Two Warlock Carols, Plus More from the English Singers

Several years ago I presented a few carols as performed by the pioneering English Singers, including "Corpus Christi" by the remarkable English composer Peter Warlock (Philip Heseltine).

Today we have another version of "Corpus Christi," performed by the BBC Chorus, along with a second Warlock song, "A Cornish Christmas Carol."

At the same time, I've done a new transfer of the English Singers' 78. The coupling for "Corpus Christi" is a setting of "The Holly and the Ivy" by Rutland Boughton. Also there are three new seasonal songs from the English Singers, also dating from the late 1920s:

• "In Dulci Jubilo" in a setting by R.L. Pearsall
• William Byrd's "O Christ Who Art the Light"
• "The Wassail Song" in the Ralph Vaughan Williams arrangement

Leslie Woodgate

See my 2013 English Singers post for more on this important group.

The BBC Chorus recordings, which come from 1936, are conducted by BBC choral director Leslie Woodgate. The soloists in "Corpus Christi" are contralto Ann Wood and the young tenor Peter Pears, making what may be his first recording.

"A Cornish Christmas Carol" is a setting of a text is by Henry Jenner in a translation by Trelawny Dayrell Reed. Warlock makes use of "Nowell, Nowell" in his setting.

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The English Singers

What better way to revive this semi-dormant blog with an obscure Christmas record, which also happens to be one of the favorite discs in my collection.

It is by the English Singers, a pioneering ensemble that specialized in madrigals and other forms of early music, but also performed works by contemporary composers who looked to the past or to folksong for inspiration.

This record is an example of the latter repertoire. It consists of a setting of "The Holly and the Ivy" by Rutland Boughton from his 1915 nativity play Bethlehem. The other side has an extraordinary setting of the ancient carol "Corpus Christi" by Peter Warlock.

These were among a series issued in 1927-30 by the Roycrofters, an influential arts and crafts collective in western New York state, on its short-lived Roycroft label. I wish the Roycrofters' dedication to craft ideals had extended to its record pressings. These are by the budget Cameo label, and are remarkably noisy. This does not affect my enjoyment, nor, to be honest, does the wandering pitch of the singers involved.

As I mentioned in a post on my other blog, the English Singers had a great reputation. They were artistically important, although technically fallible. If you enjoy this glimpse of their artistry, there is a CD that collects all their Roycroft recordings.

Update: I have newly transferred the "Corpus Christi" / "The Holly and the Ivy" coupling, and added three additional Roycroft songs from the English Singers:

• "In Dulci Jubilo" in a setting by R.L. Pearsall
• William Byrd's "O Christ Who Art the Light"
• "The Wassail Song" in the Ralph Vaughan Williams arrangement