Belli Holiday - MP3 (268 KB)
The Holly and the Ivy / Holly’s a Smart Ilex
/ Ding Dong Merrily on High / Ives Swapping.
The Holly and the Ivy is found in many old collections,
and appears in broadsides as early as 1710. Our source,
The Oxford Book of Carols (OBC) (Dearmer, Williams,
Shaw; Oxford University Press, 1928) suggests it
was originally sung and danced simultaneously; the
Holly representing the masculine elements and the
Ivy the feminine elements of the story. Ding Dong
Merrily on High is a traditional French melody. Holly’s
a Smart Ilex Quartet: Sarah MacConduibh, Devon Schudy,
Jane Law, Paul Joseph (bass fife).
Fife Arrangement: John Ciaglia
Drum Arrangement: James Martin Clark |
De Profundis - MP3 (300 KB)
De profundis / Il est Ne, le Divin Enfant / Good
Christian Men Rejoice / Bring a Torch, Jeanette Isabella
/ Ad profundis
Often set to Psalm 129, the ancient melody De Profundis
is our introduction. Il est Né, le Divin Enfant
is based on the traditional melody. Good Christian
Men Rejoice is set to a 14th century German melody.
Bring a Torch, Jeanette Isabella is a seventeenth
century French carol.
Fife Arrangement: John Ciaglia
Drum Score: James Martin Clark |
Patapan - MP3 (300 KB)
While the melody has been attributed to Bernard
de Monnoye (1641-1728), the lyrics so appropriate
to our instrumentation are derived from a traditional
Burgundian Christmas carol. ‘Willie, bring
your little drum / Robin, bring your fife and come
/ And be merry while you play / Tu-re-lu-re-lu, Pat-a-pat-a-pan
/ Come be merry while you play / Let us make our
Christmas gay! / When the men of olden days, to the
King of Kings gave praise, on the fife and drum did
play/ Tu-re-lu-re-lu, Pat-a-pat-a-pan / On the fife
and drum did play / So their hearts were glad and
gay! / God and man today become more in tune than
fife and drum / So be merry while you play / Tu-re-lu-re-lu,
Pat-a-pat-a-pan / So be merry while you play / Sing
and dance this Christmas day!'
Full Arrangement: James Martin Clark |
We Wish You a Merry Christmas - MP3
(260 KB)
Theme / Hornpipe / Minor (An Excess of Eggnog?)
/ Saltarello / Intemperate Inversion / Choral. Based
on the traditional tune, these trifles came to the
arranger in a single sitting, their birth eased by
two good bottles of Dolcetto. The fifers had to settle
for fine single malt while delivering this one!
Fife Arrangement: John Ciaglia |
