Here George Winston plays “The Holly and the Ivy” on his 1982 album “December.”
For a version that’s a lot more dramatic, here’s Loreena McKennitt singing it on her 2008 album “Midwinter’s Night Dream.”
Here George Winston plays “The Holly and the Ivy” on his 1982 album “December.”
For a version that’s a lot more dramatic, here’s Loreena McKennitt singing it on her 2008 album “Midwinter’s Night Dream.”
Of the two, frankly, I prefer George Winston’s straightforward piano version. Ms. McKennitt’s breathy, new-agey version annoys me.
I did appreciate the opportunity to look the song up. The version we know only dates from the early 19th century – I thought it was older. But Wikipedia does mention a much older manuscript on holly and ivy, in what looks to me like about 14th century English, the sort Chaucer wrote in the Canterbury Tales. (Yes, I was an English major, and yes, I’ve read Chaucer in the original.) The older song has totally different lyrics and is much more interesting!
Isn’t it fun to do the research? So much conventional wisdom is wrong or incomplete.