Page:English folk-carols.djvu/14

 sung, many, it is feared, have been irretrievably lost. This is not surprising, when it is realized how intimately the Christmas carol is associated in the minds of folk-singers with the custom of house-to-house singing, already referred to. Only a few weeks ago I asked two old men who were singing to me whether they knew a certain carol. One of them said that he did; the other, the elder of the two, shook his head doubtfully. Whereupon the younger singer stood up and, dragging his companion up beside him, said encouragingly: "Stand up, and think you've got snow in your boots, and it'll come to you all right." And it did!

In several parts of England I have found carols which are peculiar to certain villages, by the inhabitants of which they are regarded as private possessions of great value, to be jealously guarded and retained for their own use. These are not traditional or folk-carols but the elementary compositions of simple musicians, very possibly of those who in the old days were members of the Church bands. They are easily distinguished from the popular carol by the formal nature of the music and words, and also by the fact that many of them are written in parts. Some of these compositions are by no means without merit. The melodies, if not inspired, are usually strong and sincere, and, plainly, the expression of genuine feeling. The following example, which may be taken as fairly representative of the type, was noted at Armscote, a small hamlet in Worcestershire.

Deck every hearth with holly green,

Let not a care intrude,

But Christian love and joy be seen

And heartfelt gratitude. Rh