare Jesu.
Alleluia,
alleluia.
For
in this rose conteinèd was heaven and earth in litel space,
Res
miranda, res miranda.
By
that rose we may well see there be one God in persons three,
Pares
forma, pares forma,
The
aungels sungen the shepherds to:
Gloria
in excelsis,
gloria
in excelsis Deo.
Gaudeamus,
gaudeamus.
Leave
we all this werldly mirth, and follow we this joyful birth.
Transeamus,
transeamus, transeamus.
Alleluia,
res miranda, pares forma, gaudeamus,
Transeamus,
transeamus, transeamus. |
+++
In the womb of Mary the fantastic truth of heaven and earth united is
made manifest. The doctrine of the Trinity is proclaimed as a design
of beauty taking the form of three persons in one. We, observing the
celebration of this holy event, move on... +++
"And
I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed
and her seed: it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise His
heel" Genesis 3:15
(David Hernandez,
alto)
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That
yongë child when it gan weep with song she lulled him asleep:
That
was so sweet a melody it passèd alle minstrelsy.
The
nightingalë sang also: Her song is hoarse . . and nought thereto:
Whoso
attendeth to her song and leaveth the first. . then doth he wrong.
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+++
In the midst of Mary's lullaby, the Nightingale appears, singing
hoarsely of earthly allures and negativity, brightly colored red, like
the Scarlet Letter. The Boy of Inspiration, struck with an inner
vision of the new Word, interprets the conflict to the other boys, but
the Nightingale distracts the boys from the Truth. The Boy of
Inspiration's words, "Whoso attendeth to her (the Nightingale's)
song and leaveth the first, then doth he wrong" brings the boys
to repentance. A young Boy of Naivete, desiring knowledge of evil, but
unaware of the consequences, steals the Nightingale from its source.
He runs off with it, but coming upon the boy Jesus, throws the bird
down, and brings the boy Jesus to the others +++
(Pepito Zegarra,
soprano)
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O
my deare hert, young Jesu sweit, Prepare thy creddil in my spreit,
And
I sall rock thee to my hert, And never mair from thee depart.
But
I sall praise thee evermoir With sanges sweit unto thy gloir;
The
knees of my hert sall I bow, And sing that richt Balulalow. |
+++
The Boy of the Lullaby, remembering his own mother's soft songs, gathers
the other boys around him, and sings the Lullaby of Mary. The others
remember, too, and join in to praise the Holy Child, singing, "I
shall praise thee evermore with sweet songs to thy glory. The knees of
my heart shall I bow; and it is right to sing that song of praise,
Balulalow".+++
NOTE:
The original composition did not provide a natural break between
"As Dew In Aprille" and "This Little Babe." To
preserve the original performance both of these selections are combined
into one audio file.
I
sing of a maiden that is makèles:
King
of all kings to her son she ches
He
came also stille there his moder was,
As
dew in Aprille that falleth on the grass.
He
came also stille to his moder's bour,
As
dew in Aprille that falleth on the flour.
He
came also stille there his moder lay,
As
dew in Aprille that falleth on the spray.
Moder
and mayden was never none but she:
Well
may such a lady Goddes moder be.
+++
The King of all kings came to earth as still as the dew falling on the
grass. His childhood was as quiet as the dew falling on the flowers.
And His Twelfth year came like the dew in April, in which He, during
the Feast of Passover, left his parents, and instead went to the
temple. After three days of searching for Him, they found Him, asking,
"Why have you treated us like this? We have been looking for you
in great anxiety."
"What
made you search?"he said. "Did you not know that I was
bound to be in my Father's house?" But they did not
understand what He meant +++ Luke 2:41-52
NOTE:
The original composition did not provide a natural break between
"As Dew In Aprille" and "This Little Babe." To
preserve the original performance both of these selections are combined
into one audio file.
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This
little Babe so few days old, is come to rifle Satan's fold;
All hell doth
at his presence quake, though he himself for cold do shake;
For in this
weak unarmed wise the gates of hell he will surprise.
With tears he
fights and wins the field, His naked breast stands for a shield;
His battering
shot are babish cries, His arrows looks of weeping eyes,
His martial
ensigns Cold and Need, and feeble Flesh his warrior's steed.
His camp is
pitched in a stall, His bulwark but a broken wall;
The crib his
trench, haystalks his stakes; of shepherds he his muster makes;
And thus, as
sure his foe to wound, the angels' trumps alarum sound.
My soul, with
Christ join thou in fight; stick to the tents that he hath pight.
Within his
crib is surest ward; this little Babe will be thy guard.
If thou wilt
foil thy foes with joy, then flit not from this heavenly Boy.
+++
With only the innocent weapons of Truth, the Holy Child takes on all the
forces of hell +++
7.
INTERLUDE
THE
NIGHTINGALE RENEWED
(Lusciniae
Reducis)
+++
The Boy of Naivete, walking through life seeking experience and beauty,
comes again upon the bird he has cast away. He is attracted again to its
allures, and picking it up, tries to make it sing, but it cannot, having
been separated from its source of power. However, the source appears, and
takes the bird away from the young boy, who flees in fright. The Boy of
Inspiration, finding the Nightingale reunited with its source of power,
courageously casts down the two, thus preventing another cycle of
negativity. But instead of destroying the Nightingale and its power, he
lifts them up with the force of good, with the power of Truth and the
weapons of innocence. He brings the other boys to help the bird in its new
struggle. Confronted by the boy Jesus, the bird overcomes its evil or
negative ways, and changes to white, like the dove of the Spirit. Together
the boys show the transformed and renewed bird how to stretch and free
itself. While all watch, it takes flight, and escapes the bonds of evil +++
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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.
This
stable is a Prince's court, this crib his chair of State;
The beasts
are parcel of 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, 0 Christian wight, Do homage to thy King,
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And
highly praise his humble pomp, wich he from Heaven doth bring.
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+++
In the seasons of life, winter brings death. And in this poem, the baby
Jesus wears a shroud, the covering clothing of the grave. The further
seeming contradiction of the Heavenly Prince in humble circumstance, the
life of Jesus in great humility, points to His unjust but self-appointed
reward, a crown of thorns, rather than a crown of diamonds. The Boy of
Christian Invitation asks us to approach with joy and do homage to our King.
The Boy of Humility tells us to praise His humble pomp, which was prized in
heaven +++
(Pepito Zegarra, soprano;
David Hernandez, alto)
Pleasure
it is to hear iwis, the Birdes sing,
The deer
in the dale, the sheep in the vale, the corn springing.
God's
purveyance for sustenance, It is for man, it is for man.
Then we
always to give him praise, And thank him than.
+++
The earth was created for us to enjoy. All nature praises God, and gives
manifold witness to the Resurrection and rebirth, for which we praise God
+++
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Deo
gracias! Deo gracias!
Adam lay ibounden, bounden in a bond;
Four thousand winter thought he not to long.
Deo
gracias! Deo gracias!
And all was for an appil, an appil that he tok,
As clerkes finden written in their book.
Deo
gracias! Deo gracias!
Ne had the appil take ben, the appil take ben,
Ne hadde never our lady a ben hevene quene.
Blessed be the time that appil take was.
Therefore we moun singen.
Deo
gracias! Deo gracias! Deo gracias! Deo gracias!
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+++
We remember the Garden of Eden, the fall of Adam and Eve, and give thanks to
God for His plan of redemption for us +++
Hodie
Christus natus est: Today
Christ is born:
hodie
Salvator apparuit:
today
the Saviour appears:
hodie in
terra canunt angeli: today
on earth the angels sing:
laetantur
archangeli:
the
archangels announce:
hodie
exsultant justi dicentes: today
be exultant and say
together:
Gloria in
excelsis Deo.
Glory to God in the highest.
Alleluia,
alleluia, alleluia.
Halleluia!
Halleluia! Halleluia!
+++
The Ceremony does not cease. Instead, we carry it out into the world,
praising God, and like the Nightingale renewed, stretch and free ourselves
from the power of evil, and fly toward the Light +++
Copyright
© 1976 Robert H. Rogers
(Used
with permission)
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Copyright © 2002 boychoirs.org
This page was last modified on
10 March 2007
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