Coventry Carol
Did you know that this is one of the oldest Christmas songs and was officially written down in 1534? Coventry Carol was written for the nativity scene, which began with the Annunciation and ended with the Massacre of the Holy Innocents. Certainly, the darkest of the carols, the words reflect mothers soothing their soon-to-be slaughtered babies. The lament was part of a medieval play, performed annually until 1579, during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I who outlawed Catholicism in favor of the new Church of England. The song was brought back to life during WWII after the Coventry blitz in November 1940, after 43,000 homes were destroyed, more than 550 people killed, along with the destruction of a medieval cathedral. The December BBC radio broadcast from the ruins, ended with the Coventry Carol.
