The Oxford Book of Carols (Music Edition) [Hardcover]

Percy Dearmer (Author), R. Vaughan Williams (Author), Martin Shaw (Author)

Product Details

• Hardcover: 476 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press; 2nd edition (December 1964)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0193131048
• ISBN-13: 978-0193131040
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 6.2 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,483,964 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars RVW at His Best . . ., November 23, 2011

By 

Bradley Evans "Bradley Evans" (Denton, TX USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Oxford Book of Carols (Music Edition) (Hardcover)

This book is not only about Percy Dearmer and Martin Shaw. It's about Ralph Vaughan Williams, and his collecting efforts throughout the English countryside in the early part of the twentieth century, as did Bela Bartok and Zoltan Kodaly did in Hungary. There are many "unfamiliar" tunes to Americans here, which can only result in delight come Christmas-tide when you (or your parish) are looking for something "new" and delightful to sing. (Many of these tunes are so old, that they are new again.) Many are just unpolished gems, like going to Grandma's house and finding something old, careful, and sacred, that you just have to take them off the shelf and polish them. These tunes are not the current "bombast" which we get in new compositions, but old gems, which may be somewhat familiar, but definitely easy to sing. Whether or not your choir is at the level of King's College Cambridge, it doesn't matter, because RVW included many of these carols in this book as they would be accessible to the "common man" (or woman - let's just say the so-called "untrained" singer). They are gems - what more can be said? And what better way to keep them alive than by having your choir (if you are a choral conductor, like me) sing them?

If you want an "unencumbered," simplified, and yet elegant Christmas, and you want to breed familiarity with hymns that both young and old will appreciate, then look no further than this book. If you want video screens and mega-church "hype," then please do not buy this book. Go find something bombastic that either Lady Gaga or Cher would sing for Christmas. If you want something warm and fuzzy, but still musically literate, then please purchase this book and preserve the fine and sacred carol tunes which make this book come alive . . .