The Coventry Carol (Four Preludes on well-known Carols, No. 2)

Herbert Whitton Sumsion CBE (1899 – 1995) was an English musician who was organist of Gloucester Cathedral from 1928 to 1967. Through his leadership role with the Three Choirs Festival, Sumsion maintained close associations with major figures in England's 20th-century musical renaissance, including Elgar, Howells, Finzi, and Vaughan Williams. Although Sumsion is known primarily as a cathedral musician, his professional career spanned more than 60 years and encompassed composing, conducting, performing, accompanying, and teaching. His compositions include works for choir and organ, as well as lesser-known chamber and orchestral works.

"The Coventry Carol" is the second of "Fore Preludes on Well-Known Carols" published by Hinhrichsen in 1955. The Coventry carol dates back to the15th Century where the song is from the "Pageant of Shearman and Tailors." It is sung in the play by the women of Bethlehem just before Herod's soldiers come to slaughter their children.

Today the Church remembers the Holy Innocents, the children mentioned in the gospel of Matthew, chapter 2:16-18.

When Herod realized that the wise men had tricked him, and were not returning to tell him where they had found the child Jesus, he sent his soldiers to kill all male children ages two and under in Bethlehem and the surrounding areas. This fulfilled the prophecy of Jeremiah: A voice in Rama was heard, of lamentation and great mourning; Rachel bewailed her children, and would not be comforted, because they were not.

The Greek Liturgy estimates that Herod killed 14,000 boys, the Syrians, 64,000, and many medieval authors put the number at 144,000. Based on the size of Bethlehem, modern writers have estimated anywhere from 6-20 boys killed at Herod’s order.

(See Ruben's painting attached below.)

The text of the carol is given in the First Comment.

Photos of the composer and one of Gloucester Cathedral are attached below.

Peace and blessings to All!