Wed 11/29 @ noon
British composer Benjamin Britten wrote his song cycle A Ceremony of Carols under tense circumstances. He had been living in the U.S. but as World War II escalated, he felt the urge to return home to England. In the spring of 1942, he crossed the Atlantic by ship and wrote A Ceremony of Carols on his journey.
The 12-part song cycle is based on medieval carols in archaic English with flourishes of Latin, written for treble voices (women or children) and harp. Opening and closing with the plainchant-style “Hodie,” it wends its way through tunes like the bright “Wolcom Yole!” and loving tributes to Christ’s mother, “There Is No Rose” and “As Dew in Aprille.”
Each year, Trinity Cathedral performs the work as part of its Brownbag concert series featuring the altos and sopranos of the Trinity Cathedral choir and harpist Jody Guinn. That concert is this week. The concert is free and open to all.
trinitycleveland.org/blog/brownbag-concerts-fall