John Potter on Christmas Carols: an English Enchantment

John Potter is at Topping & Company Booksellers on Thursday 26 November for a talk on the English Christmas carol. It's a bit of a deep dive into a tradition that most of us just take for granted as part of the December background noise.

Potter's going to unpick the history of the carol as something that's been sung in court and cloister, tavern and field since medieval times, long before it became the holiday staple we recognise. He'll trace how it eventually wove itself into the fabric of the season, with the first Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols in 1880 marking a turning point. King's College's service has been broadcast since 1928, so for many of us, that particular sound is the one that defines the whole thing.

It's a fitting subject for Potter to take on. He's a singer and author who spent years as a member of the Hilliard Ensemble, and these days records for ECM. He's given first performances of works by Luciano Berio, Arvo Pärt, Gavin Bryars and Sting, and as a boy he sang the solo in 'Once in Royal David's City' at King's College, Cambridge — the very place that service grew from. He's also written Song, Tenor and A History of Singing, so he knows his way around the mechanics of the voice as well as the history behind the music.

The talk is at The Bookshop, Topping & Company Booksellers, 1 Museum Street, York YO1 7DT, which bills itself as the largest independent bookshop in the country. Doors open at 6.30pm, and the talk starts at 7pm.