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Dancing Day; A cycle of traditional Christmas carols

Song Cycle by John Milford Rutter, CBE (b. 1945)

1. Angelus ad virginem
 (Sung text)

Language: English 
Angelus ad virginem Subintrans in conclave,
Virginis formidinem Demulcens inquit
« Ave! Ave, regina virginum;
Caeli terraeque Dominum Concipies
Et paries Intacta Salutem hominum;
Tu porta caeli facta, Medela criminum. »
 
Th'angel to the Virgin said, Ent'ring into her bower,
For dread of quaking of this maid,
He said "Hail" with great honoure.
"Hail!" be thou queen of maidens mo,
Lord of heaven and earth also,
Conceive thou shalt,
And bear with al the Lord of might,
Heal of all mankind.
He will make the gate of heaven bright,
Med'çine of all our sin."
 
"Quo modo conciperem Qyae virum non cognovi?
Qualiter infringerem
Quod firmamente vovi?"
Spiritus Sancti gratia
Perficiet haec omnia;
Netimeas, Sed gaudeas, se curea Quod castimonia
Manebit in te pura, Dei potentia."

Text Authorship:

  • by Anonymous / Unidentified Author ( 14th century )

Go to the general single-text view

Researcher for this page: Lidy van Noordenburg

2. A virgin most pure
 (Sung text)

Language: English 
A virgin most pure, as the prophets do tell,
Harth brought forth a baby, as it hath befel,
To be our Redeemer from death, hell, and sin
Which Adam's transgression hath wrapped us in.
 
Aye and therefore be merry, rejoice and be you merry
Set sorrows aside;
Christ Jesus our Saviour was born on this tide.
 
At Bethlem in Jewry a city there was,
Where Joseph and Mary together did pass,
And there to be taxed with many one mo',
For Caesar commanded the same should be so:
Aye and therefore be merry, rejoice and be you merry
Set sorrows aside;
Christ Jesus our Saviour was born on this tide.
 
But when they had ent'red the city so fair,
A number of people so mighty was there,
That Joseph and Mary, whose substance was small,
Could find in the inn there no lodging at all.
Aye and therefore be merry, rejoice and be you merry
Set sorrows aside;
Christ Jesus our Saviour was born on this tide.
 
Then they were constrain'd in a stable to lie,
Where oxen and asses they used for to tie;
Their lodging so simple, the held it no scorn,
But against the next morning our Saviour was born:
Aye and therefore be merry, rejoice and be you merry
Set sorrows aside;
Christ Jesus our Saviour was born on this tide.
 
The King of all glory to the world being brought,
Small store of fine linen to wrap him was sought;
And when she had swaddled her young son so sweet,
Within an oxmanger she laid him to sleep:
Aye and therefore be merry, rejoice and be you merry
Set sorrows aside;
Christ Jesus our Saviour was born on this tide.
 
Then God sent an angel from heaven so high,
To certain poor shepherds in fields where they lie,
And bade them no longer in sorrow to stay,
Because that our Saviour was born on this day.
Aye and therefore be merry, rejoice and be you merry
Set sorrows aside;
Christ Jesus our Saviour was born on this tide.
 
Then presently after, the shepherds did spy
A number of angels that stood in the sky;
They joyfully talked, and sweetly did sing,
To God be all glory, our heavenly King.
Aye and therefore be merry, rejoice and be you merry
Set sorrows aside;
Christ Jesus our Saviour was born on this tide.

Text Authorship:

  • by Anonymous / Unidentified Author

Go to the general single-text view

Researcher for this page: Lidy van Noordenburg

3. Personent hodie
 (Sung text)

Language: Latin 
Personent hodie Voces puerulae,
Laudantes jucunde Qui nobis est natus, Summo Deo datus,
Et de vir, vir, vir, Et de virgineo ventre procreatus.
 
In mundo nascitur, Pannis involvitur, Praesipi ponitur
Stabulo brutorum, Rector supernorum.
Perdidit, -dit, -dit, Perdidit, -dit, dit, spolia princeps infernorum.
 
Magitres venerunt, Parvulum inquirunt, Bethlehem adeunt,
Stellulam sequendo, Ipsum adorando,
Aurum thus, thus, thus, Aurum thus, thus, thus,
Aurum, thus, et myrrham ei offerendo.
Omnes clericuli, Pariter pueri, Canent ut angeli:
Advenisti mundo, Laudes tibi fundo.
Ideo, -o, -o, Ideo, -o, -o,
Ideo gloria in excelsis Deo.

Text Authorship:

  • by Bible or other Sacred Texts , from Piae Cantiones, first published 1582

Go to the general single-text view

Researcher for this page: Lidy van Noordenburg

4. There is no rose
 (Sung text)

Language: English 
There is no rose of such virtue
As is the rose that bare Jesu:
Alleluya.

For in this rose contained was
Heaven and earth in little space:
Res miranda.

 ... 

Text Authorship:

  • by Anonymous / Unidentified Author ( 15th-century )

See other settings of this text.

Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):

  • FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , copyright © 2015, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Researcher for this page: Thomas Jaenicke

5. Coventry carol
 (Sung text)

Language: English 
Lully, lulla, thou little tiny child,
By, by, lully, lullay.
 
O, sisters too, 
How may we do
For to preserve this day
This poor youngling
For whom we do sing,
By, by, lully lullay?
 
Herod the king, 
In his raging,
Charged he hath this day 
His men of might,
In his own sight, 
All young children to slay.

That woe is me, 
Poor child for thee!
And every morn and day, 
For thy parting,
Neither say nor sing 
By by, lully lullay!

Text Authorship:

  • by Anonymous / Unidentified Author, from the Pageant of the Shearmen and Tailors, 15th century

See other settings of this text.

Researcher for this page: Lidy van Noordenburg

6. Tomorrow shall be my dancing day
 (Sung text)

Language: English 
Tomorrow shall be my dancing day,
I would my true love did so chance
To see the legend of my plays, 
To call my true love to the dance.
Sing oh my love, oh my love, my love, my love,
This have I done for my true love.

Then was I born of a Virgin pure,
Of her I took fleshly substance:
Then was I knit to man's nature,
To call my true love to my dance.
Sing oh my love, oh my love, my love, my love,
This have I done for my true love.

In a manger laid and wrapp'd I was,
So very poor this was my chance,
Betwixt an ox and a silly poor ass,
To call my true love to the dance.
Sing oh my love, oh my love, my love, my love,
This have I done for my true love.

 ... 

Text Authorship:

  • from Volkslieder (Folksongs) , a Cornish carol from Sandys, Christmas Carols, Ancient and Modern, first published 1833

See other settings of this text.

Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
Total word count: 870
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