The Young Tradition with Shirley & Dolly Collins   •   The Holly Bears The Grown

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  • The Holly Bears The Grown
    • 1995 - Fledg'ling FLED 3006 CD (UK)
  • Tracklist
    1. Prologue from Hamlet (William Shakespeare)
    2. The Boar's Head Carol (Trad.)
    3. Is it Far To Bethlehem (Frances Chesterton, Trad.)
    4. Lullay My Liking (Trad., Gustav Holst)
    5. The Cherry Tree Carol (Trad., Shirley Collins)
    6. Shepherds Arise (Trad.)
    7. I Sing of A Maiden That Is Makeless (Trad., Dolly Collins)
    8. Interlude : The Great Frost (Virginia Woolf)
    9. Tomorrow Shall Be My Dancing Day (Trad.)
    10. A Virgin Most Pure (Trad.)
    11. The Coventry Carol (Trad.)
    12. The Holly Bears The Crown (Trad.)
    13. March The Morning Sun (Royston Wood)
    14. Bring Us In Good Ale (Trad.)

  • Musicians
    • The Young Tradition
    • Shirley Collins: Vocals
    • Dolly Collins: Portative Organ
    • Adam Skeaping: Violone
    • Rod Skeaping: Bass Viol
    • Gary Watson: Narratoin
  • Credits
    • Produced by John Gilbert
    • Tape transfer by Ian Hardcastle
    • Mastered by Denis Blackham at Porkys, London
    • Photography: Brian Shuel – Collections
    • Cover Artwork: David Suff
    • CD Package Design: London
    • Notes by Shirley Collins & Heather Wood
    • Arrangements by P. Bellamy, S. Collins, D. Collins, R. Wood & H. Wood
    • All Instrumental Arrangements by Dolly Collins

These recordings were made in London in 1969. A few weeks later The Young Tradition broke up and the record was never released; until now. Sadly. Royston Wood died in 1990. Peter Bellamy in 1991 and Dolly Collins in 1995. This record is dedicated to their memory.


Sleeve Notes


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 Boar’s Head Carol — This carol has been sung at Queen's College, Oxford, with the boar's head in procession, for around 500 years. Legend has it that, back then, a student ambling through the surrounding forest was attacked by a wild boar. He overcame it by ramming a volume of Aristotle (possibly Historia Animalium Major?) down its throat, and the beast became a celebratory dinner. The carol was first published in Wynken de Worde’s Christmasse Carolles 1521. Wild boar had become extinct in England by the end of the 16th century.

Is It Far To Bethlehem? — The words to this children’s carol were written by Frances Chesterton. The tune is most likely that of the traditional song "Sweet England".

Lullay My Liking — The words are from the 15th century Sloane MS in the British library. No tune survived. This tune is by Gustav Holst.

The Cherry Tree Carol — The words are traditional, this tune is by Shirley Collins.

Shepherds Arise — A traditional carol from the Copper Family of Rottingdean, Sussex. Their recently published Copper Family Songbook notes, "This was the oldest carol Brasser knew." James "Brasser" Copper, grandfather of Bob Copper, was born in 1845.

I Sing Of A Maiden That Is Makeless — The words are from the 15th century Sloane MS. No tune survived. This tune is composed by Dolly Collins.

Tomorrow Shall Be My Dancing Day — Words and tune traditional. The carol has three sections — for Christmas, Lent and Easter, we sing a shortened version. Its origin seems to be 16th century in the West Country.

A Virgin Most Pure — Words and tune traditional. This version is from Some Ancient Christmas Carols, Davis Gilbert, published in 1822, although there is an earlier printed one in 1734. Many versions existed all over the country.

The Coventry Carol — From one of the Coventry Mystery or Miracle plays, in the Pageant of the Shearmen and Taylors. It is known that in 1484 Richard III attended a performance of the Pageant and would have heard this carol.

The Holly Bears The Crown — This version was collected in Herefordshire in 1952 by Patrick Shouldham Shaw and Maud Karpeles. Robert Graves, in The White Goddess, suggests that Jesus was accorded the powers of the Holly King, who ruled the waning year, while John The Baptist was The Oak King. Another belief is that the holly was a male symbol, the ivy, female. Holly was thought to be holy, and was left to stand in hedgerows.

March The Morning Sun — Words and music written by Royston Wood as a carol for St. Stephen’s Day (26th December).

Bring Us In Good Ale — From William Chapell's Popular Music of the Olden Time. It appears there in two forms, the carol and the wassail. We sing the wassail, dating from around 1460.