Sign up to save your podcasts
Or
Share A Medieval Christmas
Share to email
Share to Facebook
Share to X
Share to email
Share to Facebook
Share to X
Or
A Medieval Christmas
This week, Donald Macleod marks the beginning of the season of Advent by exploring Christmas music and stories from the Middle Ages. Christmas celebrations encompassed a great variety of colourful traditions and musical occasions during medieval times. Peasants and nobles alike could look forward to many weeks of festivities, from Advent at the start of December, right through to Candlemas on 2nd February. Some of those customs we still recognise and celebrate today. Many are now lost or significantly altered. Donald is joined by early music expert, William Lyons, to examine how Christmas might have felt and sounded to our medieval ancestors.
Music Featured:
Gaudete
Personent hodie; Gaudete; Omnis mundus jucundetur
Perotin: Alleluia Nativitas
Miri it is while sumer ilast
Blowe, Northerne Wynd (arr. William Lyons)
Seint Nicholas was borne in the citee of Patras; Cantu mirro, summa laude; Sainte nicholaes; Salve cleri speculum - Salve iubar presulum
Dufay: Ce jour de l'an
Orientis partibus
The Play of Daniel (Ludus Danielis)
Hec est Clara dies
Procedenti puero
Pérotin: Salvatoris hodie
Dum sigillum summi patris [instrumental]
Perotin: Viderunt Omnes
Hodie Christus natus est
Viderunt Emmanuel
Lux hodie, Lux leticie
Psallat chorus; Eximie pater et regie; Aptatur
Descendit de cælis
In natali Domini
Isaias Cecinit
Perotin: Sederunt Principes
Verbum patris umanatur O O
Edi beo thu hevene-queene
Angelus ad virginem
Ecce quod natura
Ther is no rose of swych vertu
Verbum Patris humanatur
Verbum Patris (intrumental)
Thys endere nyght
Ave Maris Stella
Nowell, owt of youre sleep aryse
Adam lay ibowndyn (arr. William Lyons)
Ye have so longe kepe schepe (instrumental)
Nowell, nowell, nowell
Hayl Mary ful of grace
Coventry Carol
Halle: Dieus soit en cheste maison
Sequentia
Dufay: Bonjour, bon mois
Lantins, A: Ce jour de l’an, belle je vous supply
Dufay: Ce jour de l'an
Gresley Dances (arr. William Lyons)
Presented by Donald Macleod
Produced by Chris Taylor for BBC Audio Wales and West
For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for A Mediaeval Christmas https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001svqt
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
View all episodes
By BBC Radio 3
2
223223 ratings
This week, Donald Macleod marks the beginning of the season of Advent by exploring Christmas music and stories from the Middle Ages. Christmas celebrations encompassed a great variety of colourful traditions and musical occasions during medieval times. Peasants and nobles alike could look forward to many weeks of festivities, from Advent at the start of December, right through to Candlemas on 2nd February. Some of those customs we still recognise and celebrate today. Many are now lost or significantly altered. Donald is joined by early music expert, William Lyons, to examine how Christmas might have felt and sounded to our medieval ancestors.
Music Featured:
Gaudete
Personent hodie; Gaudete; Omnis mundus jucundetur
Perotin: Alleluia Nativitas
Miri it is while sumer ilast
Blowe, Northerne Wynd (arr. William Lyons)
Seint Nicholas was borne in the citee of Patras; Cantu mirro, summa laude; Sainte nicholaes; Salve cleri speculum - Salve iubar presulum
Dufay: Ce jour de l'an
Orientis partibus
The Play of Daniel (Ludus Danielis)
Hec est Clara dies
Procedenti puero
Pérotin: Salvatoris hodie
Dum sigillum summi patris [instrumental]
Perotin: Viderunt Omnes
Hodie Christus natus est
Viderunt Emmanuel
Lux hodie, Lux leticie
Psallat chorus; Eximie pater et regie; Aptatur
Descendit de cælis
In natali Domini
Isaias Cecinit
Perotin: Sederunt Principes
Verbum patris umanatur O O
Edi beo thu hevene-queene
Angelus ad virginem
Ecce quod natura
Ther is no rose of swych vertu
Verbum Patris humanatur
Verbum Patris (intrumental)
Thys endere nyght
Ave Maris Stella
Nowell, owt of youre sleep aryse
Adam lay ibowndyn (arr. William Lyons)
Ye have so longe kepe schepe (instrumental)
Nowell, nowell, nowell
Hayl Mary ful of grace
Coventry Carol
Halle: Dieus soit en cheste maison
Sequentia
Dufay: Bonjour, bon mois
Lantins, A: Ce jour de l’an, belle je vous supply
Dufay: Ce jour de l'an
Gresley Dances (arr. William Lyons)
Presented by Donald Macleod
Produced by Chris Taylor for BBC Audio Wales and West
For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for A Mediaeval Christmas https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001svqt
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
More shows like Composer of the Week
View all
In Our Time
5,395 Listeners
From Our Own Correspondent
381 Listeners
The Documentary Podcast
1,837 Listeners
Start the Week
159 Listeners
Global News Podcast
7,894 Listeners
Thinking Allowed
316 Listeners
Great Lives
501 Listeners
6 Minute English
1,814 Listeners
Learning English Conversations
1,117 Listeners
Record Review Podcast
43 Listeners
A Point of View
75 Listeners
Desert Island Discs
2,049 Listeners
The Infinite Monkey Cage
2,065 Listeners
Newshour
1,051 Listeners
In Our Time: Culture
592 Listeners
The New Statesman | UK politics and culture
144 Listeners
Private Passions
36 Listeners
Page 94: The Private Eye Podcast
278 Listeners
The Briefing Room
70 Listeners
Americast
723 Listeners
You're Dead to Me
2,961 Listeners
This Cultural Life
96 Listeners
The Rest Is Politics
3,101 Listeners
Past Present Future
297 Listeners