Sing, choirs of angels

THE rousing settings of O Come, All Ye Faithful and The First Nowell, without which Christmas would be incomplete, were arranged, with many glorious soaring descants, by David Willcocks, the late composer and much-loved choirmaster. They can be found in the first of four books of Carols for Choirs—the green one, as aficionados will know—which was published 60 years ago. Three more followed (orange, blue and red), edited by Sir David with John Rutter (see Interview in December 15 issue); the pair met at Cambridge in the 1960s and their work—commissioned by Christopher Morris, organist at St George’s, Hanover Square—has been indispensable ever since. A fifth edition, edited by Bob Chilcott and David Blackwell, was published in 2011.

After last year’s silencing of the carollers, traditional cathedral services are back, but, in a nod to our new way of life, many of the Festivals of Nine Lessons and Carols are also being streamed online and most venues request that those attending wear masks.

At the time of writing, King’s College Cambridge had not announced plans for its

Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols, broadcast on Christmas Eve, but Cecilia Mcdowall, who has been responsible for some shimmering pieces of choral music, has been revealed as the commissioned composer for the traditional new carol. Director of music Daniel Hyde asked her to produce a piece to ‘bring a moment of stillness’; in response, she has chosen to follow Benjamin Britten in setting to music the medieval poem There is no rose, which, she says, is a text that ‘could lend itself to a slower tempo’ and ‘a feeling of intimacy and quiet joy’.