Carols for Christmas

by David Willcocks

Carols for Christmas is the perfect accompaniment to a lavishly illustrated songbook of classic carols for all the family. Compiled and arranged by Sir David Willcocks, Director of the Royal College of Music, it features great works of art from The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Genres: Music, Christmas, Nonfiction

96 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1983

Reviews

[Alaina · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful volume, with carefully curated artwork from the Metropolitan Museum of Art and hymns arranged specifically for singing, with 4 part harmony most of the time and the occasional soprano descant. Delightful!

[Jobiska (Cindy) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Companion book to 2 CDs. Superbly illustrated from the Metropolitan Museum of Art collection.

[Evelyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully illustrated collection of Christmas carols, beyond the usual "Silent Night etc." Includes old carols like Lo How a Rose E'er Blooming, Once in Royal David's City, and other carols that Americans don't get to hear as often. Sheet music and lyrics included, each song features a Christmas-themed painting. I learned from another review that this was published with a two CD set, wonder if I could possibly find that. David Willcocks, the editor/arranger, includes a brief and rather businesslike but informative introduction. My (used, hurray) copy was published in 1983 so no unsightly ISBN code mars the cover. Giving to my musician son a few days before Christmas. For what it's worth, I had a heck of a time finding this with the Goodreads search tool...eventually had to use google to locate.

Merry Christmas!

[Keith · Rating 2 out of 5]

If you are tired of the usual arrangements of traditional Christmas music, and would like something with more dissonance, then this is a book for you. As for me, I still like the usual harmonies.

Here is an example of some usual harmonization.