11 December 2018

Festive Music: French Folksongs La Noel Passée

‘La Noël Passée’ is from Britten’s second volume of folksongs, composed in December 1942. It tells the story of ‘The Orphan and King Henry’ – the beneficent King giving gold and silver to the orphan, while in the choruses they sing of Jesus who was born on this night.