You have to admit that the Victorians were aces at
writing Christmas carols and songs. “O Little Town of Bethlehem”, “Away in a
Manger”, “We Three Kings” and “It Came upon a Midnight Clear” all date from the
years when that little woman reigned over the empire and set the standards for
middle class stuffiness and rectitude that still pervade the Anglo-Saxon world
today.
She also jump started Ye Olde Christmas Traditions
(including the Christmas tree that her husband brought over from Saxe Coburg)
that pretty much define what the holiday should be in a the minds of millions
today. Between her and Charles Dickens, we have a lot to live up to.
“Once in David’s Royal City” dates from 1848. My pals at
King’s College, Cambridge, begin their Christmas
Eve service with it as their processional. The arrangement they use has a
boy chorister sing the first verse solo and unaccompanied; second and third verses
are the full choir; and the congregation and organ join in on the fourth. It’s
truly stunning, especially the last verse with the descant.
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