A Medieval Christmas

This week, Donald Macleod marks the beginning of the season of Advent by exploring Christmas music and stories from the Middle Ages. Christmas celebrations encompassed a great variety of colourful traditions and musical occasions during medieval times. Peasants and nobles alike could look forward to many weeks of festivities, from Advent at the start of December, right through to Candlemas on 2nd February. Some of those customs we still recognise and celebrate today. Many are now lost or significantly altered. Donald is joined by early music expert, William Lyons, to examine how Christmas might have felt and sounded to our medieval ancestors.

Music Featured:

Gaudete Personent hodie; Gaudete; Omnis mundus jucundetur Perotin: Alleluia Nativitas Miri it is while sumer ilast Blowe, Northerne Wynd (arr. William Lyons) Seint Nicholas was borne in the citee of Patras; Cantu mirro, summa laude; Sainte nicholaes; Salve cleri speculum - Salve iubar presulum Dufay: Ce jour de l'an Orientis partibus The Play of Daniel (Ludus Danielis) Hec est Clara dies Procedenti puero Pérotin: Salvatoris hodie Dum sigillum summi patris [instrumental] Perotin: Viderunt Omnes Hodie Christus natus est Viderunt Emmanuel Lux hodie, Lux leticie Psallat chorus; Eximie pater et regie; Aptatur Descendit de cælis In natali Domini Isaias Cecinit Perotin: Sederunt Principes Verbum patris umanatur O O Edi beo thu hevene-queene Angelus ad virginem Ecce quod natura Ther is no rose of swych vertu Verbum Patris humanatur Verbum Patris (intrumental) Thys endere nyght Ave Maris Stella Nowell, owt of youre sleep aryse Adam lay ibowndyn (arr. William Lyons) Ye have so longe kepe schepe (instrumental) Nowell, nowell, nowell Hayl Mary ful of grace Coventry Carol Halle: Dieus soit en cheste maison Sequentia Dufay: Bonjour, bon mois Lantins, A: Ce jour de l’an, belle je vous supply Dufay: Ce jour de l'an Gresley Dances (arr. William Lyons)

Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Chris Taylor for BBC Audio Wales and West

For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for A Mediaeval Christmas https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001svqt

And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z