Carols for Choirs original front cover
The names of David WillcocksW, Reginald JacquesW and latterly John RutterW are by now permanently associated with Christmas for English singers; 2011 marks the fiftieth anniversary of the publication of Carols for Choirs, the first in a series of books that have become ubiquitous in English choral music.
The “green book” in particular holds a special place in the hearts of singers. Many of us have been using this book for all our singing lives. It is especially associated with the service of Nine Lessons and Carols, one of the highlights of the celebration of Christmas. For many people Christmas proper starts with a treble solo singing the first verse of Once In Royal David’s City.
Members of Reading Bach Choir decided to commemorate the half-century by singing every carol from the “green book”. Fifty years of fifty carols. It seemed fitting. We opened an invitation to anyone who wanted to celebrate with us, and we decided to donate any profits to Marie Curie Cancer Care.
On December 3 2011 at Caversham Heights Methodist Church in Reading, a group of over 100 singers performed, to the best of our ability, every note in the “green book”. The youngest cannot have been older than seven years, and I know for a fact that at least one singer was in his seventies (and still in fine voice, a strong Welsh tenor).
We offered a spot prize for the most well-loved copy. There were at least ten first printings, and the winner was a hard bound copy owned from new by its present owner, still with its original dust jacket, used every Christmas for fifty years since he was given it as a choirboy at its first publication. Well thumbed, with many markings, a beloved old friend. It became clear that for many people the “green book” is part of the magic and the ritual of Christmas. Mulled wine, mince pies and Carols for Choirs.
Our sincere thanks to everybody who came along to make this a memorable day, to celebrate the half-century of an old friend, to discover perhaps new and interesting music, and to revisit the familiar.