I Heard a Bird Sing
December 2019
A selection of seasonal songs recorded by Sing In! and Sing Owt! community choirs in Winter 2019. From traditional folk carols, winter tales, wassails and arrangements of Shakespeare through to new compositions with a wintry theme.
Bring warmth to your hearth this winter, with this celebration of the power of song to lift hearts in the dark times.
Track Listing
All tracks composed and / or arranged by Dave Camlin, except track 4 (Morris & Herbert)
Tracks 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 8, 9 performed by Sing In! & Sing Owt!
Tracks 4, 5, 10 performed by Sing In!
1 - I Heard a Bird Sing…
Dave’s arrangement of a poem by US poet Oliver Herford:
“I heard a bird sing in the dark of December;
A magical thing, and sweet to remember:
We are nearer to spring than we were in September,
I heard a bird sing in the dark of December.”
2 - Sing Out the Dark Night
The first round Dave wrote for Sing Owt! in 2006:
“Sing out the dark night, sing in the new light,
As the world turns around, as the year turns around.”
3 - I Can See the Stars
Inspired by the Cumbrian landscape as it emerges just North of Burton Services on the M6:
“It feels as if the silent earth is breathing out, filling up the sky,
And when I raise my head and look, I can see the stars.”
4 - Winter Song
A modern classic winter song for choirs from the pen and heart of Keith Morris (1959 - 2005), the legendary NE composer who left an astonishing legacy of amazing music, incuding this arrangement of a Bill Herbert poem.
5 - Blow, Blow thou Winter Wind
A William Shakespear song from As You Like It:
“Blow, blow, thou winter wind,
Thou art not so unkind as man’s ingratitude;
Thy tooth is not so keen,
Because thou art not seen, although thy breath be rude.
Heigh-ho! sing, heigh-ho! unto the green holly:
Most friendship is feigning, most loving is folly:
Then, heigh-ho, the holly!
This life is most jolly.
Freeze, freeze, thou bitter sky,
That dost not bite so nigh as benefits forgot:
Though thou the waters warp,
Thy sting is not so sharp as friend remembered not.
Heigh-ho! sing, heigh-ho! unto the green holly:
Most friendship is feigning, most loving is folly:
Then, heigh-ho, the holly!
This life is most jolly.
6 - Holly and The Ivy
A traditional folk version of the popular winter song, where the Holly and the Ivy battle it out for supremacy in the coming year
7 - Deck the Halls
Dave’s arrangement of the Christmas classic
8 - Peace and Joy Wassail
Another of the early rounds Dave wrote for Sing Owt’s first performance in 2006:
“Peace and joy come to you and those that you hold dear,
Blessings be upon you for a happy new year.”
9 - Wassail the Silver Apple
Another traditional folk song for winter - was hál, (literally: be hale) is a beverage of hot mulled cider, drunk traditionally as an integral part of wassailing, a Medieval Christmastide English drinking ritual intended to ensure a good cider apple harvest the following year.
10 - Winter Turns to Spring
The promise of light returning:
“Snows begin to melt, and the birds begin to sing,
The sleeping world is waking up as the winter turns to spring.”