carols book 2

By Various

The Penguin Book of Carols, edited by Ian Bradley, is a collection of 100 carols, dating back as early as the 1400s. Bradley, a lecturer in practical theology at St. Andrews University in Scotland,... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0140275266
• ISBN13: 9780140275261
• Release Date: November 2000
• Publisher: Callender Press
• Length: 152 Pages
• Weight: 0.85 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 5.1" x 7.8"

Customer Reviews

Deck The HALL With Boughs Of Holly

Hmm..after years of hearing the mis-titled "Deck the halls.." I'm stunned to note that records and CD's have that title in their catalogs, not to mention tons of songbooks. Ian Bradley's wonderfully and amusingly informative book corrects some myths and mis-construances about many so-called "popular" Christmas songs, many of which were not meant for church-singing originally. For example: * "Good King Wenceslas" was NOT some old medieval song, nor was "Wenceslas" really a king at all. He was a duke who lived in 10th century Eastern Europe. The song story is pretty much made up. * "Deck The Hall" is Welsh from a song called "Nos Galan" and really refers to the New Year, sort of a Welsh "Auld Lang Syne". * The traditional favorite "The Twelve Days of Christmas" came from a game of forfeits played on Twelfth Night. Each of the "gifts" represents theological symbols, or so is thought to be. It's a fascinating discussion. * Bradly treats "O Come All Ye Faithfull" and it's Latin version as two separate entries, with stories re each. I could go on, but, you get the idea. This book, written in the mid-90's was meant for the British audience so some of the lyrics may be slightly different to American readers. On the other hand, I doubt if Brit OR American readers would be intimately familiar with a Cowboy Christmas! Oh, the traditional favorites are all here, just don't look for "Frosty, The Snowman" (not a Christmas Eve service tune) and some that are not so very familiar. With 100 songs covered, this makes for very interesting Yuletide reading, right along with "The Battle For Christmas". Yes it's a pity the music's not included but, the backgrounds to each of the songs are fascinating. Highly recommended for adults and young adults.

A great companion for the Christmas season

This is a helpful introduction to the tradition of Christmas singing. The writer explores 100 favorite carols, revealing their historical background, theological development, and popular use. Anybody who loves Christmas carols will find this to be an interesting volume that reveals the process by which the beloved songs have emerged. Obviously this was never intended to be a songbook (see other comment). If that's what you want, buy or borrow a hymnal. The value of Bradley's book is in its depth -- and it will instruct, educate, even amuse, as the reader discovers the historical path that these songs have traveled.