The New Oxford Book of Carols [Paperback]

Hugh Keyte (Editor), Andrew Parrott (Editor), Clifford Bartlett (Editor)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0193533227 | ISBN-13: 978-0193533226 | Publication Date: September 24, 1998

Edited by early music experts Hugh Keyte and Andrew Parrott, this anthology of Christmas carols is the most comprehensive collection ever made, spanning seven centuries of caroling in Britain, continental Europe, and North America. Containing music and text of 201 carols, many in more than one setting, the book is organized in two sections: composed carols, ranging from medieval Gregorian chants to modern compositions, and folk carols, including not only traditional Anglo-American songs but Irish, Welsh, German, Czech, Polish, French, Basque, Catalan, Sicilian, and West Indian songs as well. Each carol is set in four-part harmony, with lyrics in both the original language and English. Accompanying each song are detailed scholarly notes on the history of the carol and on performance of the setting presented. The introduction to the volume offers a general history of carols and caroling, and appendices provide scholarly essays on such topics as fifteenth-century pronunciation, English country and United States primitive traditions, and the revival of the English folk carol. The Oxford Book of Carols, published in 1928, is still one of Oxford's best-loved books among scholars, church choristers, and the vast number of people who enjoy singing carols. This volume is not intended to replace this classic but to supplement it. Reflecting significant developments in musicology over the past sixty years, it embodies a radical reappraisal of the repertory and a fresh approach to it. The wealth of information it contains will make it essential for musicologists and other scholars, while the beauty of the carols themselves will enchant general readers and amateur songsters alike.

Editorial Reviews

Review

'It is hardly an exaggeration to say that the publication in 1992 of The New Oxford Book of Carols caused a sensation. For many of us it showed for the first time the extent of the carol repertoire from all over the world, and in particular, presented those carols we thought we knew best in versions that were as near to being authentic as could be deduced. The performance traditions of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries were stripped away, and the pieces could be appreciated afresh.' Esther Jones, Church Music Quarterly, December 03

About the Author

Andrew Parrott is at the Taverner Choir, Consort, and Players.

Product Details

• Paperback: 702 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA (September 24, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0193533227
• ISBN-13: 978-0193533226
• Product Dimensions: 9.7 x 7.5 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,005,896 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Invaluable excursion into the contours of popular piety, December 11, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The New Oxford Book of Carols (Paperback)

The New Oxford Book of Carols makes available an extraordinarily rich collection materials that bear witness to the resilience of the traditions of popular piety. These "carols", along with their editorial, historical and performance annotations, provide a rich insight to paths by which complex theological materials were filtered, tranformed and made personal expressions of great beauty and joy. Re-presents materials lost, forgotten, or discarded in a clear, simple, and readily performable format. Performance notes are specific, and clearly systematized.

24 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is the most thorough carol book that I have ever read., January 16, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The New Oxford Book of Carols (Paperback)

This book should be in the household of anyone who listens to Christmas music, whether or not they can actually sing. Although I do not read music, my sister does, and we were able to learn a carol that I had heard on a Christmas CD and perform it as a duet at Midnight Mass.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Belongs on the shelf of any church musician., March 12, 2005

By 

Joseph P. Easterly "armchair linguist and lib... (Buffalo, NY United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The New Oxford Book of Carols (Paperback)

This is the most AMAZING collection of Christmas carols!
It includes many hard-to-find gems, such as "Cherry Tree Carol", "Jesus Christ the Apple Tree", "Three Kings", Darke's "In the Bleak Midwinter" (as well as the more famous & congregation-friendly setting by Holst), "Bethlehem Down", and several of the Oxford Descants. If you take a look at the table of contents, that alone should sell you. The editor's work in compiling this book was incredible. The voicing of the 4 (or more) part harmony in each of the carols is consistently excellent, performance-grade material.

This book is truly the best of its kind available, and for $35.00, it's quite a steal.