The establishment of a fine choral foundation was part of the original vision of the founder of Westminster Cathedral, Cardinal Herbert Vaughan. Vaughan laid great emphasis on the beauty and integrity of the new Cathedral’s liturgy, and regarded a residential choir school as essential to the realisation of his vision. Daily sung Masses and Offices were immediately established when the Cathedral opened in 1903, and have continued without interruption ever since. Today, Westminster Cathedral Choir is the only professional Catholic choir in the world to sing daily Mass and Vespers.
Richard Terry, the Cathedral’s first Master of Music, proved to be an inspired choice. Terry was both a brilliant choir trainer and a pioneering scholar, one of the first musicologists to revive the great works of the English and Continental Renaissance composers. Terry built Westminster Cathedral Choir’s reputation on performances of music – by Byrd, Tallis, Taverner, Palestrina and Victoria, among others – that had not been heard since the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, and Mass at the Cathedral was soon attended by inquisitive musicians as well as the faithful. The performance of great Renaissance masses and motets in their proper liturgical context remains the cornerstone of the choir’s activity.
George Malcolm consolidated the musical reputation of Westminster Cathedral Choir during his time as Master of Music – in particular through the now legendary recording of Victoria’s Tenebrae Responsories. More recent holders of the post have included Colin Mawby, Stephen Cleobury, David Hill and James O’Donnell. The choir continues to thrive under the current Master of Music, Martin Baker, who has held the post since 2000.
In addition to its performances of Renaissance masterpieces, Westminster Cathedral Choir has given many first performances of music written especially for it by contemporary composers. Terry gave the premières of music by Vaughan Williams (whose Mass in G minor received its liturgical performance at a Mass in the Cathedral), Gustav Holst, Herbert Howells and Charles Wood; in 1959 Benjamin Britten wrote his Missa brevis for the choristers; and since 1960 works by Lennox Berkeley, William Mathias, Colin Mawby and Francis Grier have been added to the repertoire. Most recently four new Masses – by Roxanna Panufnik, James MacMillan, Sir Peter Maxwell Davies and Judith Bingham – have received their first performance in the Cathedral. In June 2005 the choristers performed the world première of Sir John Tavener’s Missa Brevis for boys voices.
Westminster Cathedral Choir made its first recording in 1907. Many more have followed, most recently the acclaimed series on the Hyperion label, and many awards have been conferred on the choir’s recordings. Of these the most prestigious are the 1998 Gramophone Awards for both ‘Best Choral Recording of the Year’ and ‘Record of the Year’, for the performance of Martin’s Mass for Double Choir and Pizzetti’s Requiem. It is the only cathedral choir to have won in either of these categories.
The choir’s recordings include two discs of Palestrina on the Hyperion label – the Missa Hodie Christus natus est with motets for Advent and Christmas, and the Missa Dum complerentur with Pentecost motets and plainchant. In addition, the choir has recorded MacMillan's Mass and a complete Mass for Easter Sunday on the Herald label. More recent recordings include a disc of Victoria Marian music and Vaughan Williams’s Mass in G minor which was recorded last July.
When its duties at the Cathedral permit, the choir also gives concert performances both at home and abroad. It has appeared at many important festivals, including Aldeburgh, Cheltenham, Salzburg, Copenhagen, Bremen and Spitalfields. It has appeared in many of the major concert halls of Britain, including the Royal Festival Hall, the Wigmore Hall and the Royal Albert Hall. The Cathedral Choir also broadcasts frequently on radio and television.
Westminster Cathedral Choir has recently undertaken a number of international tours, including visits to Hungary, Germany and the USA. The choristers participated in the 2003 and 2006 International Gregorian Chant Festival in Watou, Belgium, where they plan to return to in 2008, and the full choir performed twice at the Oslo International Church Music Festival in March 2006. In April 2005, 2007 and 2008 they performed as part of the “Due Organi in Concerto” festival in Milan.
Coventry Carol
Westminster Cathedral Choir Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
By, by, lully, lullay.
Lullay, Thou little tiny Child,
By, by, lully, lullay.
O sisters too, how may we do,
For to preserve this day.
This poor youngling for whom we sing
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 morn and day,
For thy parting neither say nor sing,
By, by, lully, lullay.
The Coventry Carol is a traditional English Christmas carol with a haunting melody that laments the massacre of the innocents ordered by King Herod. The lyrics are heart-wrenching as the singers express empathy for the mother of the slain children and the helpless baby Jesus who could not be protected from the evil of the world. The first stanza begins with a soothing lullaby to the "little tiny Child," presumably Baby Jesus, which is repeated throughout the song. The next stanza shifts to the perspective of the sisters who are mourning the loss of these innocent children and questioning how they can prevent such a tragedy from happening again.
The third stanza is where the carol becomes particularly poignant as it describes the ruthless act of Herod, who ordered his soldiers to slaughter all male infants in Bethlehem in an attempt to kill the newborn King of the Jews, i.e. Baby Jesus. The singers lament the senseless violence and express sorrow for the innocent victims. They cannot help but feel for the mother of the slain children or imagine the agony of Baby Jesus' mother, the Virgin Mary, who had to flee with her newborn to Egypt to protect him from Herod's wrath. The song ends with a final lullaby, but this time with a bitter twist as it acknowledges that the child will not be able to return, and the sisters can no longer sing joyously, only weep.
Line by Line Meaning
Lullay, Thou little tiny Child,
Sleep well, You little and delicate Child,
By, by, lully, lullay.
Close those innocent eyes, By, by, lully, lullay.
O sisters too, how may we do,
Oh sisters, what can we do,
For to preserve this day.
To save this day.
This poor youngling for whom we sing
This poor little baby for whom we sing.
By, by, lully, lullay.
Close those innocent eyes, By, by, lully, lullay.
Herod the king, in his raging,
Herod the king is rampaging,
Charged he hath this day.
He has ordered today.
His men of might, in his own sight,
His powerful men, right there with him,
All young children to slay.
To kill all young children.
That woe is me, poor Child for Thee!
I mourn for You, poor Child.
And ever morn and day,
Every morning and day,
For thy parting neither say nor sing,
No words or songs are enough for Your farewell,
By, by, lully, lullay.
Close those innocent eyes, By, by, lully, lullay.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: LEROY ANDERSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@PaulGruendlerBeau
Lully, 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 do 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 young children to slay.
That woe is me, poor Child for Thee!
And ever mourn and sigh,
For thy parting neither say nor sing,
Bye, bye, lully, lullay.
@yurineri2227
lyrics:
Lullay, thou little tiny child
Sleep well, lully, lullay
And smile in dreaming, little one
Sleep well, lully, lullay
Oh sisters two, what may we do
To preserve on this day
This poor youngling for whom we sing
Sleep well, lully, lullay
Farewell, lully, lullay
Herod the king in his raging
Set forth upon this day
By his decree, no life spare thee
All children young to slay
All children young to slay
Then woe is me, poor child, for thee
And ever mourn and say
For thy parting, neither say nor sing
Farewell, lully, lullay
Farewell, lully, lullay
And when the stars fill darkened skies
In their far venture, stay
And smile as dreaming, little one
Farewell, lully, lullay
Dream now, lully, lullay
@richardwaugaman1505
I've always been moved by the change from minor key to a major chord at the end of each verse. Simple, but emotionally powerful. Hope triumphing over grief.
@charliehowell7454
I arrived in Taejon South Korea on Christmas eve in 1958, and the orderly room clerk was playing Christmas carols over the company P.A. system. This song came wafting through the basecamp, Signal Company C, and I remember leaning against the barracks in the dark, listening to this song and pondering the love of the Great God of the Universe. I still remember that night as if it were yesterday. This is why I love this song. I will forever love this song this Christmas Carol...
@grizzlythicc1286
That sounds amazing.
@josparkes9381
Lovely wonderful comment !!!
@rlmiddlebrooks145
Nice!
@georgetteconstant9050
Yes, so lovely and this version is perfect. It's a song about the untimely deaths of all children (common in Tudor days), but referring to the slaughter of innocents by King Herod. Merry Christmas 2021 to you.
@rodneyperry6942
I was in downtown Stuttgart in 85. First duty station. I was wandering downtown one early evening and passed one of those old churches. They had a Christmas show going on and the choir was singing this. It's hauntingly beautiful.
@HydraxSly202
This is my favorite Christmas song of all time. Sure, it is depressing (which I have been told countless times), but it so beautiful that it transcends said feeling and envelops me in this gorgeous, soothing eeriness that brings tears to my eyes. Some of the best music in the world is sad because it inspires an emotion within yourself and touches you. I love it. :)
@IsaacAsimov1992
Yes, exactly.
@carolinerobertson8098
I don't find it depressing! I find it spiritual - it's in a minor key, which many tunes from the Middle Ages were and perhaps today, some people are a bit unfamiliar with that.