Coventry Carol – Harp Solo

This amazing melody has endured for centuries and is a regular part of many musical Christmas celebration. Emotions run deep within the music. Look forward to the Picardy third, a lovely musical device typical to those times. I hope you enjoy its delicate qualities. Read below to appreciate it very somber presentation.This solo version for Pedal or Lever Harp is slightly different from the Ensemble Version. Being in the key of e minor, it has two preset D#’s and therefore has only one well-marked lever change to end in a Picardy Third. At the proper slow speed, that is not a problem. there is a brief return to the original statement and the music fades away with a high, wistful oscillation into the sadness.

Here, we have some some interesting history for this very special music. It has lasted for centuries for several good reasons.This traditional English Carole dates from 1591. These words were recorded by Robert Croo is 1534. The author of the words and music is unknown. Originally, the carol was performed in Coventry in England as part of a mystery play called “The Pageant of the Shearmen and Tailors.” The play depicts the Christmas story from chapter two in the Gospel of Matthew. The carol refers to the Massacre of the Innocents, in which Herod ordered all male infants under the age of two in Bethlehem to be killed. The lyrics of this haunting carol represent a mother’s lament for her doomed child. It is the only carol that has survived from this play.

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