Here's one from the Brits before they allowed themselves to be judaized."
Lullay, mine liking" is a
Middle English lyric poem or
carol of the 15th century which frames a narrative describing an encounter of the
Nativity with a song sung by the
Virgin Mary to the infant
Christ.
[1] The refrain is an early example of an
English lullaby; the term "lullaby" is thought to originate with the "lu lu" or "la la" sound made by mothers or nurses to calm children, and "by" or "bye bye", another lulling sound (for example in the similarly ancient
Coventry Carol).
[2]There are a number of surviving medieval English verses associated with the birth of
Jesus which take the form of a lullaby, of which this is probably the most famous example.
[2] Written by an
anonymous hand, the text is found singularly in the
Sloane Manuscript 2593, a collection of medieval lyrics now held in the
British Library.
[3]Originally intended to be sung, no evidence of the work's musical setting survives, and since its rediscovery and popularisation it has formed the basis for a number of modern choral and vocal works including
The New Christy Minstrels in 1966 from their second Christmas album entitled
Christmas with the Christies (Columbia CL 2556/CS 9356). The musical possibilities suggested by the text have led to diverse interpretations by numerous composers including
Edgar Pettman, Peter Warlock, R. R. Terry, Gustav Holst, Ronald Corp, David Willcocks, Philip Lawson and Richard Rodney Bennett. These are sometimes titled "
I saw a fair maiden" whereas "
Myn Lyking" is used in the versions by R.R. Terry and Ronald Corp (as the first of the latter's
Three Medieval Carols).
Topic: Christmas carols (Read 564 times)