The carol's origins are complex and disputed, but somewhere in its hinterland are Anglo-Saxon round dances with repetitive choruses probably originating in celebrations of the winter solstice rather than the Nativity. Some rather disapproving high-minded Norman knights witnessed these, thus confirming the existence of local practices and music distinct from their own.



But these early words and tunes proved handy for the Christian proselatisation of such groups as the Franciscans, who… Continue