Knowledge (XXG)

Corpus Christi Carol

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the knight was conveyed becomes, in this reading, the "orchard" of wooden crosses that covered the hill of Golgotha/Calvary where Christ - along with many others - was crucified, while the "hall... hanged with purpill and pall" could be a representation of the tomb in which Christ was placed after Crucifixion. This allegorical interpretation would tie in with the seven stanzas possibly representing the Seven Deadly Sins. The maiden who is by the knight's side could be Mary. There is religious symbolism throughout the carol. The falcon may have several possible meanings. It may be that, as a bird of prey, it represents those who killed Christ and sent him to heaven. It may also represent a new beginning and freedom, which Christ gained on his death. The colours in the carol are also significant. The purple and gold are signs of wealth, although these were also colours that referred to the Church due to its wealth. The pall (black velvet) probably refers to death.
125:". The solo version of the Christi Carol was arranged for and dedicated to John Hahessy (John Elwes). He recorded the song in 1961 with Benjamin Britten himself at the piano. The song was included in a record with a group of other Britten songs taken from a set of children's songs entitled "Friday Afternoons", also the title of the disc, which were composed for his brother who was a school teacher. 84:
The text may be an allegory in which the crucified is described as a wounded knight. The bleeding knight could be Christ who bleeds for the sins of humanity endlessly. Christ is most probably represented as a knight as he is battling sin and evil by his continual pain. The "orchard brown" to which
148:. About his version Buckley said, "The 'Carol' is a fairytale about a falcon who takes the beloved of the singer to an orchard. The singer goes looking for her and arrives at a chamber where his beloved lies next to a bleeding knight and a tomb with Christ's body in it." 80:
is the knight who is the Grail's protector, and whose legs are perpetually wounded. When he is wounded his kingdom suffers and becomes a wasteland. This would explain the reference to "an orchard brown".
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recorded poet Robert Graves' adaptation (as "passed to him by Robin Hill"), combining elements of this text and "Down in yon forest" and entitled "Looly, Looly", on his album
50:. The earliest surviving record of the piece preserves only the lyrics and is untitled. It has survived in altered form in the folk tradition as the Christmas carol " 816: 76:
One theory about the meaning of the carol is that it is concerned with the legend of the Holy Grail. In Arthurian traditions of the Grail story, the
54:". The structure of the carol is six stanzas, each with rhyming couplets. The tense changes in the fourth stanza from past to present continuous. 204: 61:
writes that "there can be no question whatever" that the carol's "strange cluster of images" are derived "directly from the cult of the
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recorded Britten's arrangement for high voice on her 1967 album "A Pageant of English Song: 1597-1961" with pianist Gerald Moore.
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set the text for soprano and tenor accompanied by a wordless chorus; he rescored it for voices and string quartet in 1927.
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Songs, Carols, and other Miscellaneous Poems, from the Balliol MS. 354, Richard Hill’s Commonplace-Book.
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recorded a choral version, with a setting written by the then senior organ scholar Peter Ladd.
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Richard Greene theorized in 1960 that the song refers "to the displacement of Queen
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set the words for choir and organ in 2012 for Queen Elizabeth II’s diamond jubilee.
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wrote a setting for soprano and piano in 1956, titled "The Falcon", published by
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performs his (in turn) Buckley-inspired interpretation on his 2010 album,
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While a number of different interpretations have been offered over time,
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The Stripping of the Altars: Traditional Religion in England c.1400-1580
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http://hayleywestenra.fr/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/10-Winter-Magic.pdf
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Recordings of the Britten setting (or adaptations of it) include:
554:"The Falcon Carol: Earliest Version of The Corpus Christi Carol" 46:
between 1504 and 1536. The original writer of the carol remains
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In 2007 it was sung in Season 1, Episode 2 of the drama on
586:. New Haven and London: Yale University Press. p. 35. 304:
It was set for unaccompanied choir by Norwegian composer
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combined it with "O my deir hert, young Jesus sweit" by
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wrote a setting for it in 1957, titled "The Falcon".
42:), first written down by an apprentice grocer named 100:", because the falcon was Anne's heraldic badge. 754:"Ramiro Cortés music recordings - Archives West" 740:"Libera: The Christmas Album (Standard Edition)" 606:Brown, Arthur (1910). "The Bleeding Lance". PMLA 291:", for soprano, flute, violin and horn, in 1959. 439:& by þat beddis side þer stondith a ston, 8: 521:And by that bed’s side there stands a stone, 655:Kingdom For A Kiss – The JB F.A.Q.: Grace 618:"The Meaning of the Corpus Christi Carol" 111:used the text in the fifth variation of 545: 508:By that bed's side there kneels a maid, 389:Þat was hangid with purpill & pall; 257:As World War I came to an end in 1919, 428:& she wepeth both nyght & day; 523:"The Body of Christ" written thereon. 471:That was hanged with purple and pall; 7: 779:"Archie Fisher - Will Ye Gang, Love" 495:And in that bed there lies a knight, 426:By þat bedis side þer kneleth a may, 415:His wowndis bledyng day & nyght; 376:He bare hym in to an orchard brown. 16:Middle or Early Modern English hymn 530:The falcon has borne my mate away. 517:The falcon has borne my mate away. 504:The falcon has borne my mate away. 497:His wounds bleeding day and night; 491:The falcon has borne my mate away. 478:The falcon has borne my mate away. 465:The falcon has borne my mate away. 458:He bore him into an orchard brown. 413:And yn þat bed þer lythe a knyght, 14: 510:And she weeps both night and day; 482:And in that hall there was a bed: 456:He bore him up, he bore him down, 402:Hit was hangid with gold so rede; 374:He bare hym vp, he bare hym down, 285:James, John and Robert Wedderburn 189:Corpus Christi College, Cambridge 817:Compositions by Benjamin Britten 469:In that orchard there was a hall 448:Þe fawcon hath born my mak away. 435:Þe fawcon hath born my mak away. 422:Þe fawcon hath born my mak away. 409:Þe fawcon hath born my mak away. 396:Þe fawcon hath born my mak away. 383:Þe fawcon hath born my mak away. 484:It was hanged with gold so red; 441:“Corpus Christi” wretyn þer-on. 400:And in þat hall þer was a bede, 387:In þat orchard þer was an hall, 319:Corpus Christi College, Oxford 1: 758:archiveswest.orbiscascade.org 526:Lully, lullay, lully, lullay! 513:Lully, lullay, lully, lullay! 500:Lully, lullay, lully, lullay! 487:Lully, lullay, lully, lullay! 474:Lully, lullay, lully, lullay! 461:Lully, lullay, lully, lullay! 444:Lully, lulley, lully, lulley! 431:Lully, lulley, lully, lulley! 418:Lully, lulley, lully, lulley! 405:Lully, lulley, lully, lulley! 392:Lully, lulley, lully, lulley! 379:Lully, lulley, lully, lulley! 317:In 2015 the Chapel choir of 324:Scottish singer-songwriter 843: 96:in the affections of King 791:Ed. Dyboski, Roman, PhD. 289:Monody for Corpus Christi 223:"Of Kings and Angels" by 616:Greene, Richard (1960). 812:English Christian hymns 693:Emotion & Commotion 690:(2010) Album notes for 157:Emotion & Commotion 178:, on their 1992 album 123:In the Bleak Midwinter 582:Duffy, Eamon (2005). 191:on their 2009 album, 822:Middle English poems 198:New Zealand soprano 187:The Chapel choir of 33:Early Modern English 21:Corpus Christi Carol 281:Harrison Birtwistle 217:The Christmas Album 90:Catherine of Aragon 827:Jeff Buckley songs 678:8 May 2006 at the 660:8 May 2006 at the 330:Will Ye Gang, Love 202:on her 2009 album 138:Singer-songwriter 119:Christina Rossetti 52:Down In Yon Forest 537: 536: 181:Gilded by the Sun 834: 796: 789: 783: 782: 775: 769: 768: 766: 764: 750: 744: 743: 736: 730: 725: 719: 718: 711: 705: 688: 682: 673:Jeff Buckley FAQ 670: 664: 652: 646: 645: 634:10.2307/43626838 613: 607: 604: 598: 597: 579: 573: 572: 564: 558: 557: 550: 531: 527: 518: 514: 505: 501: 492: 488: 479: 475: 466: 462: 449: 445: 436: 432: 423: 419: 410: 406: 397: 393: 384: 380: 354: 353: 225:Mediaeval Baebes 109:Benjamin Britten 63:Easter sepulchre 842: 841: 837: 836: 835: 833: 832: 831: 802: 801: 800: 799: 790: 786: 777: 776: 772: 762: 760: 752: 751: 747: 738: 737: 733: 726: 722: 713: 712: 708: 689: 685: 680:Wayback Machine 671: 667: 662:Wayback Machine 653: 649: 615: 614: 610: 605: 601: 594: 581: 580: 576: 566: 565: 561: 552: 551: 547: 542: 533: 529: 528: 525: 524: 522: 520: 519: 516: 515: 512: 511: 509: 507: 506: 503: 502: 499: 498: 496: 494: 493: 490: 489: 486: 485: 483: 481: 480: 477: 476: 473: 472: 470: 468: 467: 464: 463: 460: 459: 457: 451: 447: 446: 443: 442: 440: 438: 437: 434: 433: 430: 429: 427: 425: 424: 421: 420: 417: 416: 414: 412: 411: 408: 407: 404: 403: 401: 399: 398: 395: 394: 391: 390: 388: 386: 385: 382: 381: 378: 377: 375: 352: 254: 243:'s 2014 album, 214:'s 2011 album, 200:Hayley Westenra 160:. 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Index

Middle
Early Modern English
hymn
carol
Richard Hill
anonymous
Down In Yon Forest
Eamon Duffy
Easter sepulchre
Crucifix
Host
Fisher King
Catherine of Aragon
Anne Boleyn
Henry VIII
Benjamin Britten
A Boy was Born
Christina Rossetti
In the Bleak Midwinter
Janet Baker
Jeff Buckley
Grace
Jeff Beck
Emotion & Commotion
liner notes
Ian Read
neo-folk
Fire + Ice
Gilded by the Sun
Corpus Christi College, Cambridge

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