Carols for All Seasons by Jean Ritchie

Carols of All Seasons is a 1959 studio album by American folk singer Jean Ritchie. It was recorded with two classical musicians, which is not unusual for the late 1950s. The sound anticipates the slightly baroque arrangements that Shirley Collins would later use on Anthems in Eden. As well as some often heard carols, there are some rare ones ("Dame Get up and Bake Your Pies") and four unique ones - carols that Jean had learned while she was a child in the Appalachian mountains. In particular "Cherry Tree of Cumberland" has a haunting quality. "The Flower Carol" (Tempus adest floridum) is the song that originally owned the tune "Good King Wenceslas" before Rev J.M. Neale substituted new words in 1853. It is very rarely heard. At the time Jean was the only singer to accompany herself on mountain dulcimer. This can heard on "Children Go Where I Send Thee" and "The May Day Carol". Liner notes by Jean Ritchie. The album was reissued in 1997 as Carols for All Seasons.