Coventry Carol
“Coventry Carol” happens to be my favorite carol, so it makes sense that this would be the first Christmas song that I arrange and release. (Jump to the song.) If you checked out Prospect, you know that I’m a former church musician. As you might imagine, Christmas tends to be a hectic time of year for any musician, but church musicians get especially swamped. We have our “normal” music gigs, but then we also have our church service music as well. At my first job, Christmas Eve consisted of three back-to-back services. I sang in two of them and was directing/herding the Children and Teen choirs and interns for the earliest service. The job I had prior to the Pandemic was more low-key – only one service, but it was a doozy! We typically sang a small concert’s worth of music.
For both gigs, the directors had their favorite pieces. We always sang a John Rutter arrangement, certain hymns had their descants that we sopranos belted out to be heard over the congregation, plus a small binder’s worth of Christmas music from a variety of time periods and cultures. My first gig guaranteed me a late night which made getting up early on Christmas morning a little challenging, but I wouldn’t trade either gig for anything!
Check out my other vocal arrangements and my instrumental music.
Coventry Carol Video
Coventry Carol, traditional English carol
Despite the variety of music that we sang over Advent and Christmas, we never performed “Coventry Carol”, with good reason. “Coventry Carol” tells the story of the Massacre of the Innocents from the Gospel of Matthew. King Herod, feeling threatened by the birth of Jesus, orders all male infants to be murdered. “Coventry Carol” becomes the lullaby that the mothers sang to their doomed infants. While it’s a beautiful piece, it doesn’t quite fit into a joyous Christmas service for the family!
“Coventry Carol” dates back to 16th century England, but the writer’s name has been lost to time. In my arrangement, I opted to play up the mother’s fear and anguish in the background of a traditional choral anthem.
Lyrics
Lully, lullay, thou little tiny Child,
By, by lully, lullay.
O sisters, too, how may we do,
For to preserve this day;
This poor Youngling for whom we sing,
By, by, lully, lullay.
Herod the King, in his raging,
Charged he hath this day;
His men of might, in his own sight,
All children young to slay.
Then woe is me, poor Child, for Thee,
And ever mourn and say;
For Thy parting nor say nor sing,
By, by lully, lullay.
Lully, lullay, thou little tiny Child,
By, by lully, lullay.