Lullay my liking, H129 (Holst) - from CDA66705 - Hyperion Records

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Track(s) taken from CDA66705

Digital booklet (PDF)

Lullay my liking, H129

composer

Gustav Holst (1874-1934)

1916; Op 34 No 2

author of text

Anonymous - Medieval

A Medieval Anthology, edited by Mary Segar (1915)

Holst Singers, Stephen Layton (conductor)

Recording details: October 1993
St Jude-on-the-Hill, Hampstead Garden Suburb, London, United Kingdom
Produced by Martin Compton
Engineered by Antony Howell
Release date: February 1994
Total duration: 3 minutes 28 seconds

Other recordings available for download

The Gesualdo Six, Owain Park (director)» More

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Reviews

‘A real joy to listen through without interruption’ (Gramophone)

‘Fascinating … the Holst Singers cover themselves in distinction. A gem’ (CDReview)

Introduction
English

Lullay my liking was written by Gustav Holst for a Whitsun festival in Thaxted. The refrain is an early example of an English lullaby; the term ‘lullaby’ is thought to have originated in the sounds made to calm fretful children—in this case ‘lu lu’ or ‘la la’, or ‘bye bye’ as heard in the similarly ancient Coventry Carol. Though it is known that Holst preferred each verse to be sung by the same soprano soloist, here we have assigned each verse to a different singer to bring out the nuances of the text.