Although this carol gives an extended account of the Holy Nativity, it was long considered a New Year’s carol rather than a Christmas carol. New Year’s Day has, however, traditionally been ...

By using vernacular dialects in the lyrics and joyful dance rhythms in the melodies, these carols emphasize, customize, and update the humble, rural contexts of the Nativity. In this new ...

A bustlingly rustic fugue hurries the shepherds towards Bethlehem, where they celebrate the Nativity in an awkward ... a boys' choir sings an awestruck Noel, the chorus a mighty, antiphonal ...