The two-disc Essential Carols: The Very Best of King's College Choir, Cambridge, finally puts much of the Choir's and conductor
David Willcocks' recordings of traditional holiday music into one package. This music is what made the Choir famous, and, since the beginning of the compact disc era, has been available scattered over various compilations. For those who are serious about Christmas music, this album really is an essential. Although the recordings date from the early '60s, they still stand as a benchmark for later albums of similar music by other choirs. These are familiar English carols (plus a few adopted into the English tradition), music that would be used in services or other church-related events, sung a cappella or with organ accompaniment as they would be for those proceedings. The one exception is the final Fantasia on Christmas Carols, by
Ralph Vaughan Williams, performed with the
London Symphony Orchestra. Because the Choir sings for services daily, there is a reverence for the meaning and spirit of the music that isn't always found in holiday music collections. There is also a warmth in and a care for its ensemble work that represents a high level of musicianship from men and boys who are not necessarily studying to become professional musicians. This isn't something anyone would learn from the liner notes. All that Decca chose to put in the booklet was a track listing, as it would for a regular compilation album, which is something of a slight to
Willcocks, the Choir, and the music, but at least these recordings are widely accessible again.