Choral Christmas week 2: Howells from the last century

At 9am GMT on each day of Advent, I’ll be posting a YouTube video of a piece which, in my opinion, celebrates the best of music made by the human voice. You can access the full Choral Christmas here.

Herbert Howells: A spotless rose, performed by the Choir of King’s College, Cambridge

It wouldn’t be Christmas in England without the Choir of King’s College, Cambridge – not in our house, at any rate. In this video they appear performing a technically complex carol from Herbert Howells – a towering figure of sacred music in the Anglican church.

Anything Howells takes me back to my time in the choir of Hexham Abbey in Northumberland, so this piece sends a particular shiver down the spine.

Unfortunately there is a slight lip-sync issue on the video, but the sound is OK.

The score is not yet in the public domain, but you can access an alternative recording and transcript at the website of the Christ’s College Chapel Choir, Cambridge.