A Ceremony of Carols, op. 28
A Ceremony of Carols, Op. 28 is an extended choral composition for Christmas by Benjamin Britten scored for three-part treble chorus, solo voices, and harp. The text, structured in eleven movements, is taken from The English Galaxy of Shorter Poems, edited by Gerald Bullett. It is principally in Middle English, with some Latin and Early Modern English. It was composed in 1942 on Britten's sea voyage from the United States to England.
Movements
- Introduction
- Willkumm, Jul!
- Est ist kein Ros
- Wann hub dies Kindlein
- Bubaideli
- Wie Tau im Aprill
- Der kleine Knab
- Interlude. Andante pastorale
- Interlude. Andante pastorale
- In kalter Wintersnacht
- Frühlingschor
- Adam lag gebunden
- Hodie Christus natus est
Most recent recordings
- Britten: A Ceremony of Carols, Op. 28: III. There Is No Rose — Benjamin Britten, RIAS Kammerchor, Anna Viechtl, Justin Doyle (2026) Spotify
- A Ceremony of Carols, Op. 28 "There is no Rose" — Benjamin Britten, Sankt Annæ Pigekor, Anne-Terese Sales, Maria Boelskov Sørensen, Copenhagen Girls Choir (2025) Spotify
- Britten: A Ceremony of Carols / Choral Works by Ireland, Bridge & Holst — Benjamin Britten, Graham Ross, Choir of Clare College, Cambridge (2020) Spotify
New releases via Spotify — surfaced automatically, not editorial picks.