Twelve Days

 From Christmas Day to Twelfth Night in a

musical calendar of saints, carols, feasts and gifts

‘On the first day of Christmas my true love sent to me….’

Many of the gifts from the familiar song provide inspiration for the choice of music in this programme. So for example, four calling birds lead to the catalan Carol of the Birds; nine ladies dancing bring John Gardner’s Tomorrow shall be my dancing day; and from eight maids a-milking,  we reach (via ‘cheese from the dairy’) the carol Past Three-o-clock. We also hear John Julius Norwich’s witty responses to the extravagant gifts interleaved with the famous song itself.

Alongside these items, the many festivals and saints’ days over the Christmas season provide links to other carols, such as Good King Wenceslas (St Stephen’s Day, December 26^th)  Walton’s What Cheer? (New Year) and the Coventry Carol (the Feast of the Holy Innocents). We sing…