Barley Rye Choir

I hope this will enable you to get started, and familiarise yourself with the choir's songs.

Here are the scores for 12 songs. There are additional songs in the repertoire that will be sung unaccompanied. Note that these scores are what the choir sings - the musicians may end up playing something slightly different, but I hope we can work that out later. Click on a file to view in a web page, then save it to download it if you wish. In some songs, the arrangement has evolved a bit, and there may be pauses etc which are not marked on the score. Also, I don't work well with bass clef, so every line is in treble clef. Sorry about that!

If you want to hear sound files of Cathy and me singing a verse of the song, or a particular part, go to the 'Resources-Winter Songs' page of this site and click a sound file from the list.

As I sat on a Sunny Bank

Arrangement for Sunny Bank: The verses for this are quite short. I imagine the musicians playing the tune, then the choir singing a verse, then musicians play through a verse and so on. Towards the end there are 2 places where the choir whistles. We are hoping the flute will play a little trill at these points! 

Awake and Join the Cheerful Choir

Ding Dong Merrily on High

Dunster Carol

Halsway Carol

The tune for this song is called the Halsway Schottische, and is usually played quite briskly, in AABB format. The song is slower and is AAB. I imagine each sung verse would be separated by an instrumental B

Harky Harky

The Holly and the Ivy

I wonder as I wander

We wish you a merry Christmas

The Nailsbourne Beasties' Song

O'er Earthly Plains

Sans Day Carol