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Orange Peel Morris Dancers |
(see below for the account from 2003)
Following a time-honoured tradition from the north of England,
a group of local friends under the banner of the Orange Peel Carollers will
be gathering on Dec. 22 at Baba Ganoush to sing what are known as Village
or Pub Carols. These carols are not the standard Christmas stock we hear
piped into every mall; they are often more boisterous and secular in nature
than the familiar fare.
They have been preserved in the pub environment in several Yorkshire villages
for at least the past 200 years.
In some cases, these carols were frowned upon by the church of the time, and
dropped from the order of service. However, though not popular with church
officials, the songs remained well-loved by the populace, who kept them alive.
They were sometimes retained by only one congregation, village, or family and
were held with great pride and even jealousy.
It was a special honour in some villages to be invited to sing them.
Mary Clark, one of the Orange Peel Carol group, who hails originally from Ecclesfield,
near Sheffield, recalls her early exposure to the music. “We were really
surprised when they allowed my Dad to join the singing; we had only lived there
for 15 years!”
These carols have been passed down from singer to singer in the small villages.
Pub carols are regaining popularity in England, there is now a biannual mass
sing along at Grenoside (in the Sheffield area) which attracts over 400 singers
and musicians.
The Pub caroling tradition was started in Ottawa around 1990 and is proving
quite popular there. The song book the group will use for several of the carols
is a publication from the Ottawa Folklore Centre, compiled by Shelley Posen,
entitled The Canadian Pub Caroller. It combines traditional English carols
with some long-forgotten early Canadian hymns and carols.
The Orange Peel Carollers like to think that they are doing their part to maintain
the tradition and help it take root in the Orangeville area.
Most of the carols will be unfamiliar to modern ears, but with their folky
sound and rousing choruses, some are very easy to learn.
Other songs will be more familiar, but with a twist. For example, While Shepherds
Watched Their Flocks by Night is a familiar text, written by Nahum Tate in
the 18th century. Until about 1820 it was one of a limited few that were approved
by the church, so it was set to about 40 different tunes.
The tune Cranbrook, known as the tune to the Yorkshire song On Ilkley Moor
Bah’t At, is one of many musical settings borrowed for the text. It provides
an exuberant, joyful sound.
If you would like to hear more, or better yet come out and sing along with
the group, they invite you to join them at Baba Ganoush on Sunday, Dec. 22,
from 1 to 3 p.m. (reservations are recommended for Sunday Brunch).
Immerse yourself in the sounds of days gone by, and help the Orange Peel Carollers
start a new tradition.
Orange-Peel Carollers, practicing English 'gallery' carols and other traditional Christmas music. We're joined by a number of good friends from local community choirs.
Instrumentals:
Away In A Manger (2 alternate tunes - German Folk & Flow Gently Sweet Afton)
Seven Joys of Mary (Morris Tune)
I Saw 3 Ships
Sans Day Carol
(variation of The Holly & Ivy 'Now the Holly bears a Berry')
Singing: (* indicates material drawn from The Canadian Pub Caroller, compiled by Shelley Posen; Ottawa Folklore Centre)
Joy To The World - Sing-a-long
The First Noel - Sing-a-long
Intro about who we are, etc.
I Heard The Bells On Christmas Day *
Angels From The Realms of Glory *
Instrumental: See Amid the Winter's Snow
Away in a Manger - Sing-a-long
Good King Wenceslas - Sing-a-long
A Merry Christmas *
The Boar's Head Carol - John Leads
Instrumental: In The Bleak mid Winter
Silent Night - Sing-a-long
Once In Royal David's City - Sing-a-long
Past Three A Clock
Christmas Tree *
Shepherds Arise *
(short break for beverage)
Hark The Herald Angels Sing - Sing-a-long
O Come All ye Faithful - Sing-a-long
Ding Dong Merrily
The King
Coventry Carol
Deck The Halls - Sing-a-long
While Shepherds Watched - Sing-a-long
(to tune of On Ilkley Moor Baht'At)
Noël and Noël
The Holly and the Ivy
Instrumental Set --- Robin and Eva
Gloucestershire Wassail - Sing-a-long
O Holy Night - Sing-a-long
Egypt *
Pentonville (While Shepherds Watched) *
We Wish You a Merry Christmas
O Holy Night
Nancy, Cara, Linda, and Lucy, singing Pentonville.
Betty, Tina, and Janet.
Eva and Robin, playing an Italian Shepherds' Carol.
Jerry, Cathy, Emily, and Chris. Cathy was the impetus to get this carolling started!
The Orange Peel Light Orchestra carolling sub-section — Mary, Mark, Tom, and Dickson. Mary's father was eventually invited to join the Ecclesfield group, after fifteen years of observing.
Tom and Dickson.
Tom —as always, our Music Fore and leader.
Another successful year! We carolled again at Baba Ganoush on 2003 December 14 in the afternoon. This year we added several new carols to our repertoire, and most certainly improved the ones we knew from last year. We also carolled at The Avalon, the nursing home where we practice Border Morris dancing during the rest of the year. And we joined the Cambridge area folk singeing circle at the Black Badger in Galt/Cambridge the week after that. Once again, Tom and John were our mainstays. Thanks, you two!
Carolling at the Avalon
Carolling at Baba Ganoush in Orangeville
Baba Ganoush — warming up.
For more information, please contact the Orange Peel Squire: 
Corrections and Comments to
Updated: 2003 December 27