Christmas carols: The holly and the ivy
The earliest known version of this carol dates from a broadside printed in 1710. It was probably copied from an earlier manuscript, but that manuscript has since been lost.
Like many Christmas carols, this one is rich in metaphor. Holly and ivy were symbolic of male and female in the Middle Ages, as well as representing good and evil. (As usual, female = evil.) However, this song breaks from the traditional male / female dichotomy because holly also represents the Virgin Mary. (You can add that to your list of unusual Virgin Mary metaphors.)
The editors of The New Oxford Book of Carols also pointed out something unusual about the refrain that I'd never noticed before. Here, for purposes of illustration, are the first two verses with the refrain:
The holly and the ivy, When they are both full grown,
Of all the trees that are in the wood, The holly bears the crown.
The rising of the sun And the running of the deer,
The playing of the merry organ, Sweet singing in the choir.
The holly bears a blossom As white as the lily flower,
And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ To be our sweet Saviour.
The rising of the sun And the running of the deer,
The playing of the merry organ, Sweet singing in the choir.
So, what did the venerable editors at Oxford point out about the refrain? Basically that it makes no flippin' sense. The verses are all holly and ivy and Mary and Jesus and holly and ivy and Mary and Jesus and then along comes the chorus with . . . deer? and sunrise?
It is theorized (by those same editors) that the first verse is actually supposed to be the refrain (especially since it serves as both the first and last verse) and that the canny 18th century broadside publisher may have randomly added the refrain to fill out the number of verses. (Those crazy broadside publishers and their habit of messing with Christmas carols!)
So, the real first two verses should read thusly:
The holly bears a blossom As white as the lily flower,
And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ To be our sweet Saviour.
The holly and the ivy, When they are both full grown,
Of all the trees that are in the wood, The holly bears the crown.
The holly bears a berry As red as any blood,
And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ To do poor sinners good.
The holly and the ivy, When they are both full grown,
Of all the trees that are in the wood, The holly bears the crown.
Unfortunately, you, I and the editors of the OUP appear to be the only ones in on the secret, since every version I found has the first version of the carol. It's a lovely song, either way, but performing the real version would be a good way to exponentially increase your music snob factor. (That and singing "Guide Us, O Thou Great Jehovah" in the original Welsh.)
Enjoy!
Renee Fleming, 2005:
Rich and Sara, 2008:
Instrumental arrangement for guitar and flute.
AcaBella, 2006:
A female a capella version.
Bonus: Varsity Boomwhacker Choir, Germantown Academy, 2006:
Generally, my standard selections are chosen for quality, while the bonus selection is a bit more quirky. This selection is both weird and fabulous.
Honorable mention: Another instrumental version, performed by the Rainbow City Band in 2007. Also, a jazzier a capella version, performed by AWKapella in 2008.
3 Comments:
This is one of my favorite Christmas Carols. I'm glad you did it!
The Boomwhacker Choir is awesome. What are those . . . things called?
A little Googling confirms that those are the "boomwhackers," themselves.
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