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Track(s) taken from CDA66668

The holly and the ivy

composer
traditional French melody
arranger
author of text
English traditional

Westminster Cathedral Choir, James O'Donnell (conductor)
Recording details: May 1993
All Hallows, Gospel Oak, London, United Kingdom
Produced by Mark Brown
Engineered by Antony Howell
Release date: October 1993
Total duration: 3 minutes 23 seconds
 

Other recordings available for download

The Cambridge Singers, John Rutter (conductor)
Vox Turturis, Andrew Gant (conductor)
George Balfour (treble), Oliver Brown (treble), Blake Chen (treble), Alfred Harrison (treble), Alexander Tomkinson (treble), Hamish McLaren (countertenor), Michael Bell (tenor), Benedict Flinn (tenor), Stephen Matthews (bass), Oliver Morris (bass), St John's College Choir Cambridge, Andrew Nethsingha (conductor)
Barnaby May (treble), Rupert Peacock (treble), Joel Williams (tenor), Robert Busiakiewicz (tenor), Samuel Landman (bass), King's College Choir Cambridge, Sir Stephen Cleobury (conductor)
King's College Choir Cambridge, Sir Stephen Cleobury (conductor)

Reviews

‘An extremely well-sung traditional carol collection. The concert makes a great appeal by the quality of the singing and the beautiful digital recording’ (The Penguin Guide to Compact Discs)

‘A model of its kind’ (The Times)

‘Celestial’ (San Francisco Examiner)
It was in the small market town of Chipping Campden, in Gloucestershire, that Cecil Sharp (1859–1924) collected the tune and most of the words of The holly and the ivy, both of which are traditional. In the terms of fertility symbolism the dichotomy of holly and ivy parallels that of man and woman. Sir Walford Davies (1869–1941) was in turn organist of the Temple Church in London, professor of music in the University of Wales and organist of St George’s Chapel, Windsor, where he had served his apprenticeship as chorister and, later, pupil teacher. In 1934 he became Master of the King’s Musick in succession to Sir Edward Elgar. His compositions include the famous Solemn Melody and the RAF March Past.

from notes by Wadham Sutton © 1993

Other albums featuring this work

100 Years of Nine Lessons & Carols
Studio Master: KGS0033-D2CDs Download onlyStudio Master FLAC & ALAC downloads available
Christmas carols from Village Green to Church Choir
SIGCD387Download only
Christmas with St John's
Studio Master: SIGCD458Download onlyStudio Master FLAC & ALAC downloads available
Favourite Carols from King's
Studio Master: KGS0007Download onlyStudio Master FLAC & ALAC downloads available
The Cambridge Singers Christmas Album
CSCD512Download only
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