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