Description
I Saw Three Ships is an English Christmas carol, first printed in the 17th century. Today the lyrics most used are those by William Sandys which date back to 1833 but over the centuries the carol has been associated with a range of lyrics and melodies.
Sandys’ lyrics mention the ships sailing into Bethlehem, but, as the nearest body of water is the Dead Sea about 20 miles away, this was clearly impossible. It is thought that perhaps the three ships are those that bore the purported relics of the Biblical magi to Cologne Cathedral in the 12th century. Another theory is that it relates to Wenceslaus II, King of Bohemia, who bore a coat of arms ‘Azure three galleys argent’. Or perhaps the ships are actually the Magi’s camels, since camels are often referred to as ‘ships of the desert’.
This imaginative, modern and fun arrangement of I Saw Three Ships is by the bassoonist Graham Sheen, who has cleverly interwoven snippets of a number of other melodies into the piece – can you spot them? He produced it for the Sonnet Wind Quintet, with whom he plays, for some informal Christmas concerts at St Bartholomew’s Hospice in Sydenham and South London Care Homes.
