Peter Warlock - Bethlehem Down

The music for my favourite Christmas carol was written by one of my favourite composers, Peter Warlock. Interestingly, for such a beautiful and haunting piece of music, Warlock wrote it to finance an "immortal carouse" (a heavy bout of drinking) on Christmas Eve in 1927 for himself and the author of the poem Bruce Blunt, who were experiencing financial difficulty. The pair submitted the carol to the Daily Telegraph's annual Christmas carol contest and won.

Merry Xmas and a peaceful new year to you all
B.R. 24/12/2012