- Cowley Carol Book
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The Cowley Carol Book, in two slender volumes, labelled First Series and Second Series, is a collection of carols "for Christmas, Easter and Ascensiontide".
The First Series was "compiled and arranged by George Ratcliffe Woodward, Mus. Doc." and the Second Series was "compiled and arranged by George Ratcliffe Woodward, Mus. Doc. and the late Charles Wood, Mus. Doc."
The ‘First Series’ (1901, revised 1902) consisted of 39 carols, some drawn from "Carols for Christmas-tide, 1853 and Carols for Easter-tide, 1854 by the Rev. J. M. Neale and the Rev. T. Helmore" (preface First Series, dated October 24, 1902). The second edition (1902) had 65 carols - 42 for Christmas and Epiphany, 20 for Easter and 3 for Ascension.
The Second Series of "seven-and-thirty" carols was delayed by World War I, and appeared in 1919. There are 27 carols for Christmas and Epiphany, two-in-one for Passion-tide and9 for Easter and Ascension. Charles Wood co-edited this second volume and the preface tells us that he corrected the proof-sheets of the First Series and some of the carol settings. His further influence on carols in the Second Series is the reason for being listed as a co-author.
The origin of the title lies in a request for a carol book from the church of St John, Cowley, home of the Society of St John the Evangelist, also known as the ‘Cowley Fathers’. A third of the texts in the books are by J. M Neale the rest by Thomas Helmore and Woodward himself. Woodward also made the harmonisations of nearly half of the carols in Series I, but only of four in Series II. Original carols in the Cowley Carol Book include ‘Up! Good Christen Folk and Listen’ and ‘Come rock the cradle for Him’. Many translations, from German, Latin and Greek are included, and some are macaronic.
Strictly speaking, St Mary and St Joh Cowley was/is not the home of SSJE. Fr Richard Benson was one of the three Founders of the Society while he was Incumbent at the Parish Church. Fr Benson is credited as being the instigator of the Society. He was a great encourager of good monastic and parish music.
The attractive 1927 edition of both volumes published by A. R. Mowbray & Co. Ltd. is printed on heavy deckle edge paper. The card jacket is greyish green with dark green print and a red "C" serving as the "C" for both the word "Cowley and, below it, the word "Carol". A red fleur de lis decorates the bottom right corner of the cover.
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