Description
Holst wrote the Three Carols (1916-17) whilst he was living in Thaxted at around the same time he completed the orchestration of his best-known work The Planets. During that period he produced a number of choral pieces and carols intended for amateurs to perform in the festival he had set up in the village.
The first carol – I Saw Three Ships – dates from the 17th century and, such is its popularity, hardly needs an introduction! This is followed by Christmas Song (Personent Hodie) which is based on a 16th century Finnish song. This carol became much more prominent following Holst’s arrangement – indeed, it often features in King’s College’s Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols. The third carol, Masters in This Hall (also known as Nowell, Sing We Clear) is the least known of the trio but is nonetheless very beautiful. The melody comes from an early 18th century French dance from an opera by Marais which the English poet and artist William Morris set to words in around 1860.
This arrangement for wind quintet is set in the same keys as the Holst’s original version so is suitable as an accompaniment for singers.
