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A Seasonal Journey

From Stir up Sunday and Yule Riding in York to lighting lamps, wassailing in Gloucester and singing carols in Orkney: we explore Advent and Christmas traditions around the UK.

Wassail! wassail! all over the town, Our toast it is white, and our ale it is brown: the words of the Gloucester wassailer's song are just one of the Advent and Christmas traditions you'll hear in this selection of Words and Music as part of Radio 3's day marking customs from around the country and we'll add in some fictional ones too. Our readers OIivia Williams and Owen Teale bring us Mog's Christmas, apples roasting on St Martin's Eve in John Clare's poem, Christina Rosetti's advent moon and a church service attended by Queenie in Candice Carty's hit novel. The music ranges from a Coventry carol and Corelli to John Harle and Nat King Cole.

Readings:
John Clare: St Martin鈥檚 Eve
Karen Maitland: Stir-Up Sunday
William Bottrell: A Madron Feast
Charles Dickens: A Christmas Tree
Judith Kerr: Mog鈥檚 Christmas
Robert Herrick: Wassail the Trees
Anon: Wassailing Songs from around the UK
J. Ceredig Davies: Folk-lore of West and Mid-Wales- The Mari-Lwyd
Laurie Lee: A Village Christmas
Christina Rosetti: Advent
Floella Benjamin: Coming to England
Brian Bilston: The Good Old Days
Winifred Holtby: South Riding
William Marshall: The bishop who banned York鈥檚 Yuletide
Katrina Porteus: The Mizzletow
George Mackay Brown: Miss Tait and Tommy and the Carol Singers
MR James: Oh, Whistle, and I'll Come to You, My Lad
Theresa Lola: Look at the Revival

Produced in Salford by Jessica Treen and Joseph Zubier

8 days left to listen

1 hour, 14 minutes

Last on

Sun 1 Dec 2024 19:30
麻豆社 Radio 3

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Music Played

Timings (where shown) are from the start of the programme in hours and minutes

  • 鈥�疛ohn Clare

    鈥�疭t Martin鈥檚 Eve

  • 00:01

    Johann Sebastian Bach

    Zion h枚rt die W盲chter singen (Cantata No 140)

    Choir: Monteverdi Choir. Orchestra: English Baroque Soloists. Conductor: Sir John Eliot Gardiner.
    • J.S. Bach, Cantatas Vol 12: Gardiner.
    • Soli Deo Gloria.
    • 22.

  • 鈥�疜aren Maitland

    鈥�疭tir Up Sunday

  • 00:06

    Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

    The Nutcracker, Op. 71/ Act 2: No. 12d Trepak

    Orchestra: Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. Conductor: Vladimir Ashkenazy.
    • Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker.
    • Decca Music Group Ltd..
    • 16.
  • 00:07

    Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

    The Nutcracker, Op. 71/ Act 2: No. 12e Dance of the Mirlitons

    Orchestra: Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. Conductor: Vladimir Ashkenazy.
    • Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker.
    • Decca Music Group Ltd..
    • 17.

  • 鈥�疻illiam Bottrell

    鈥�疉 Madron Feast

  • 00:09

    Trad.

    Helston Furry Dance

    Music Arranger: John Graham Donaldson. Orchestra: Studio Orchestra.
    • Folk Music of England.
    • Soho.
    • 5.
  • 00:11

    Trad.

    The Cherry-Tree Carol

    Music Arranger: Sir David Willcocks. Choir: The Cambridge Singers. Conductor: John Rutter.
    • Collegium.

  • 鈥疌harles Dickens鈥�

    鈥�疉 Christmas Tree

  • 00:13

    Franz Liszt

    Adeste fideles (Weihnachtsbaum)

    Performer: Leslie Howard.
    • Liszt Christmas Tree: Via Crucis; Chorales.
    • Hyperion.
    • 4.

  • 鈥�疛udith Kerr

    鈥�疢og鈥檚 Christmas

  • 00:17

    Trad.

    O Tannenbaum

    Music Arranger: Nat King Cole. Singer: Nat King Cole. Orchestra: Studio Orchestra.
    • The Christmas Song.
    • Capitol Records.
    • 6.

  • 鈥�疪obert Herrick

    鈥�� Wassail the Trees

  • 鈥赌疉苍辞苍

    鈥�疻assailing songs from around the UK

  • 00:20

    Trad.

    The Gower Wassail

    Ensemble: Steeleye Span.
    • The Lark in Morning - The Early Years.
    • Transatlantic.
    • 6.
  • 00:21

    Trad.

    Somerset Gloucestershire Wassail

    Music Arranger: Dave Guard. Music Arranger: Wilbur Schwandt. Ensemble: The Kingston Trio.
    • Christmas with the Kingston Trio.
    • Capitol Records.
    • 3.
  • 00:22

    Philip Lane

    Wassail Dances: Vivace

    Orchestra: The City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra. Conductor: Gavin Sutherland.
    • Hely-Hutchinson: Carol Symphony.
    • Naxos.
    • 11.

  • 鈥�疜irkwall Ba

    鈥疶own and Country 鈥�(麻豆社 Radio 4 TX 20.12.1960)

  • 00:24

    Catrin Finch & Seckou Keita

    Ceffylau [Horses]

    • ARC.

  • 鈥�疛 Ceredig Davies

    鈥疢ari Lwyd - Folk-lore of Mid and West Wales鈥�

  • 00:30

    Ralph Vaughan Williams

    Fantasia on Greensleeves

    Orchestra: London Symphony Orchestra. Conductor: Bryden Thomson.
    • Chandos.

  • 鈥�疞aurie Lee

    鈥�疉 Village Christmas

  • 00:36

    Trad.

    Coventry Carol

    Music Arranger: Benjamin Rimmer. Performer: Jess Gillam. Ensemble: Jess Gillam Ensemble.
    • Coventry Carol (Arr. Rimmer for Saxophone & Ensemble).
    • Decca Music Group Ltd..
    • 1.

  • 鈥�疌hristine Rosetti

    鈥赌疉诲惫别苍迟

  • 00:39

    William Byrd

    Vigilate

    Choir: The Gesualdo Six. Conductor: Owain Park.
    • Hyperion.

  • 鈥�疐loella Benjamin

    鈥�疌oming to England

  • 00:43

    Claude Debussy

    Children's corner for piano; The Snow is dancing

    Performer: Steven Osborne.
    • Hyperion.

  • 鈥�疊rian Bilston

    鈥�疶he Good Old Days

  • 鈥�疻inifred Holtby

    鈥�疭outh Riding

  • 鈥�疻illiam Marshall

    鈥�疶he bishop who banned York鈥檚 Yuletide

  • 00:47

    Trad.

    Cold Winter

    Performer: Kate Rusby.
    • The Frost is all Over.
    • Pure.
    • 7.
  • 00:49

    Arcangelo Corelli

    Concerto Grosso No.8 in G minor, Op.6: Mvts 5 & 6

    Ensemble: Gli Incogniti. Performer: Alba Roca. Conductor: Amandine Beyer.
    • Corelli: The Complete Concerti Grossi.
    • Zig-Zag Territoires.
    • 1.

  • 鈥�疜atrina Porteus

    鈥�疶he Mizzletow鈥��

  • 00:56

    John Rutter

    鈥疉ll the Stars Looked Down

    Choir: Choir of King鈥檚 College, Cambridge. Orchestra: Britten Sinfonia. Conductor: Daniel Hyde.
    • 鈥�疜ings College Cambridge.
    • KGS0069.
    • 2鈥�.

  • 鈥疓eorge Mackay Brown鈥���

    鈥�疢iss Tait and Tommy and the Carol Singers

  • 01:00

    Trad.

    Balulalow

    Performer: George Shearing.
    • Christmas with the George Shearing Quintet.
    • Trelarc.
    • 13.
  • 01:02

    Trad.

    Es ist ein Ros entsprungen

    Performer: Rossini Hayward.
    • 鈥赌疦补虫辞蝉.
    • 8.574269.
    • 罢谤5鈥�.

  • 鈥�疢R James

    鈥�疧h, Whistle, and I'll Come to You, My Lad'

  • 01:04

    Benjamin Britten

    String Quartet No.2 in C major, Op.36: 2nd mvt

    Performer: Barbirolli Quartet.
    • 鈥赌疦颈尘产耻蝉.
    • NI6165.
    • 罢谤鈥�.
  • 01:07

    George Frideric Handel

    Messiah, Pt. 1: 1. Sinfonia

    Ensemble: Dunedin Consort. Conductor: John Butt.
    • Handel: Messiah.
    • Linn Records.
    • 1.

  • 鈥�疶heresa Lola

    鈥�疞ook at the Revival

  • 01:11

    Peter Cornelius

    The Three Kings

    Singer: Dingle Yandell. Choir: VOCES8.
    • Christmas.
    • Signum Records.
    • 17.

Broadcast

  • Sun 1 Dec 2024 19:30
    麻豆社 Radio 3

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