related works
Six Chaucerian Pilgrims : for mixed choir / William Knight; lyrics by Geoffrey Chaucer
Genre:
Vocal music
Subgenre:
Mixed choir
Scoring:
GK
Gezang 229 : for mixed choir / Sem Dresden
Genre:
Vocal music
Subgenre:
Mixed choir
Scoring:
GK
Genre:
Vocal music
Subgenre:
Mixed choir
Scoring:
GK
Genre:
Vocal music
Subgenre:
Mixed choir
Scoring:
GK4
composition
The Coventry Carol (Taken from the Two Princes in the Tower) : for mixed choir / William Knight
Other authors:
Knight, William
(Composer)
Description:
The music to the Coventry Carol is taken from the larger work The Two Princes in the Tower. In this work the choir was accompanied by large ensemble and the words in the last verse used William Shakespeare's words from his play Richard III, which is the basis of the story in the music. This chorale at the end of The Two Princes in
the Tower has been reproduced as an unaccompanied choir piece and the words slightly changed so that the piece stands by itself.
The text 'Lully lu lily lily lily' is a play on words. This idea comes from an Old Wives Tail where a Lily and a Rose is offered to a woman who is expecting a child. The one she chooses will determine the sex (Male for Lily, Female for Rose). The Lily is a prominent symbol for masculinity and also for Christ (as is the Rose - with its 5
petals representing the 5 wounds of Christ). This is why the Lily suffers for us and for our sins.