The New Oxford Book of Carols
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Book Reviews of The New Oxford Book of Carols
Book Review: Simply the Best!
Summary: 5 Stars
The Holly Olde Time Dickens festival up in Holly, Michigan, is the place to go to experience an old fashioned Dickensian Christmas. Held every weekend from Thanksgiving through the weekend before Christmas, this free festival includes the 'Christmas Carol' play, recitations of 'The Night Before Christmas,' 'The Twelve Days of Christmas,' as well as having chestnut vendors, sellers of fish and chips, and numerous gift shops set up in shanties among the Victorian streets laced with Victorian buildings. Seeing the 30+ period dressed Dickens actors roaming the entire area completes the picture.
The sounds you will hear as you stroll with Mr. Scrooge, Bob Cratchit, or even the Ghost of Jacob Marley is the beautiful music of the holiday. Whether it is the amazing choir of the Festival Singers or the quaintness of the Simply Dickens singers, the sounds of Christmas fill the air.
Much of what you hear at the festival stems from the 'New Oxford Book of Carols,' the old style tunes of long ago such as "Gloucestershire Wassail," "Boar's Head Carol," "Riu Riu Chiu," "A Virgin Unspotted," "The Holly Bears a Berry," and so much more. For the three and four part harmony needed to accurately portray these carols, this book cannot be beat.
Broken down by era (from the middle ages up into the 20th century) as well as by country (mostly European and American), whatever period of Christmas you would like to sing of, it's here.
Since this Book of Carols also includes "O Come All Ye Faithful," "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing," and many other well-known songs, it could very well be the only Christmas Carol book you may ever need!
Book Review: Belongs on the shelf of any church musician.
Summary: 5 Stars
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.
Book Review: Invaluable excursion into the contours of popular piety
Summary: 5 Stars
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.Book Review: Excellent and Comprehensive Reference
Summary: 5 Stars
How could I have known that there were two versions of "In the Bleak of Mid-Winter" or "It Came Upon the Midnight Clear" or three versions of "O Little Town of Bethlehem"?
For anyone interested in a comprehensive resource book of music for the Christmas season, your search is over. This book is a treasure containing a compilation of such music annotated and presented in manner easily understood by everyone.
Not only do I own a copy but also I have given this book as gifts to my family and friends. It is a book to treasure!!
Book Review: Belongs on every vocal group's list
Summary: 5 Stars
Whether you're a singer in a group, the artistic director of a group, a musicologist, or just someone who loves Christmas carols or early music, this book should be in your library. From the earliest known carols to the 19th century, Oxford's impeccable scholarship and taste shine forth in every page of this incredibly useful book. The selection is wonderful, although a bit weighted towards the earlier periods (although early musicians should welcome this!). All in all, you NEED this book!
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