Both Jesus Child and Donkey Carol were written in the 1970s for performance by the choir of St Albans School in Hertfordshire, England, at the request of its director of music at the time, Simon Lindley. Jesus Child brings a touch of Caribbean colour to the dark days of December, while the 5/8 rhythm of the Donkey Carol suggests the cheerfully lopsided gait of the animal bearing the Virgin Mary to Bethlehem.
from notes by Andrew Green © 2001
