Lunchtime Talk: The origins of carols

Music historian Jeremy Summerly shares the history of Christmas Carols with music brought to life from a quartet from the Abbey's Choir. For many of us, Christmas carols are a familiar and evocative feature of the festive season. But how did they come to form part of our traditional Christmas celebrations? In this special Christmas lunchtime talk Jeremy Summerly will trace the history of the Christmas carol through the ages, with live music performed by a quartet of singers from the Special Service Choir of Westminster Abbey. About the speaker Jeremy Summerly is Director of Studies in Music at Caius College, Cambridge, having previously been Director of Music at St Peter’s College, Oxford, Visiting Professor of Music History at London’s Gresham College, and Head of Academic Studies at the Royal Academy of Music. He has conducted over forty recordings spanning the music of nine centuries and has given concert tours throughout Europe and the United States as well as in Japan, Indonesia, Hong Kong, Palestine, South Africa, and Botswana; he has conducted a performance of Benjamin Britten’s Hymn to the Virgin across the River Jordan, with one choir in Israel and the other in Jordan As a writer he has contributed articles to BBC Music Magazine, Early Music, The Musical Times, Choir & Organ, Leading Notes, and Classic CD.