The "Coventry Carol" is an English Christmas carol dating from the 16th century. The carol was performed in Coventry in England as part of a mystery play called The Pageant of the Shearmen and Tailors. The play depicts the Christmas story from chapter two in the Gospel of Matthew. The carol refers to the Massacre of the Innocents, in which Herod ordered all male infants under the age of two in Bethlehem to be killed. The lyrics of this haunting carol represent a mother's lament for her doomed child. It is the only carol that has survived from this play.
It is notable as a well-known example of a Picardy third. The author is unknown. The oldest known text was written down by Robert Croo in 1534, and the oldest known printing of the melody dates from 1591.[1] The carol is traditionally sung a cappella. There is an alternative setting of the carol by Kenneth Leighton, and another by Philip Stopford.
The only manuscript copy to have survived into recent times was burnt in 1875. Our knowledge of the lyrics is therefore based on two very poor quality transcriptions from the early nineteenth century, and there is considerable doubt about many of the words. Some of the transcribed words are difficult to make sense of: for example, in the last verse "And ever morne and may For thi parting Neither say nor singe" is not clear. Various modern editors have made different attempts to make sense of the words, so such variations may be found as "ever mourn and say", "every morn and day", "ever mourn and sigh". The following is one attempted reconstruction.
The oldest recording i could find is from Elisabeth Schumann She recorded it in october 1938
Here some songs to listen
Also recorded by Alfred Deller in 1956, John Jacob Niles as Lulle Lullay in 1957
The Kingston Trio as Bye Bye Thou Little Tiny Child 1960,
Christine Mcvie 1998, Melanie Safka 1996, Sting 2009, Tori Amos 2009, Mark Lanegan 2012
