Sans Day Carol
Encyclopedia
The "Sans Day Carol" or "St. Day Carol" is one of the many Cornish
Christmas
carols written in the 19th century. This carol and its melody were first transcribed from the singing of Thomas Beard, a villager in St Day
in the parish of Gwennap
, Cornwall
. The fourth verse is a translation from the Cornish version, "Ma gron war'n gelln". The lyrics are similar to those of "The Holly and the Ivy
" and it is no. 35 in the Oxford Book of Carols.
1. Now the holly bears a berry as white as the milk,
And Mary bore Jesus, who was wrapped up in silk:
Chorus: And Mary bore Jesus Christ our Saviour for to be,
And the first tree in the greenwood, it was the holly.
Holly! Holly!
And the first tree in the greenwood, it was the holly!
2. Now the holly bears a berry as green as the grass,
And Mary bore Jesus, who died on the cross:
Chorus
3. Now the holly bears a berry as black as the coal,
And Mary bore Jesus, who died for us all:
Chorus
4. Now the holly bears a berry, as blood is it red,
Then trust we our Saviour, who rose from the dead:
Chorus
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
carols written in the 19th century. This carol and its melody were first transcribed from the singing of Thomas Beard, a villager in St Day
St Day
St Day is a civil parish and village in Cornwall, United Kingdom. It is situated between the village of Chacewater and the town of Redruth.St Day is located in a former mining area and St Day accrued considerable wealth from mining...
in the parish of Gwennap
Gwennap
Gwennap is a village and civil parish in Cornwall, United Kingdom. It is situated approximately five miles southeast of Redruth....
, Cornwall
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
. The fourth verse is a translation from the Cornish version, "Ma gron war'n gelln". The lyrics are similar to those of "The Holly and the Ivy
The Holly and the Ivy
"The Holly and the Ivy" is an English traditional Christmas carol. The carol contains intermingled Christian and Pagan imagery, with holly and ivy representing Pagan fertility symbols. Holly and ivy have been the mainstay of Christmas decoration for church use since at least the fifteenth and...
" and it is no. 35 in the Oxford Book of Carols.
Words
The words of the carol are as follows:1. Now the holly bears a berry as white as the milk,
And Mary bore Jesus, who was wrapped up in silk:
Chorus: And Mary bore Jesus Christ our Saviour for to be,
And the first tree in the greenwood, it was the holly.
Holly! Holly!
And the first tree in the greenwood, it was the holly!
2. Now the holly bears a berry as green as the grass,
And Mary bore Jesus, who died on the cross:
Chorus
3. Now the holly bears a berry as black as the coal,
And Mary bore Jesus, who died for us all:
Chorus
4. Now the holly bears a berry, as blood is it red,
Then trust we our Saviour, who rose from the dead:
Chorus
Cover versions
- 1965 - The WatersonsThe WatersonsThe Watersons were an English folk group from Hull, Yorkshire. They performed mainly traditional songs with little or no accompaniment. Their distinctive sound came from their closely woven harmonies.-Career:...
- Frost and Fire: A Calendar of Ceremonial Folk Songs - 1976 - Philip LedgerPhilip LedgerSir Philip Ledger CBE is a British classical musician and academic. He is best-known for his tenure as director of the Choir of King's College, Cambridge between 1973 and 1982 and as director of Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama from 1982 until his retirement in 2001...
and the King's College ChoirChoir of King's College, CambridgeThe Choir of King's College, Cambridge is one of today's most accomplished and renowned representatives of the great British choral tradition. It was created by King Henry VI, who founded King's College, Cambridge in 1441, to provide daily singing in his Chapel, which remains the main task of the...
- Carols for Christmas Eve - 1991 - The ChieftainsThe ChieftainsThe Chieftains are a Grammy-winning Irish musical group founded in 1962, best known for being one of the first bands to make Irish traditional music popular around the world.-Name:...
- The Bells of DublinThe Bells of DublinThe Bells of Dublin is an album of Christmas songs and traditional carols by the Irish band The Chieftains. The album features guest performances by various artists, including Elvis Costello, Jackson Browne, Kate and Anna McGarrigle, Marianne Faithfull, Nanci Griffith, Rickie Lee Jones and the... - 1993 - John RutterJohn RutterJohn Milford Rutter CBE is a British composer, conductor, editor, arranger and record producer, mainly of choral music.-Biography:Born in London, Rutter was educated at Highgate School, where a fellow pupil was John Tavener. He read music at Clare College, Cambridge, where he was a member of the...
and the Cambridge SingersCambridge SingersCambridge Singers is an English mixed voice chamber/choral group formed in 1981 by their director John Rutter with the primary purpose of making recordings under their own label "Collegium"....
- Christmas Day in the Morning - 1998 - David HillDavid Hill (choral director)David Hill , is a choral conductor and organist. His most high profile roles are as Chief Conductor of the BBC Singers from September 2007, and Musical Director of The Bach Choir from April 1998. He was previously Organist and Director of Music at St John's College, Cambridge, in succession to...
and the Choir of Winchester CathedralWinchester CathedralWinchester Cathedral at Winchester in Hampshire is one of the largest cathedrals in England, with the longest nave and overall length of any Gothic cathedral in Europe...
- O Come Let Us Adore Him: Christmas Carols from Winchester Cathedral - 1996 - Sue White - Best of Cornish Folksongs, Vols I & II
- 2004 - Cherish the LadiesCherish the LadiesCherish the Ladies is an American all-female Irish-American super group. The band began as a concert series in New York in January 1985, the brainchild of Mick Moloney who wanted to showcase the brightest female musicians in America in what had been a male-dominated scene...
- On Christmas NightOn Christmas NightOn Christmas Night, an album by Cherish the Ladies, was released in 2004 on the Rounder Records label.-Track listing:# "On Christmas Night/Charles O'Conor" – 3:28# "The Castle of Dromore" – 4:05# "Henry Roe McDermott/The Holly and the Berry" – 4:21... - 2006 - Maddy PriorMaddy PriorMaddy Prior is an English folk singer, best known as the lead vocalist of Steeleye Span.-Early life:...
- An Evening of Carols and CapersAn Evening of Carols and CapersAn Evening of Carols and Capers is an album by Maddy Prior with The Carnival Band.This double album is effectively an audio version of the DVD of the same name, though the tracks vary slightly. It is a collection of live recordings from concerts in Oxford and Salisbury. The dates are not given... - 2007 - Chris SquireChris SquireChristopher Russell Edward "Chris" Squire , is an English musician, known as the bass guitarist and backing vocalist for the progressive rock group Yes. He is the only member of the group to appear on every album.-Before Yes:...
- Chris Squire's Swiss Choir - 2008 - Nidarosdomens Guttekor(Nidaros CathedralNidaros CathedralNidaros Cathedral is a Church of Norway cathedral located in the city of Trondheim in Sør-Trøndelag county, Norway. It was the cathedral of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Nidaros from its establishment in 1152 until its abolition in 1537. Since the Reformation, it has been the cathedral of the...
Boys' Choir) - I Wish - 2009 - Belshazzar's Feast (Paul Sartin and Paul Hutchinson)- "Frost Bites"
- 2011 - Sandy DennySandy DennySandy Denny , born Alexandra Elene Maclean Denny, was an English singer and songwriter, perhaps best known as the lead singer for the folk rock band Fairport Convention...
, Patsy and Alex Campbell - 19 Rupert St (recorded 1967)