Dark the night lay

The "Oxford Book of Carols" is a collection of vocal scores of Christmas carols. It was first published in 1928 by Oxford University Press and was edited by Percy Dearmer, Martin Shaw and Ralph Vaughan Williams. It became a widely used source of carols among choirs and church congregations in Britain.

Both of these Welsh carols appear in the book, and both of these are more "Epiphany carols" than ones associated with Christmas.

"Dark the night lay" (melody) was composed by Owen Wynne Jones (1828 – 1870), often known by his bardic name of Glasynys, was a Welsh clergyman, folklorist, poet, novelist and short-story writer.

The harmony is by Dr. Caradog Roberts (1878 — 1935), a Welsh composer, organist and choirmaster.

He studied piano and organ, becoming organist of Mynydd Seion Congregational church, Ponciau from 1894 until 1903. In the next year he took the same position at Bethlehem Congregational church, Rhosllanerchrugog, a post he retained until his death. He took the degrees of B.Mus. (1906) and D.Mus. (1911), both at Oxford. From 1914 to 1920, he was Director of Music at Bangor University. Roberts was a prolific composer and arranger of hymn tunes, several of which were incorporated into Welsh hymnaries.

The text of this carol is by the Rev. W. Lloyd, and the words found here are a free translation by K. E. Roberts.

I played this as an "organ solo," playing the first part of each phrase on the Choir clarinette, the "answering bass part" on the Swell horn, and the final part of the work on the Great Diapasons.

The appeal of the music is its "darkness turning to light," and the text is rich in imagery.

The score is attached below, as well as photos of Owen Wynne Jones and Caradog Roberts.

The full text is given in the FIRST COMMENT.

Coming up:

Jan. 4 - Brightest and best - R. E. Smith
We three Kings - R. E. Smith

Jan. 5 - The Caravan of the Magi - J. L. Maunder

Jan. 6 - Chartres (Noël Varié) - Richard Purvis