The majority of singers come from the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland with many of its members also drawn from all over the world. Their repertoire is written or arranged for the group by McGlynn, and includes reconstructions of Early and Medieval music from Ireland and beyond presented in a candle-lit, costumed ambiance that allows the group to connect with a very wide variety of audience despite the eclectic nature of the music they sing.
Anúna perform between twelve and fourteen singers, unconducted, in any performance. They are equally at home in an amplified theatrical setting or an unamplified concert hall.
Anúna created the vocal ambiance of Riverdance (1994-1996), achieved a Top 10 placing on the U.K. Singles Charts while remaining at Number 1 on the Irish singles charts for eighteen weeks. In 2012 they appeared as the "Voices of Hell" on the video game Diablo 3 [Blizzard] gaining a Game Audio Network Guild nomination for the Best Original Choral Performance in February 2013. In February 2018 the group won the Outstanding Ensemble category of the Annual Game Music Awards for their contributions to the soundtrack of the hugely successful video game Xenoblade Chronicles II. In February 2017 the group participated in an extraordinary collaboration with Noh Theatre entitled "Takahime", a Japanese adaptation of W.B. Yeats' play "At the Hawk's Well". The performance was directed by Gensho Umewaka (Japanese National Treasure) and Michael McGlynn, who also composed an original score.
While curating the Meltdown Festival at London's South Bank, Elvis Costello invited Anúna to perform as featured guests and in 2011 they featured on DVD and CD with the pioneering Australian children's entertainers The Wiggles. A number of Anúna singers have gone on to carve very successful careers as solo artists including singer-songwriter Hozier [2007 - 2012] and six of the lead soloists in the phenomenally successful Celtic Woman including Lynn Hilary and Éabha McMahon.
In complete contrast, as a classical choral ensemble Anúna have appeared at the World Sacred Music Festival in Morocco and at the BBC Proms in the Royal Albert Hall, London. They have sung at many major classical venues including the Concertgebouw (Amsterdam, The Netherlands) the National Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing, Shanghai Oriental Arts Centre, Muziekgebouw Eindhoven, De Doelen Rotterdam, Hyogo Performing Arts Center and Orchard Hall in Tokyo, New York Town Hall and Minneapolis Symphony Hall.
They have collaborated with the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland on two major concerts of McGlynn's compositions at Dublin's National Concert Hall (2009 & 2010).
Anúna have an active and highly successful Education & Outreach programme that has been responsible for workshops across China, Japan, Spain, Belgium, Israel, Sweden, Canada, Poland, the UK and The Netherlands. In 2012 they presented at the Shanghai Conservatory. In 2015 the group presented an interest Session as part of the American Choral Directors Association National Conference at Salt Lake, Utah, USA. In 2019 their sixth highly successful annual ANÚNA International Summer School in Dublin, which attracts professional and amateur choral musicians from all over the world, will take place in Dublin preceded by the first ANÚNA Winter School in February in Rotterdam, the Netherlands.
Anúna have released eighteen albums since 1991 and have been featured artists on three Grammy Award-winning albums. Invocation (1994) won a National Entertainment Award for Classical music, while Deep Dead Blue (1996) was nominated for a Classical Brit Award. Celtic Origins (2007), also an award-winning PBS show and DVD, became the number one selling CD on the US World Music Charts that August while September 2011 saw their album Christmas Memories reaching the Hot 100 of the Billboard Album Chart. In 2008 the choir released Invocations of Ireland, McGlynn's self-made film, an evocative depiction of the Irish landscape and its relationship to his music. This has been broadcast extensively in Australia/New Zealand, with the DVD being released on Australia's DV1 and Columbia Music Entertainment in Japan.
They have been signed to some of the world's major record labels including Decca, Universal Classics, Polygram, E1 and Philips. Michael McGlynn's sheet music is available from www.michaelmcglynn.com.
The Coventry Carol
Anúna Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
By by lully lullay
Thou little tiny child
By by lully lullay
Oh sisters two, how may we do
For to preserve this day
This poor youngling for whom we do sing
Lully lulla thou little tiny child
By by lully lullay
Thou little tiny child
By by lully lullay
Herod the king, in his raging
Charged he hath this day
His men of might in his own sight
All young children to slay
Lully lulla thou little tiny child
By by lully lullay
Thou little tiny child
By by lully lullay
That woe is me, poor child for thee
And ever mourn and sigh
For thy parting, neither say nor sing
By by lully lullay
Lully lulla thou little tiny child
By by lully lullay
Thou little tiny child
By by lully lullay
"The Coventry Carol" is a hauntingly beautiful song that tells the story of the Massacre of the Innocents. The lyrics express the grief and sorrow of a mother or sisters lamenting the impending tragedy that awaits their child or sibling. The song reflects the themes of innocence, loss, and the cruelty of Herod the King.
The first verse begins with a tender lullaby addressed to a "little tiny child." The repetition of "lully lullay" emphasizes the soothing and nurturing tone of the song. The following verse introduces the sisters, who are distressed and seeking a way to protect the child on the day of the massacre.
Then, the lyrics shift to describe the actions of King Herod, who in his rage, has ordered his men to slaughter all the young children. The juxtaposition of his fury and the vulnerability of the children intensify the sense of tragedy and injustice.
The final verse expresses the despair and anguish of the singer. They lament the fate of the child and mourn for their imminent separation. The phrase "By by lully lullay" is repeated, signifying the final farewell to the child.
Overall, "The Coventry Carol" brings forth the anguish and sorrow of the Massacre of the Innocents, conveying a powerful emotional resonance that touches upon the universal themes of loss and grief.
Line by Line Meaning
Lully lulla thou little tiny child
Hush, hush, you tiny little child
By by lully lullay
Sleep, sleep, with a lullaby
Thou little tiny child
You precious little child
Oh sisters two, how may we do
Oh, two sisters, what can we do
For to preserve this day
In order to protect this day
This poor youngling for whom we do sing
This unfortunate child for whom we sing
Herod the king, in his raging
King Herod, in his anger
Charged he hath this day
Has ordered on this day
His men of might in his own sight
His powerful men within his own view
All young children to slay
To kill all young children
That woe is me, poor child for thee
How sad I am for you, poor child
And ever mourn and sigh
And forever mourn and sigh
For thy parting, neither say nor sing
Not able to say or sing for your departure
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: TRADITIONAL, EVAN JOLLY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@iqueenbee1
Lullay, Thou little tiny Child
Bye, bye, lully, lullay
Lullay, Thou little tiny Child
Bye, bye, lully, lullay
O sisters, too, how may we do
For to preserve this day;
This poor Youngling for whom we sing
Bye, bye, lully, lullay
Herod the King, in his raging
Charged he hath this day;
His men of might, in his own sight
All children young, to slay
Then woe is me, poor Child, for Thee
And ever mourn and say
For Thy parting, nor say nor sing
Bye, bye, lully, lullay
Lullay, Thou little tiny Child
Bye, bye, lully, lullay
Lullay, Thou little tiny Child
Bye, bye, lully, lullay
@kenshin8113
Here I am
Looking for the Christmas hymn I liked so much as a kid
This is not one of them
As I've never heard of it till now
But whatever, added to my Christmas song list, anyway!
Also great song! I love it! Sorrowful yet hopeful tone!
@rachelmclinden3995
Chorus (after each verse):
Lully lulla thou little tiny child
By by lully lullay
Thou little tiny child
By by lully lullay
Oh sisters two, how may we do
For to preserve this day
This poor youngling for whom we do sing
By by lully lullay
Herod the king, in his raging
Charged he hath this day
His men of might in his own sight
All young children to slay
That woe is me, poor child for thee
And ever mourn and sigh
For thy parting, neither say nor sing
By by lully lullay
@shmoogie31
I love this song. My Mom used to sing this song to my siblings and I every night at bedtime. I have found memories of this song. Hearing tonight for the first time in a long time, I am brought to tears. This song is so beautiful and haunting. Powerful , yet elegant.
Merry Christmas all. Be well, and be safe. Here's to a happy 2022! ❤
@matthewhopkins7042
I can't help but notice the menorah front and centre in a Christian church singing a Christian carol. Kind of disgusting. Worse still they have it literally placed atop a Christian grave, desecrating it and the church. I hang my head in shame at what we allow them to do to us, the ritual humiliation of our people and our faith at the hands of the subversive evil.
@MarciaMatthews
This ancient Carol was composed by a guild for a festival. Dedicated to the children of Sandy Hook.
@PatriceFitzgerald
You are ignorant, antisemitic, or both. Take a look at your Bible and revelations 1:12 for the seven candlesticks.
@IexoPeoa
@Matthew Hopkins That's not a grave, Jews follow the same God Christians do, the menorah has been part of it since the time of Moses and was designed by God (Exodus 25:31-40, Numbers 8:1-4), and the carol is a lament for the slaughter of Jewish babies by a Roman-installed puppet king.
@nadomaya37
A beautiful carol, but seems an odd choice for a lullaby… the story of children being slaughtered. Did you ever understand the words when you were little?
@rickywheeler6054
Breathtakingly beautiful. Praises be to Christ Jesus 🙏 Amen.
@paulsurbitonryan9632
My God...this is so powerful...it resonates on ever level...those who are children themselves ... those on the verge of growing up... those who have loved and lost and will depart this world childless... those who are mothers who know pain and joy... so united in brokenness... the cowardice of men and soldiers against defenceless babies... the solidarity of broken women who sound like angels... the dark lullaby that rocks hearts to sleep and some to sleep for evermore... the dark divide traversed by a lullaby... a child is never truly alone... Sisters indeed... know that there are brothers who weep with you.
@johnhaggerty4396
As far as I know there is no historic evidence for the slaughter of the innocents, and I speak as one who believes in the historicity of the Gospels, the Incarnation, and the integrity of the canonical works of the New Testament, as did the theologians who influenced me -
Benjamin Warfield, Gresham Machen, Carl Henry, Jim Packer, R.C. Sproul, Donald Macleod. This is the dark divide traversed by a medieval lullaby as you say so memorably, haunting and exquisitely sung by Anuna. The narrative is appalling and true to the world of Later Antiquity. Because there is no evidence outside the Gospels for this atrocity does not mean it never happened, alas.
@CP-ll6qg
@John Haggerty true--but I don't think the spirit of this comment is really affected by the historical accuracy (or lack thereof) of the event. They're talking about emotions (and how brutal humans can be) and solidarity basically, they don't really claim the story is fact.