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The Boar's Head Carol
The Boar's Head Carol
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The Boar's Head Carol /
The Shepherd's Hymn Argo AFW 115 (single, UK, 1974) The Boar's Head Carol / Gaudete / Some Rival Chrysalis CHS 2192 (single, p/s, UK, 1977) |
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[ Roud 22229 ; trad.]
The ancient ceremony of the Boar's Head Carol was performed for many years on Christmas Eve at Queen's College, Oxford, but now on a Saturday shortly before Christmas, when old members are entertained at a “gaudy”. The College Choir processes into the Hall during the refrains, stopping each time when a verse is sung. When the boar's head is set down on the high table, the Provost distributes the herbs among the choir and presents the solo singer with the orange from the boar's mouth.
In 1969, The Young Tradition split up while recording their album of Christmas songs with Shirley and Dolly Collins, The Holly Bears the Crown; and it was only in 1995 that the album was finally released. But two songs from it, The Boar's Head Carol and Shepherds Arise (here called The Shepherd's Hymn) were published by Argo on a single in 1974.
The Boar's Head Carol was Steeleye Span's 1977 British Christmas single, recorded in Holland, with the B-side containing the two tracks Gaudete and Some Rival. They reissued The Boar's Head Carol in 1981 on the Australian-only LP Recollections and in 1999 on the CD A Rare Collection 1972-1996. Two other versions with Maddy Prior and the Carnival Band appeared on their albums Carols and Capers and Carols At Christmas. A live recording from the Maddy Prior, Family & Friends Christmas tour of 1999 was released on the CD Ballads and Candles.
John Kirkpatrick sang The Boar's Head Carol in 2006 on his Fledg'ling CD Carolling and Crumpets. He commented in the liner notes:
Sung every year at the Christmas Boar's Head feast at Queen's College, Oxford, and one or two other noble institutions—clearly in an attempt to combine brain and brawn! This manner of singing to one's Christmas dinner has been around in one form or another for six hundred years at the very least.
During my brief spell in Steeleye Span, I contributed this arrangement for a Christmas single in 1977. It-s a well-known song, and everyone's done it, but I have to keep it in because the chord progression going up to the new key is such fun to play, even without the band and the brass section blasting away.
Interesting fact: Songs like this which combine workaday English and scholarly Latin are called “macaronic”. Blessed are the pasta makers!
A chorus of Jon Boden, Jess and Richard Arrowsmith, Gavin Davenport, Fay Hield and Sam Sweeney sang The Boar's Head Carol at the Royal Hotel in Dungworth as the December 9, 2010 entry of his project A Folk Song a Day.
Lyrics
The boar's head in hand bear I
Bedecked with bay and rosemary;
So I pray you my masters be merry,
Quot estis in convivio [as many as are at the feast].
- Chorus (after each verse):
- 𝄆 Caput apri defero [I bring in the boar's head]
Reddens laudes Domino [giving thanks to the lord] 𝄇
The boar's head as I understand
Is the rarest dish in all the land,
Which thus bedecked with a gay garland,
Let us servire cantico [serve it with a song].
Our steward hath provided this
In honour of the King of bliss,
Which on this day to be served is
In Reginensi atrio [in Queen's Hall].