Hugh Keyte

A scholarly collection of carols from the Middle Ages to the present day. The jacket notes call it "the most comprehensive carol anthology in existence... magisterial in its historical and geographical scope." There are over 300 settings of carols for the Christmas season, composed carols and folk music, sacred and secular, spanning the Catholic and Protestant traditions, from European, American and English sources and a number of languages. The music is edited from primary sources wherever show more possible, designed to encourage a variety of performance options. Comprehensive background information on history and performance for each item, much of it the result of fresh research.
A fascinating reference book, not so useful for a musician's working copy (far too thick and heavy for use in performance).
Some of these carols have been wonderfully recorded by Andrew Parrott conducting the Taverner Consort and the Taverner Singers. "The Carol Album: Seven Centuries of Christmas" and a sequel called "The Carol Album 2". show less

Wonderful resource and informative text. Worth the investment for a personal library.