William B. Sandys
Encyclopedia
William B. Sandys , was an English
solicitor
, member of the Percy Society
, fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London
, and remembered for his publication Christmas Carols Ancient and Modern (London, Richard Beckley, 1833), a collection of seasonal carols
that Sandys had gathered and also apparently improvised. Sandys' book marked the first appearances of many now-classic English carols, including "God Rest You Merry, Gentlemen
", and "The First Noel
", and contributed to the mid-Victorian revival of the holiday. Sandys presented his collections in three parts. The first part "Containing Ancient Carols and Christmas Songs, From the Early Part of the Fifteenth to The End of the Seventeenth Century" contains examples in Middle English
and Early Modern English
.
The second part of Sandys' collection contains "A Selection From Carols Still Used In The West Of England" which Sandys claimed to have selected "from upwards of one hundred obtained in different parts of the West of Cornwall
, many of which, including those now published, are still in use. Some few of them are printed occasionally in the country, and also in London, Birmingham, and other places, as broadside carols; others have appeared, with some variation, in Mr. Gilbert
's collection, having been derived from similar sources; but a large portion, including some of the most curious, have, I believe, never been printed before."
Among the carols that made their first appearance here are the classics "The First Noel
", "God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen", "I Saw Three Ships
", "Hark the Herald Angels Sing". Some have the traditional forms of carols. Others are recognizably composed. In the current atmosphere of "Merry England
" that included the revival of Christmas
that was signalled by Charles Dickens
' "A Christmas Carol
" (1843), they all quickly developed their present reputations for being sixteenth century or earlier.
A third part offered "Specimens of French Provincial Carols."
Sandys repeated his success with Christmas-tide, Its History, Festivities and Carols, With Their Music (London: John Russell Smith, 1852), where he reprinted many of his finds.
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
solicitor
Solicitor
Solicitors are lawyers who traditionally deal with any legal matter including conducting proceedings in courts. In the United Kingdom, a few Australian states and the Republic of Ireland, the legal profession is split between solicitors and barristers , and a lawyer will usually only hold one title...
, member of the Percy Society
Percy Society
The Percy Society was a British book-club. It was founded in 1840 and collapsed in 1852.It was a scholarly collective, aimed at publishing limited-edition books of rare poems and songs...
, fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London
Society of Antiquaries of London
The Society of Antiquaries of London is a learned society "charged by its Royal Charter of 1751 with 'the encouragement, advancement and furtherance of the study and knowledge of the antiquities and history of this and other countries'." It is based at Burlington House, Piccadilly, London , and is...
, and remembered for his publication Christmas Carols Ancient and Modern (London, Richard Beckley, 1833), a collection of seasonal carols
Christmas carol
A Christmas carol is a carol whose lyrics are on the theme of Christmas or the winter season in general and which are traditionally sung in the period before Christmas.-History:...
that Sandys had gathered and also apparently improvised. Sandys' book marked the first appearances of many now-classic English carols, including "God Rest You Merry, Gentlemen
God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
God Rest You Merry, Gentlemen is an English traditional Christmas carol. The melody is in Aeolian mode. It was published by William B...
", and "The First Noel
The First Noël
The First Nowell is a traditional classical English carol, most likely from the 18th century, although possibly earlier...
", and contributed to the mid-Victorian revival of the holiday. Sandys presented his collections in three parts. The first part "Containing Ancient Carols and Christmas Songs, From the Early Part of the Fifteenth to The End of the Seventeenth Century" contains examples in Middle English
Middle English
Middle English is the stage in the history of the English language during the High and Late Middle Ages, or roughly during the four centuries between the late 11th and the late 15th century....
and Early Modern English
Early Modern English
Early Modern English is the stage of the English language used from about the end of the Middle English period to 1650. Thus, the first edition of the King James Bible and the works of William Shakespeare both belong to the late phase of Early Modern English...
.
The second part of Sandys' collection contains "A Selection From Carols Still Used In The West Of England" which Sandys claimed to have selected "from upwards of one hundred obtained in different parts of the West of Cornwall
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
, many of which, including those now published, are still in use. Some few of them are printed occasionally in the country, and also in London, Birmingham, and other places, as broadside carols; others have appeared, with some variation, in Mr. Gilbert
Davies Gilbert
Davies Gilbert FRS was a British engineer, author, and politician. He was elected to the Royal Society on 17 November 1791 and served as President of the Royal Society from 1827 to 1830....
's collection, having been derived from similar sources; but a large portion, including some of the most curious, have, I believe, never been printed before."
Among the carols that made their first appearance here are the classics "The First Noel
The First Noël
The First Nowell is a traditional classical English carol, most likely from the 18th century, although possibly earlier...
", "God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen", "I Saw Three Ships
I Saw Three Ships
"I Saw Three Ships " is a traditional and popular Christmas carol from England. A variant of its parent tune "Greensleeves", the earliest printed version of "I Saw Three Ships" is from the 17th century, possibly Derbyshire, and was also published by William B. Sandys in 1833...
", "Hark the Herald Angels Sing". Some have the traditional forms of carols. Others are recognizably composed. In the current atmosphere of "Merry England
Merry England
"Merry England", or in more jocular, archaic spelling "Merrie England", refers to an English autostereotype, a utopian conception of English society and culture based on an idyllic pastoral way of life that was allegedly prevalent at some time between the Middle Ages and the onset of the Industrial...
" that included the revival of Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
that was signalled by Charles Dickens
Charles Dickens
Charles John Huffam Dickens was an English novelist, generally considered the greatest of the Victorian period. Dickens enjoyed a wider popularity and fame than had any previous author during his lifetime, and he remains popular, having been responsible for some of English literature's most iconic...
' "A Christmas Carol
A Christmas Carol
A Christmas Carol is a novella by English author Charles Dickens first published by Chapman & Hall on 17 December 1843. The story tells of sour and stingy Ebenezer Scrooge's ideological, ethical, and emotional transformation after the supernatural visits of Jacob Marley and the Ghosts of...
" (1843), they all quickly developed their present reputations for being sixteenth century or earlier.
A third part offered "Specimens of French Provincial Carols."
Sandys repeated his success with Christmas-tide, Its History, Festivities and Carols, With Their Music (London: John Russell Smith, 1852), where he reprinted many of his finds.
Further reading
- The New Oxford Book of Carols, ed. Hugh Keyte and Andrew Parrott (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1992)