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Old & New Cornish Christmas Carols Cornish Carols - A Tradition For The World
Penryn / Mabe
Sound, Sound your instruments of Joy comes from the West Gallery tradition when every church had a gallery for its musicians and singers. The non-conformist adopted this also and even the oldest chapels such as the 1810 thatched one at Gwithian have their West gallery. The Watersons Folk group in the sleeve notes on their 1977 record, named after the song, say that they learnt their version from an old (1934) BBC recording of the Mabe Male Voice Choir, from the Penryn district of Cornwall. The vicar of Mabe reported: 'The choir sings as their ancestors did. Such music as they have is in manuscript. They stand in a circle, the leader gives out the first line, and off they go, full tilt. They more or less make up their own harmonies'. -- From the liner notes by A. L. Lloyd. This thriving tradition was almost ended with the introduction of Hymns Ancient and Modern in1861. However they have survived thanks to small groups of singers such as those at Padstow and Troon who you can hear singing this carol and others on Christmas morning in the village square at 10am.
The midi is courtesy of Music for pianos
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