What Sweeter Music

BBC Music magazine recently conducted a survey of the (in their words) "top 50" choir masters and experts. The question? Which are the top carols of all time? The result? Not ten of the most popular pieces of Christmas music, but most assuredly some of the most beautiful.

Top 10 Christmas Carols
1. In the Bleak Midwinter
2. In Dulci Jubilo
3. A Spotless Rose
4. Bethlehem Down
5. Lully, Lulla
6. Tomorrow Shall be My Dancing Day
7. There is No Rose
8. O Come All Ye Faithful
9. Of the Father's Heart Begotten
10. What Sweeter Music

Of the above we will be performing Tomorrow Shall Be My Dancing Day on Saturday, and in the past we've done Lully, Lulla in the small group. Our version of Midwinter is the hauntingly beautiful Chilcott version (rapidly becoming my favourite piece of our winter repertoire) and not the Darke arrangement as seen in the BBC's list.

Of note too, we will be singing Rutters Angels' Carol, which I linked to in my Christmas post of last year, as well his Candlelight and Star Carols. The only Rutter which made it into the top ten, however, is What Sweeter Music, which is certainly one of my most-loved carols of all time. So much so, that I'm going to reproduce the lyrics here. If you are watching the video above, look out for the bit where the music drops away for most of the mid section and returns at the end. This is technically incredibly difficult as the pitch must remain perfect during the acapella segment. Shivers down the spine good!

What sweeter music can we bring,
Than a carol, for to sing,
The birth of this our heavenly King?
Awake the voice! Awake the string!

Dark and dull night, fly hence away,
And give the honour to this day,
That sees December turn'd to May,
That sees December turn'd to May.

Why does the chilling winter's morn,
Smile, like a field beset with corn?
Or smell, like a meadow newly shorn,
Thus, on the sudden? Come and see,
The cause, why things thus fragrant be:

'Tis He is born, whose quick'ning birth,
Gives life and luster, public mirth,
To heaven and the under-earth.

We see Him come, and know Him ours,
Who, with His sunshine, and His show'rs,
Turns all the patient ground to flow'rs,
Turns all the patient ground to flow'rs.

The darling of the world is come,
And fit it is, we find a room,
To welcome Him, to welcome Him.

The nobler part of all the house here,
Is the heart,
Which we will give Him; and bequeath,
This holly and this ivy wreath,
To do Him honour; who's our King,
And Lord of all this revelling.

What sweeter music can we bring,
Than a carol, for to sing,
The birth of this our heavenly King?
The birth of this our heavenly King?

Hope to see you on Saturday when we'll be singing our own favourites!